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PlayStation 3: Why the XMB needs to go
Update: Wow, apparently this editorial is making quite some noise on the internet. Let me just state some points. I’m not some bad guy against the PlayStation 3, I love my console, I love all the great games on the system and all the great games coming out for the system, or else I wouldn’t be updating on it every day.
Seems all the comments on N4G are comparing the XMB to the Xbox 360 dashboard. I never actually said that the PlayStation 3 dashboard should be like the Xbox 360 dashboard. I guess people throw that in themselves since there’s so much fuel in the console war, but it’s wrong when it starts to look like I said the PlayStation 3’s interface should be like it. From a lot of other comments, it seems to imply that I’m saying the XMB is hard to use. I actually said it’s easy to use, never said it was hard.
I stand by my opinion though. I’m not hating the XMB, I’m just saying I think we need a new interface. Of course, not completely new, maybe something reminiscent of the XMB, but more eye-catching and integrated with other PlayStation features. It’s my opinion, doesn’t have to be yours. Is there anything wrong with that? I don’t think so.
Original: Take a look at your consoles at home. Whether you have the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii, you’re going to see something different when you power on each console. Each greets you with an interface that tells you, this uniquely belongs to the Wii or this uniquely belongs to Xbox 360. However, the PlayStation 3 is a different story.
When you power on your PlayStation 3, you’re greeted with the simple Xross Media Bar or XMB for short. I say “simple” in a good way, as the interface is easy to use. However, while this design may be easy enough for any user to get into it, probably the biggest argument for the XMB against other interfaces, an interface like that of the Xbox 360 or Wii isn’t that advanced for the average user to get into either. With a demand for more and more on PlayStation 3, Sony’s going to need to let go of the XMB for a new PlayStation 3-specific interface.
Here’s my biggest argument, small, yet big. Why am I greeted with the same interface on my PlayStation 3 that I see when I click the “Menu” button on my TV remote? Or the same interface that was used on the PSX or PSP? The point I’m trying to make is that PlayStation 3 is a highly advanced system in comparison to these other platforms and should be using an interface that would utilize it’s utmost capability and defines the console.
Currently, if you want to see what’s new in the PlayStation Store, you’d have to go to the “PlayStation Network” icon on your XMB, hit “PlayStation Store”, let it open, hit “New” and your content is displayed. While this is quite easy, I don’t believe it’s the best way to know what’s going on in the store. Both the Xbox 360 and Wii have a display on the dashboard telling you what’s new in their marketplaces, respectively. The Xbox 360 has the Spotlight tab on the dashboard that tell you what’s going on in the marketplace and gaming community, and the Wii has a marquee text display running through the Wii Shop channel icon telling you what’s new in the shop.
PlayStation Home is also a popular application on the PlayStation 3. However, getting into it is something of a frustration. Launching the application brings you to a loading screen which brings you to an introduction screen bringing you to a log-in screen bringing you to another loading screen. The amount of time it takes to get into Home really makes it seem more disappointing going into.
Life with PlayStation is the same thing. I would use it more if perhaps it was integrated into the interface. It’s annoying to launch an app, wait for it to load, look for the area nearest me and find my weather and news. Maybe if it were an option on a new interface, I would be more open to it.
In-Game XMB is also a disappointment. Click the PlayStation button to bring up the XMB, most of which you cannot use, and watch those spinning refresh icons for a good ten seconds while we load your friends and icons. Go to another section on the XMB and let us load again. This makes the text-chat (say, where’s cross-game voice chat anyway?) one hell of a nightmare.
And, please, let me reiterate. This is next-gen! Sony’s been using the XMB for years upon years, which makes it seem like they don’t want to put any effort into creating the interface that will give a unique feel to the PlayStation 3 rather than confusing it with my Bravia.
All I’m asking for out of Sony is a new interface that can integrate all the current features of the PlayStation 3 as well as future features into one, nice, seamless platform, instead of making it look like a desktop with a bunch of apps we can launch.
This gamer’s take on an interface is quite refreshing, although it is just for the in-game XMB, but seems to be applicable to the console’s overall interface. I’m looking for something like this.
Don’t agree with me? That’s why this is an editorial. Let’s hear what you have to say on it in the comments section.
07.4.09 (
5:50 pm |
Well i sure want a change as well, but the current XMB is fine with me. I still prefer a change though, getting bored with the design already, seeing both on my PS3 and PSP :P
06.29.09 (
2:15 am |
“eight ball” has some suggestions for the XMB and I have to agree that the XMB has a very easy to use and understand style and for most people it serves its purpose. What I think is driving most of the debate is that fact that MS released what is arguably a much more efficient and stylized interface and PS3 owners (myself included) are anxiously awaiting a response from Sony. One which we’ll probably never get until the PS4 or much later in the PS3’s lifecycle.
