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PS3 GUI Takes Page From PSP Book
sdmonroe writes "As the PS3 launch approaches, the first glimpses of the console's new interface have started to hit the web. The interface borrows many features from the PSP GUI which got such broad acclaim, and includes simple drop down menus for accessing important settings like video resolution, audio output, and management of your virtual friends. Customizability and configurability are also some of the features gamers can expect."
I do like the PSP menu, its very clean, intuitive and easy. The only problem is the music/mp3 playback, that completely sucks on the PSP, you can't scroll around while listening to a song. Since there is a hard drive on the PS3, wonder if you can copy music onto it and set up playlists, that would be decent.
//TODO: Insert catchy phrase
"The interface borrows many features from the PSP GUI which got such broad acclaim, and includes simple drop down menus for accessing important settings like video resolution, audio output, and management of your virtual friends. Customizability and configurability are also some of the features gamers can expect."
Can I guess with confidence that at least some of these (imho obvious) gui features are patented, if not by Sony, someone about to hit the motherlode by suing them?
Apology to Ubuntu forum.
It's called the Cross Media Bar (XMB) interface, and it actually debuted on the ill-fated PSX (PS2+DVR combo) in 2003. It's since become Sony's standard UI for multimedia products such as the PSP, PS3 and even some higher-end TVs.
If you hadn't seen it referenced from the google video link in the article. The google link in the article had a basic interface demonstration. This one has more infor on the picture browser, music and movie player, and (apparently) integrated web browser.
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http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-72470176
And here I was expecting a story about Sony plagiarising Paint Shop Pro for Dummies
Looks very similar to what was shown at the beginning of June http://youtube.com/watch?v=UpKwRHxSzoY
I believe that Arstechnica said it was a toss up between the Xbox360 "blade" interface and the PS3 interface.
The pop up menu during games seems a poor to me - white icons on a screen without a frame or background? I can see that being an issue with some games.
In the sea of negative reactions to the PS3 this is one of the few positive ones I've seen (well atleast on slashdot) I'm both happy that this has happened, but I'm still completely underwhelmed about the PS3. I know I'll end up owning all three consoles, but with Ken Kutaragi personally telling me I'm too poor to enjoy video games I can't help but feel that PS3 will be the last.
disclaimer: I've been known to store numbers in my ass for which to dig out when quantities are required.
More and more we'll see new videogames converging into multimedia devices or even computers. Probably in one or two years Sony and Nintendo will be doing more media devices with more processing power and storage devices such as a hard disk inside a video game. I wonder when am I going to see a computer that can be fully integrated into the whole media system of a house. This shouldn't be far away for companies like Sony and Apple.
-ld
One thing I liked in the video: showing a picture of the output plugs is pretty smart - this will really help out those who wouldn't know a DVI from an HDMI from a component cable.
I gotta wonder if that interface is running in some kind of HD mode; that text would not be readable on a standard-def 27" TV. Way to small. I imagine the font scales with the display mode.
If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
This is just more anti-PS3 FUD being spread by Zonk. Now we get to hear that the GUI will be just like the doomed PSP's GUI and that the PS3 is to be doomed as well. Wait, what?
/. have a negative twist to them. It's just that when there isn't much positive from Sony to report, you can't just make up news to satisfy the fans.
Yes fanbois, not all PS3 stories on
On another note, why is 1080i listed after 1080p? Shouldn't 1080p be "the best"?
Is that at all like mana burn?
Douglas P. Price
Its sad when Sony implementing a half-decent menu design is news.
Dont get me wrong, the gui seems very clean and usable, but theres nothing in there you wouldn't expect.
I do have one question though; will it be able play games automatically without going through the GUI? Because tapping "Animal Crossing DS" is one thing, but scrolling through a bunch of menus seems like it would throw up a mental barrier to play.
The pop up menu during games seems a poor to me - white icons on a screen without a frame or background? I can see that being an issue with some games.
It's more of a difference rendering tat always keeps contrast with whatever game you have running.
