PlayStation 5

[Moonface]

I don't see why anyone would want those PS5 Plates anyway? It just seems like a lot of work to make it another color it isn't & more money to add to the cost of making it look that way impo. So, I just skipped. But eh, everyone else has to have their ascetics, I guess. 🤷‍♀️

Eh, I would rather have the ability to swap plates out to change the look of my console than have to buy a whole new system for a different colour like how it's been for any gaming system before now. That's something I appreciate with the Switch too because although you can't change the look of the dock and console, you can at least put on different Joy-Cons to change the look of it somewhat (although I do wish the colors that are for special edition versions would eventually get released separately such as the AC:NH Joy-Cons).

I've been seeing reviews coming out today for the PS5 Pro and it seems the general consensus is that although it is an improvement on the PS5, it doesn't really have enough going for it unless you're an enthusiast, which is what I think a lot of people expected from it when it was first announced. PS4 Pro was at least worth looking into if you already had a PS4, but none of the reviews I've seen are giving a similar sentiment for the PS5 Pro. Arstechnica put it pretty well I think:

If you already have a PS5, that $700 could instead go toward the purchase of 10 full, big-budget games at launch pricing or even more intriguing indie releases. That money could also go toward more than four years of PlayStation Plus Premium and access to its library of hundreds of streaming and downloadable modern and classic PlayStation titles PS5 titles. Both strike me as a better use of a limited gaming budget than the slight visual upgrade you'd get from a PS5 Pro.

[Moonface]

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of PlayStation, a new system update has been released on PS5 that adds PSOne, PS2, PS3, and PS4 menu themes. However, the feature is only available for a limited time.

Source: IGN

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I haven't checked them out yet but it's bullshit this is a limited time thing. Sony should've kept this as a permanent feature, especially since this is the only customization the PS5 software even has.

[queenzelda]

Yea, I just updated my PS5 today to get the 30th anniversary PlayStation themes. I have mine set to the 30th, for my PS5. The other ones look neat, but none of them seem to move like the old school PS4 ones did. xp Yea, I liked the themes too but it's not like Sony is going to change things this gen so we get them back. I'm guessing next gen we'll have to pay for them. :p Not that I plan on getting a PS6 after 2025 hits anyway. I think I'll just stick to pc games and Nintendo. I'll wait for FF7: Re3rd (the latest FF7 remake release) to come to PC. It's just about the only game besides Asto-Bot I've been enjoying. 🤷‍♀️

[Mr EliteL]

Didn't realise it was going to be the 30th anniversary yesterday when I went on my PS5 quickly. I tried them all briefly just on the menu sounds and I could not recognise the sounds from the PS1 theme. The rest were fine but I've chosen the 30th Anniversary theme too.

[Moonface]

Didn't realise it was going to be the 30th anniversary yesterday when I went on my PS5 quickly. I tried them all briefly just on the menu sounds and I could not recognise the sounds from the PS1 theme. The rest were fine but I've chosen the 30th Anniversary theme too.

I finally turned on my PS5 in however long to get this update, and I struggled to figure out where the sounds are from for the PS1 theme. At first I checked the few videos on YouTube of the menu screens a PS1 displays if you leave the lid open, but none of the menus have UI sounds. Then I remembered the PS1 Classic exists and looked up a video for that, and the sounds are present there. If the PS1 genuinely had no UI sounds, it makes sense that Sony had to create some for the PS1 Classic and thus only had those to use for the respective PS5 theme.

Checking out all the themes, the nostalgia of the PS2 UI sounds hits hard. I wish the PS3 had both the OG XMB theme and the Slim XMB theme, because I loved the updated version of that theme. I also would have liked to have the sounds and appearances be separate so I could use the 30th Anniversary theme with PS2 sounds, because I love the look of that theme the most but would like it to have any sounds usable on it.

[Moonface]

PS5 Classic Console Themes To Return Permanently
Tomorrow marks the last day that the limited-time PS5 themes based on previous PlayStation consoles will be available for use; that is until Sony brings the themes back in the future as a permanent feature following the positive response to them since their debut.

Thank you for the fantastic response to the classic PlayStation, PS2, PS3, and PS4 limited-time console themes, which will be leaving tomorrow.

Due to the positive response on these 4 themes, we’re doing some work behind the scenes to bring these special designs back in the months ahead.

Source: Twitter 

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I'm glad the themes will get to stick around; I thought it was stupid from the start to make them time-limited. The one thing I didn't like about the themes though was being unable to separate the sounds and visuals apart. I would love to use PS2 sounds on the PS5 theme for example, but that's currently not a feature for these themes.

Ideally this would also show Sony there's a demand for custom PS5 themes and to work on adding actual support for them so we can get more themes, but I'm not gonna expect them to actually do that.

[ShiraNoMai]

Yeah I'm still kind of perplexed as to why they would make them limited to begin with? It's not like it's a server they have to maintain or anything, like a serviced game.

