Sony's well-anticipated firmware update version 2.40 for the PlayStation 3 went live for download yesterday, bringing with it in-game XrossMediaBar (XMB) access and Trophies for supporting PS3 game titles. Unfortunately, the update process did not appear to be as silky smooth as it was for previous firmware releases, and technical issues soon reared their ugly heads.

The firmware update can cause different PS3 hardware configurations to suffer problems which range from controller failure, performance issues to even prevent proper system booting once applied.  Sadly, the issues did not appear to be limited to any one PS3 model, as the higher storage capacity consoles (40/60/80GB) all had a chance of being hit with various gremlins thanks to the version 2.40 firmware. Some users have found success in remedying the most serious problems by swapping the removable hard drive, which suggests the firmware update is corrupting hard drive data.  While Sony would certainly not have the public think the issues are spreading like wildfire, they are certainly enough that the company has since pulled the version 2.40 firmware update from general distribution in order to pinpoint the exact issue with it:

As has been reported on many gaming blogs and websites, we have temporarily taken Firmware v2.40 offline. We’ve received a limited number of calls from consumers experiencing an issue with installing the system software update on their PS3. While our consumer services department has seen a low volume of calls on this topic, we are committed to providing the PS3 community with XMB access features delivered in the v2.40 update. We are working diligently to isolate the problem for those few consumers and to identify a solution before we put the firmware back up.

In the meantime, Sony took the time to clarify a few tidbits regarding Trophies for PS3 games. It is up to the developers themselves to create Trophies players can earn in their PS3 titles, so it won't be a mandatory feature. Additionally, developers will decide for themselves whether or not to retroactively implement Trophies for PS3 game titles which are already released (and don't already include them).

Trophies will be attached to users' PSN ID. Trophy data needs to be synchronized to the online account on PSN to be transferred to the new PS3 system.

No, Trophies aren't retroactive.