Although the menu seems a bit simple, that also means it will still render well without affect game performance underneath (if a game is running). A demo shown at E3 shows more eye candy in the background as well so it'll not look too plain when in action.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Zonk posted something positive about the ps3? Isnt this one of the signs of the apocalypse?
The interface looks nice, the one positive about the psp so far for me is that the menu's are simple to navigate and fairly customizable. For the ps3 to have a shot at being the media hub it needs a menu that is not only pleasant to look at but easy to use with the remote as well as the controller, this looks to fit the bill nicely.
Note that near the end of the video they scroll to select video output, and choose component - from there they are given a list of choices that looks like:
480p
1080i
720p
1080p
It's rather hard to read as the resolution of the video is low.
Now this is a dev but it shows that the PS3 at least can support this, some people seem confused and think you need HDMI for 1080p support.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Ahhhh!!! Why does everyone keep saying that?! They showed off a much more robust version of the interface at E3! Three months ago! Am I the only one that remembers? With a quick search of "PS3 interface" YouTube pulls it right up as the first result!
It should also be pointed out that the link in the story above is showing off the dev kit's interface, and is almost surely not what we will see in our homes in November.
Sure, a nice GUI is geeky and nice, but really, what's the point? The online service will have its own interface for each game, most likely. DVDs and BRDs have fixed resolutions, and I can't think of anyone that would be messing with that stuff, anyway. Most everyone has an ipod+dock or computer with their MP3s.
To paraphrase a rather successful political campaign, "It's the games, stupid."
No, but it's not disimilar to the 'locks suicide spell: Hellfire.
What I'd really like to see is the PSP's "game-state-save" functionality translate to the PS3. The ability to turn off the console and let it go into a type of hibernate mode without using any battery is arguably the best feature of the handheld. You can just keep switching it on and off and lose very little time waiting for it to come back up. I don't know if the DS does it, but I guarantee you if it doesn't it will soon. Very handy when you're on the go and can only play a few minutes at a time.
The one downside to the universal GUI of the PSP is the save functionality. Many of the games would design their own save game functionality only to have the PSP save game come up after confirming the save in the game. So you'd effectively be saving the game twice in one shot. It's quite annoying if you ask me. More of a developer problem than Sony's, but something that needs to be worked on.
Outside of my ipod the PSP offers one of the easiest and most intuitive interfaces of any of my major devices. Good move to include it with the PS3
Obviously not, 'Karma' Burn only applies to the basic swamps in one's posession. However, as the were discontinued in 5th, I guess it's really a moot point for all but us old schoolies. One day I'll sell my moxs...
The XMB (cross media bar) did not originate with the PSP, contrary to what some people seem to think; the PSX (not the original PlayStation, but the Japan-only Playstation 2/DVR crossover device) was the first device to actually feature it, and it's also been used in some of Sony's higher end TV sets as their menu system.
Sam: "That was needlessly cryptic."
Max: "I'd be peeing my pants if I wore any!"
HDMI was there (and I assume had the same video output options) - it's just that he selected teh compoent path and it still had 1080p listed.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Having a PSP, I'm rather disenchanted with the GUI. It strikes me as a bad case of too elegant design. While the buttons make sense and are rather consistent, I find them counter intuitive and keep cancelling out menu choices. Mainly a problem of too few buttons.
I own a PSP and I think the 2D menu system is a great idea (left and right change catagories, up and down choose specific options). It looks cool and saves you keystokes.
What I don't understand is why Sony can't make something a little more flashy with that same concept in mind. If I'm spending $600 dollars on a console to go with my new sound system and HDTV, I want a menu system I can ogle at.
I've not been really paying attention to the whole display market, just a small segment. Thanks for the updated pricing.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
The online service will have its own interface for each game, most likely.
What makes you think that? The whole deal with being able to access buddy lists and the like via these common menus would be to hook up in games.
I'm sure each game will have some degree of further customization (possibly setting up games as an example) but some base level of online support is embedded in these menus as the demonstration shows.
