From the Vault — originally published September 2, 2009. Some links, videos or prices may be out of date.
Dont get me wrong, I really do appreciate the clock fix. The overlapping of the controller battery indicator and time display on the PS3 has truly annoyed me. I say this to commend the PlayStation 3 team for updating the system. I am though concerned about the direction they seem to be taking with the launch of this update. As an owner of both a PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 systems the simple almost minimalist aesthetic of the XrossMediaBar (XMB) interface on the Playstation 3 appeals to me more than the current iteration of the Xbox 360 dashboard.
The minimalist icon and sparse text based design of the PS3 XMB navigation always appealed to me because I turn on these systems for entertainment and relaxation. We are bombarded with advertisements and product marketing practically everywhere turn nowadays. I found it attractive that I can turn on the PS3 console and know that I will not be bombarded with these marketing messages. I can choose what I want to watch, or play. I think this approach has been particularly important in the separation of the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 brands. I really dislike the Xbox 360’s latest dashboard iteration because its become so cluttered with ads for products and other marketing items.
What I find alarming about this new PlayStation update is that it seems as though the PS3 team is stepping away from the clean minimalist look and mimicking some of the things done on the Xbox 360. The Icons and text are now much larger and the rectangular backgrounds behind the friends list items are a departure from the clean look I have come to appreciate from the XMB.
Also the new PS3 “What’s new” section seems like a rip from the Xbox 360 dashboard. These new squares that show the last few games you have played and other ads/marketing seems like a play straight from the Xbox 360 dashboard playbook.
Not a good look Sony. This seems like a step back to me for sure though whats worse is the new information, or rather “ad feed” in the top right corner that we cannot turn off. Also lets not forget the extra and rather redundant PlayStation store icons. We get it. You want to drive sales but don’t be a dick about it and treat us like simpletons who cannot find the Playstation store in the process.