I do wholeheartedly agree with all the apps that seem to have absolutely NOTHING in common with the next. For example: the new iPhoto-like application with it’s simplistic yet very deep interface and big icons along the bottom. Why don’t we have a similar app for listening to music with album cover art and a similar playlist method?
Bottomline is that every app is a world unto itself with no relation to anything else on the system. Even though Netflix, Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm are different apps they all share the same basic navigation structure of the NXE and share the same button layout while it’s the complete opposite on the PS3. The only thing that is similar is content accessible directly from the XMB (pictures, movies and music) all sharing the triangle button to bring up different menu options just like right-clicking.
Moreover, and again, agreeing with “eight ball”, the icons and pop-up menus of the PS3, in all their muted gray glory, could use a refresh. I’m not suggesting they rattle the screen with colors and memory sucking animations but it would be nice to see something other than a bunch of gray screens. And for the love Michael Jackson, can we PLEASE get some of the stuff out of the top-right corner?! Everything friggin’ lives there. The time, date, charge level on the DS3 (or SIXAXIS), the useless info bar, pop-up messages for trophies and friends. It just doesn’t make any sense why they felt the need to pack nearly everything in that corner.
But again, if MS hadn’t released the NXE we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation. The worst part is that we may never see an update on the XMB as it could cause an even bigger rift in the halls of Sony. It’s bad enough the system doesn’t really have any focus (with SCEE and SCEJ seemingly in a pissing contest to see who can release the most apps/updates for the system) let alone having a fight over what gamers from different territories would prefer when they turn on their PS3.
We can only begin to understand the reasons why SCE is sticking with the XMB interface. As “ksfrench79″ points out, the XMB could be a decision that’s over the heads of the PS3 division.
06.28.09 (
4:41 pm |
You may be very right, but I still disagree. If Microsoft or Nintendo made televisions then you would very likely see similiar interfaces on those televisions. However they do not, and Sony does. I think the XMB is organized and simple. All I need to get around.
06.28.09 (
6:29 am |
I agree with some of your comment but not with others parts of it.
The XMB is iconic, simple and slick. The XMB concept has to stay, but, it needs better categorization, things need to be organized better. Now I also think they should integrate some panels into the XMB interface to give it some weight if you understand me. They need to make its function a little more straight forward too, the up, down, left, right part is fine. But the clicking on friends at it going straight to trophies etc. It should be X to go to their messages, Square to go to their trophies/profile and Triangle for options.
They also need to redesign the default icons too, I mean the actual shapes are fine but the smoked glass effect with fat, round edges just doesn’t look cutting edge enough, I’m not sure exactly what would work right but if one of their designers sat with a graphics design program and just done a bit of trial and error with teh icon shapes I’m sure they’d come up with something nicer.
The clock and date need to go to the top left of the screen.
The notification boxes that pop-up need to be given a bit o’ treatment, I mean they’re just so boring.
Transitions also need to be simplified, right now when you boot-up, you get the boot up screen with the orchestral sound which is nice and classy, but then the wave jumps to another colour, then to the wallpaper and then the icons load. All it really needs to be is the same boot up screen (whatever colour for that month) then either your wallpaper or wave softly appear with you icons. Some new boot-up sounds would be nice, maybe a choice of ten, including the default PS3 one and the classic PSX/PS1/PS2 ones.
Another big problem is the way they seem to be bringing out many separate, branded apps and just sticking them under different categories, they don’t need this, it breaks up the experience too much, having to exit out of one app, then go into another, wait for it to load, plus the fact they all have varying interfaces…
…they need to drop the life with playstation brand name and they need to drop the VidZone brand name, now the standard (out of game) XMB needs this, when you load up it defaults to XMB, but if you hit the PS button it eases out the XMB and brings up what was once branded life with playstation, then of course when you hold square you have a choice of channels, now Sony could have many channels but at the top there needs to be four main channels, the life with playstation channel, the general news channel, the folding@home channel and, a PlayStation Home channel, when you go to it it could simply drop you into your apartment.
VidZone could simply become “Music Videos” and be a category under music (or more logicially, videos) in the XMB.
That information board thing needs to go as well, it’s useless.
They need to license out the mozilla engine for the browser and of course adjust it for use with the PS3, cause the current one is awful, it also needs up to date, flash, java and a bookmarks bar separate to the bookmarks menu.
The PlayStation Store icon is fine where it is but the store needs an overhaul again, much better categorization and some brains tbh.
The in-game XMB needs to have all the icons and categories that ou can’t use, just removed, cause it’s using extra memory when it isn’t needed, it complicates navigation when there’s no need to plus Sony need to work on speeding it up and getting better communication options in.
The four keywords are simple, iconic and most of all, integrated and unified.
:)
06.28.09 (
2:00 am |
I agree with you Sal as well as George but I’m leaning more towards Sal’s view of the overhaul of the XMB.
