Sony’s got some thinking to do
PS5 owners are absolutely irate about changes made to the console’s user interface, and already some fans want to protest against the “feature”. While it’s not available to everyone on every game yet, the console is now pulling in news pertaining to select titles and displaying them when you hover over their icon.
We’re actually not outraged about this, because we understand what Sony’s trying to do. However, we appreciate the implementation, as it is right now, is far from optimal.
So, what is it the Japanese giant is trying to achieve here? Well, many games operate using a live service model these days, which means they’ll often have in-game events. Consider the latest update to Zenless Zone Zero, which adds an entire new region and storyline to the title. As we’ve mentioned in previous articles, it actually makes sense to highlight this so players can see, at a glance, what’s happening in their favourite games.
The problem with the implementation here is that developers don’t appear to be utilising a consistent standard. So, in the case of Zenless Zone Zero, you get a beautiful promotional banner using gorgeous artwork from the latest version of the game; in the case of Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2, however, you get this horrible YouTube thumbnail-style background.
We actually think the Zenless Zone Zero approach looks great and makes sense; it shows what Sony’s trying to achieve here. But without any consistent standards or guidelines to follow, you’re going to get incredibly ugly examples as well.
And as a result, fans are already protesting, with an upvoted post on Reddit calling on fellow fans to voice their displeasure in order to initiate change.
As we noted above, we get what Sony’s trying to do here; a modern console needs to highlight the evolving nature of its games. But this isn’t the right way to do it, and it’s predictably leaving a bad taste.
[source reddit.com]
As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He’s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators. He also enjoys RPGs when he has the time to dedicate to them, and is a bit of a gacha whale.