This isn't meant to be like the PS2 where each game is totally on its own providing services. Sony has learned from Live it would seem, we don't know to what extent yet but the basics are there. As A user I don't care if it's a blantant copy if it works well.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
The base PS3 for gamers and those wanting to watch Blu-Ray movies is $500, you do not need the $600 model unless you'd like to be able to load pictures from your camera on the thing. It's more the "basic home computer" model.
As for a bit more visual appeal in the iterface, check out the E3 video links posted elesewhere undre this story. That was a later version of the same interface, and has a nice but subtle line of flowing plasma like effects behind the menu. Also of course they said you could customize the background, but the one at E3 looked finished enough to include in a shipping PS3.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I have had a chance to see Blade a few times and it's pretty well refined at this point. The Sony menu looks pretty good, but it'll take some using in practice before I could personally decide if it bests blade or not. The basic menu concept though is pretty interesting though.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Because watching Sony kill the PS3 is fun, that's all there is to it. It's like a train wreck, you just can't stop watching.
How odd, the only thing that comes to mind when I think of "trainwreck" is your post! I see you most anon so you cannot be laughed at in a year or so. You'll have to live with the inner knowledge of your wrongness for years to come, I'd get off that train before it hits.
Bullshit. It'll be on within two years. You're forgetting that, as of now, most people don't known HDTV.
Indeed what you are not realizing is just how popular HDTV units have been over the past few years - and you are also discounting the effect of everyone buying $500 PS3's. If the only Blu-Ray players people have cannot do HDMI, they cannot and will not turn on the flag. Buying or not buying the $500 PS3 is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
And even if the format falls it doesn't matter, as the standalone players will be combo within two years anyway - so you're out nothing. Meanwhile you have a console that actually has a sufficent amount of storage for games.
And old PS2 saved games. Remember the backwards compatibility bit?
I see you've come stright out of the clone vat, forgetting all that has come before. You simply use an external reader to transfer those in - the $600 is for things like CF/SD readers, not PS2 memory card readers! Why would they include a meaningless legacy port?
As for WiFi, a standalone adaptor is much less than $100. Again your weak clone mind can't come up with a list that justifies paying $100 more to have the pleasure of the media companies ream you with HDMI.
My point was this is hardly news or even interesting. My computer monitor uses an interface that is essentially identical to the PS3 interface for selecting inputs, changing contrast, and all that good stuff. Not quite as pretty, but then again, it's also several years old.
You know, thos pictures move. When you watch them move you'll gasp at the utter stupidity f what you just uttered. I mean really, dd you see it in action? The menu operation is totally different than a PC menu. You must have ben thinking about the 360, the cloning solution can cloud the mind like that.
XBox360 = $300
PS3 = $600
Would you like a hard drive with that sir? Oh, you would? That's $400 for that 360 then - which includes only a DVD player. I guess you really don't get what you pay for,
Don't worry, I'm sure after they dissovle your devective clone model the next one will be better trained
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I'm really not that impressed with this GUI, because I was honestly expecting a little more from a $600 gaming system. Sure, it works fine for the PSP, but I expected it to have a little more flare...you know...flex that PS3 hardware muscle a little bit. What's the point of all that raw power if all you do with it is some half assed little menu of icons. They should probably take a page out of Microsoft's book and get something going like the XBOX 360 Dashboard. I'm not a big XBOX fan, but it looks great, it is customizeable, Sony obviously has no qualms following other companies, and I'll be the first to admit that I don't mind it looking a bit flashy. I mean god...put SOME effort into it and don't use the exact same interface you have on the PSP...its a mobile gaming system...its supposed to be simple. PS3 is a $600 dollar "computer" and it the GUI should reflect this.
"Those who would sacrifice essential liberties for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - BenF
Surely they could have this, bar, but perhaps something like the dock in OSX too? Christ, with one core disabled by default due to low yields, and then they have one whole cored dedicated to ....that bar? Wheres the sex Sony? Just no junk like the PS2 menus, how they had the cross sort of thing floating around, in blurred out or sharp detail.
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And it even encorporates real battles from japanese history such as the giant crab!!
RIIIIDGE RACER!!!
Sony E3 Press Conference