On the one hand you’re right Sal, most everything that the PS3 offers requires that something be launched taking you away from the XMB and there’s normally a bit of a wait involved. While in comparison the NXE has most everything built into the dashboard and while you could argue that the NXE has its faults we can’t expect any interface to be perfect. There has to be some sort of shuffling and searching or items and information. At least the NXE categorizes and indexes everything together. When you look up Halo 3 you get all the related information and content for that game. That’s just smart but we should expect no less from the same company that created one of the very first search engines (Bing is better than Google for now).
Although George’s point that memory is at the heart of all this browsing and that the system can only do so much and still function effectively. And being a minimalist I like the XMB but there’s no doubt that it has flaws.
One of which is the fact that you can customize the icons and wallpaper but that’s all for naught when you access the XMB from a game. When you press that PS button you still get the default icon scheme, not the custom theme you applied. It’s only when you leave the game completely do you see your custom icons. Not a big deal but it’s obvious that control over the XMB is a hoax in that regard. But it makes sense since, as George put it, the memory allocated for the in-game XMB can only handle so much.
Now George, let’s get away from this continuity argument. The iPhone has a similar style and feel but it in no way has the same interface. The Mac and iPhone have similar icons but the interface is different enough for the product to stand on its own. If Sony really cared about their product they’d create something that was similar but still had its own distinct personality. What works for a phone shouldn’t work for a powerhouse machine like the PS3 or the PSP.
And since when did anyone really give a crap about interfaces being the same across products that are about as different from each other as a cow and a chicken? I think Sony could do something that strays a bit but still keeps the quintessential feel and look of a Sony product.
I won’t get long winded about this but there’s no denying that the XMB needs a serious overhaul. Not that anyone really notices. The system is considered a failure in the eyes of the mainstream media. Right now the only thing people care about is when the price is going to drop. Then once they have the system in more people’s hands THEN they can worry about providing a better browsing experience.
06.28.09 (
12:33 am |
I agree, the xmb does need a bit of an overhaul or a (fresh face)althought the funtionality of it is good. spruce it up abit sony.
06.27.09 (
7:17 pm |
Ok this editorial is pretty childish and I’ll do my best to point out all of its flaws. First off, what you’re missing here is the importance of UI similarities across different product lines. There is a reason why the iPhone 3.0 OS looks strikingly similar to Mac OS X. Every company wants their products to be instantly recognizable and Sony more than almost any other electronics manufacturer needs to maintain linearity across its myriad of lines. So of course the interface would be similar to your TV because the PS3 is very much a media device. Not only can it be used to stream media to your TV but it is also a Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Player. Secondly, you tried taking a crack at the loading times and sluggishness of the in-game XMB but do you maybe think this is due to system limitations? The beauty of the XMB is that you can see everything (in the main menu) on a single screen rather than flipping through multiple windows. Thus, the text interface is extremely responsive and doesn’t make you backtrack at all. It is pretty evident how the Xbox interface tried to adapt in the same way. It took the horizontal characteristics of XMB, added a dash of Cover Flow and voila, you now have to painfully sift through endless windows. This is because both systems have a limited amount of ram and much of that is devoted to background services (i.e. downloading demos, messaging, bluetooth connections, loading game data etc.), so you can only have so much on-screen at once. Lastly, this is not next-gen, this is very much the current generation. Microsoft (as usual) is planning to bury the 360 six feet under within a year, after Steve Ballmer’s announcement last week that a new Xbox will be available by next holiday season. Why do you think there weren’t any major 360 exclusives announced at E3? They’re sitting on them for next year’s new console. This is how the video game industry has always worked. Investments in small improvements are few and far between because the hardware has always been more vital than the software. So you ask why would Microsoft go through the trouble of updating its interface? Because millions of people pay them a subscription fee for internet access each year for their consoles. Sony does not have this luxury and we should be thankful that they are spending their money on developing AAA exclusives rather than finding new ways to screw over their customers by buying expensive add-ons (HD-DVD drives, Natal camera, console-specific headsets, and even wireless adapters etc). So the beauty of any software updates that are get on the PS3 is that they are free and we should be thankful we get anything at all (just ask Wii owners about the software advancements in their consoles…this country hasn’t seen a new wii channel in how long now?). All in all, you might see a new skin for the XMB with the 3.0 update, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for anything more than that.
06.27.09 (
7:09 pm |
I reckon the XMB is fine. It needs some polish like quicker loading and just a general tidy up but I don’t think theres any need to get rid of it.
06.27.09 (
5:35 pm |
Right on. I liken the XMB to Windows 3.1. Clunks, not integrated and OLD fashioned.
06.27.09 (
4:47 pm |
I agree, I mean, I think it works well on the PSP, I quite enjoy using it to cycle between games and music etc while on the go. But for the PS3 I really would like to see something different. I’m not saying Sony should try to copy the NXE or anything, but something along the lines of that type of interface would be not only more pleasing to the eye, but more user-centric too.