Japan received its own PSP 1.52 earlier this month, and now, US gamers can enjoy the fun of updating their PSPs to the latest version. No great features have been added to 1.52 (except the ability to play UMD Music in the main menu, which we hadn't even noticed was a problem -- the only UMD Music release scheduled for America, Eagle Rock's PSP Video Collection, isn't due until later this year). The security updates in 1.52, however, will likely be required in American PSP games sometime soon, as new PSP titles in Japan already require the previous 1.51 update.
Sony is essentially trying to stay on top of the vulnerabilities in Firmware that hackers constantly seek to exploit. Just today, a hack was released on the web that takes advantage of the holes in the 1.50 version of the software. Users download these hacks in hopes of playing classic games with emulators and roms that are found all over the internet. What many of these users don't know is that the process for booting these hacks can damage the PSP.
To update your PSP, use the Network Update feature on your PSP menu (jump to the top link on your PSP's menu under the little suitcase.) Sony will also have the update available on PlayStation.com's PSP Update Page sometimes soon if you want to download the update via USB.
We'll have more on future PSP updates as they roll in.