Glad they got pressured into putting them back, I guess. Maybe that was the ploy all along.

[Moonface]

Yeah I'm still kind of perplexed as to why they would make them limited to begin with? It's not like it's a server they have to maintain or anything, like a serviced game.

Glad they got pressured into putting them back, I guess. Maybe that was the ploy all along.

I'd guess making them FOMO would be a way to encourage people to boot up their PS5's to use the themes while they're available, but I don't really know what Sony would gain from having people boot up their PS5's just to check out the themes. I doubt anyone who wasn't actively playing a game on their PS5 suddenly started doing so just because they turned it on to take a look at some themes, or actually went and made a purchase of a digital game to play that they wouldn't have done at the time otherwise.

[queenzelda]

I thought it was funny that my PS5 booted up like my PS1 would when I got on to finish playing on FF7:Rebirth the other day. I changed the theme over to the PS2, cause I love my PS2. I have all 5 console generations still and all of them work. Crazy isn't it? This is the last PlayStation console generation I'm supporting. I never thought I'd see the day, and here it is. Still it has been fun while it's lasted. :3

[Moonface]

This is the last PlayStation console generation I'm supporting. I never thought I'd see the day, and here it is. Still it has been fun while it's lasted. :3

I meant to ask about this back when I first saw it but forgot, but I was curious why this is your last PS console? I want to assume it's because most of the games of interest to you are also available on PC?

[queenzelda]

This is the last PlayStation console generation I'm supporting. I never thought I'd see the day, and here it is. Still it has been fun while it's lasted. :3

I meant to ask about this back when I first saw it but forgot, but I was curious why this is your last PS console? I want to assume it's because most of the games of interest to you are also available on PC?

Yea, since all I have to do is wait a year to get the latest FF7: Remaster iteration. I also was not a fan of FF:XVI. Which I did buy and try getting through, but it was just not a FF game I enjoyed. <_< So, that's another issue I have. I also play a ton of JRPGs that usually end up on pc which is easier for me to pick up for cheap compared to Sony. Its not like I am a huge God of War fan, and a lot of IPs I used to play on Sony are all gone in 2025. Most games seem to be going to either pc or Nintendo, so it's just cheaper for me to keep up with Nintendo and pc compared to giving Sony more of my $$ for a PS6.

Besides a PS6 will probably cost me more then the pc I already own. lol

[Moonface]

This is the last PlayStation console generation I'm supporting. I never thought I'd see the day, and here it is. Still it has been fun while it's lasted. :3

I meant to ask about this back when I first saw it but forgot, but I was curious why this is your last PS console? I want to assume it's because most of the games of interest to you are also available on PC?

Yea, since all I have to do is wait a year to get the latest FF7: Remaster iteration. I also was not a fan of FF:XVI. Which I did buy and try getting through, but it was just not a FF game I enjoyed.  <_< So, that's another issue I have. I also play a ton of JRPGs that usually end up on pc which is easier for me to pick up for cheap compared to Sony. Its not like I am a huge God of War fan, and a lot of IPs I used to play on Sony are all gone in 2025. Most games seem to be going to either pc or Nintendo, so it's just cheaper for me to keep up with Nintendo and pc compared to giving Sony more of my $$ for a PS6.

Besides a PS6 will probably cost me more then the pc I already own. lol

Fair, and even then on the God of War part I'd say that despite being a fan of the 2018 game, I found Ragnarok to be really disappointing. The same goes for Horizon Forbidden West for me, where currently I don't have much faith in any first-party sequels on PlayStation that have a focus on story. Even then, with how sparse first-party releases have felt on PS5 for me (as well as all but like two being ported to PC) I doubt I'll even bother to pick up a PS6 until it goes on a heavy discount.

[Mr EliteL]

I unfortunately barely play on my PS5, or at least only two games I do play the rest are either in limbo or haven't really been touched in ages or at all, with a backlog of PS4 games waiting to be played as well. The prospect of me owning a PS6 is probably below 5%, unless there's some need to for whatever reason that includes another person to own one, let alone by myself. And if so would have to be years after initial release.

[Moonface]

New Animated Backgrounds Added to PS5's Welcome Hub
Sony has added new animated backgrounds to the PS5's Welcome Hub, which until now only had an animated background for Astro Bot. The new backgrounds are based on the following games:

• Days Gone
  
• Demon's Souls
  
• Ghost of Tsushima
  
• Ghost of Yotei
  
• God of War: Ragnarok
  
• Horizon: Call of the Mountain
  
• Horizon Forbidden West
  
• Lego Horizon Adventures
  
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  
• Rise of the Ronin
  
• Stellar Blade
  

At this time, these new backgrounds are only available to certain users, with no time frame given on when they will be rolled out to all users. If you're not one of the lucky users, you can get a peek at what the backgrounds look like thanks to this image someone took of the background selection screen: