Sony's PS3 interface revealed

We saw those shots of the "Warhawk Store" and "My Singstar Online" during Sony's PS3 press event, but what we didn't see is a top level interface for the console. According to this video, it sure borrows a lot from the PSP, and therefore seems a bit limited for all the crazy uses Sony has planned for the console. Though we're sure Sony has put a lot more thought into this than we have. Also, the PSP interface has been generally well received, so why try to fix what isn't broken? The biggest additions are the new "Users" and "Friends" options, the former allowing you switch between different user profiles, while the latter didn't look quite fleshed out, but we guess it'll do what it sounds like. We also noticed under the settings option a mention of keyboard and mouse settings, rumored accessories which would seem quite appropriate for all of the PS3's PC leanings, so we'll keep an eye out for more news on that front.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[smudley @ May 13th 2006 11:57AM]

that interface is eye candy compared to 360... imho
watch the vid

[Jamesology @ May 13th 2006 12:04PM]

Uh oh something about Sony! Waiting for Nintendo fanboys to start flaming like little girls in ... 5....4...3...2...1...

[Think Random @ May 13th 2006 12:05PM]

They've gotten so bad they're ripping off themselves? Hah!

[Colin @ May 13th 2006 12:07PM]

OMG, SONY IS FOR SUCKZEROZ! P$$$$$$$$$3!!!!

/obligatory joystiq sony hating

Interface looks cool, I love the psp one, though this isn't just borrowed from the psp. This style of interface started with the PSX over in japan. At that time, Sony announced that this style of interface was going to be used in their upcoming consoles.

But I'm sure they ripped it off from Nintendo anyway.

-Colin

[Colin @ May 13th 2006 12:08PM]

Jamesology,

Hahaha, perfect countdown.

-Colin

[nizzy1115 @ May 13th 2006 12:08PM]

meh...it reminds me of osx

anyways, i can see why they need to burn a cpu just for that. imo its kindof a waste.

[Think Random @ May 13th 2006 12:11PM]

I didn't know the PSX used it before. Alright, fair enough, its actually good I think personally. I have a PSP and like the interface, I just didn't think that it should've ever been put on a console.

[DudeLove @ May 13th 2006 12:22PM]

I love the fact how they said something about ripping DVDs on the hard drive lol, but anyways Its a nice interface.

[js @ May 13th 2006 12:28PM]

start (sony bashing)
{

The Xbox 360 interface is better. Sony sucks.

return (let the flame begin!);

}

[Canadian Geese @ May 13th 2006 12:30PM]

UI looked alright, but who was the girl showing it off. She didn't know much about it at all. Every question they asked her she said "yeah, I think so". Also, it sounds like a lot of the menu isn't set up yet.

The movie they showed was on the hard drive, not blu-ray. I'm sure they didn't demonstrate blu-ray because of how slow blu-ray is to load.

It's Linux based, and I'm curious to find out who's going to support it when a kernel drops.

All media has to be either stored on the hard drive or on a memory stick or on an external USB device. This means that the music on your computer will have to be duplicated to a seperate piece of hardware in order to get it to play on the PS3.

Looks alright, I'm just curious to see if it will be stable. Sony never was the best at producing reliable software.

[jimmy b @ May 13th 2006 12:34PM]

i'm not a huge fan of the ps3, but although it makes them look un-creative by using the same UI as the psp... its actually good. because its links the two units and makes obvious that they are from the same manufacturer. if microsoft changed how windows looks every time we'd all be confused (well apart from linux and mac users lol)

[chez @ May 13th 2006 12:35PM]

Looks...functional. For a game machine I would have expected something more...ummmm...fun.

[garu @ May 13th 2006 12:36PM]

too dark. bleh.

[Martin Newham @ May 13th 2006 12:36PM]

Hey, this GUI isn't new - take a look at these pictures of the PSX interface way (way.. way..) back in 2003.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mystuff/145621219/in/set-72057594133643928/

[Matt @ May 13th 2006 12:38PM]

Geez, what is up with all of these menus and personal settings and such. I don't want my gaming system to be a computer. I just want to turn it on have have it start the game. Not have to go through 5 minutes of personal settings and then another five to load the game.

On...Then Play....That is all I want.

[CUBS-BEARS-BULLS-RULE @ May 13th 2006 12:39PM]

i don't see any type of xbox live arcade type thing that makes 360 interface better and no area where it will let u know if u have a message it will be good if theres a guide button like 360'sit sounds cool on what u can do rip dvd's onto ur system but i can do that on 360 when hook up to media center but u can't take it over to a friends house to watch like the ps3 it looks pretty cool i need to know if theres a arcade or something of that nature

[Subaru fan @ May 13th 2006 12:53PM]

As someone already pointed out, the PS3 interface is not ripped from PSP. It's called XMB (cross media bar) and SCEI designed it first for Japan-only PSX. When SCEI CEO Ken Kutaragi was also COO of Sony Corp., he used his power and influence to have the whole company adopt XMB as Sony-standard UI. So, aside from PSX, XMB was also used on some models of Wega/Bravia LCD TVs as well as on some Japan-only PVRs (Sugoroku). New in PS3's XMB is cascading menu structure.

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20060511/rt06.jpg
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20060511/rt09.htm

[CUBS-BEARS-BULLS-RULE @ May 13th 2006 12:56PM]

wait does the ps3 have a HEMI. The ps3 is basically a computer to much stuff sony is going to lose so much money from this system even if does sell well its going to take 2-3 years for blue ray to drop in price so ps3 won't drop in price for a while it cost them over $900 to make it and they will sell but sony will lose so much money just like the psx in japan they had discontinue it 360 and wii for less or the same price as ps3 u make the decision its a gaming system not a computer all iwant is a gaming system snd xbox live fuction not web browsing and dvd burning thats why people own a computer

[JinKazama @ May 13th 2006 1:09PM]

That's awesome, besides the ipod the PSP's interface is my favorite out of all the hundreds of gadgets I own. Great idea to put it on the PS3.

I love the inclusion of a web browser, no more having to run to the computer to pull up a game guide and/or check email during those hours long gaming sessions. Lovin' the ability to store movies, music, etc.. to the hard drive Looks like the PS3 is shaping up to be my media center.

[Matthew @ May 13th 2006 1:09PM]

here you go #19 you forgot some of these

.......................................... and here's a ? for where you did use one

[jason @ May 13th 2006 1:20PM]

what number #21 i don't know what u mean

[jason @ May 13th 2006 1:25PM]

who cares if i forgot periods and misspelled...........................iam a lazy bastard its not like i am writing for a prifessional paper

[EdZ @ May 13th 2006 1:26PM]

At about 00:52, someone asks about how they can get the music on, and the reply is 'you can burn it to a DVD, or just plug it in a USB [sic]'. So it sounds like you can get content on there pretty easily (just the plain old files). Hopefully, this means you should be able to stream to it, or at least access things on a network store or load onto the internal HDD (unlike only being able to stream from a specific OS. 360, i'm looking at you here).

Not to say that Sony won't pull some stupid crap with a streaming musicmatch, but at least it looks like we can just load stuff via a burnt DVD anyway. Kudos to Sony for being slightly less draconian with content this time around.


They also make a definition between 'your network' and 'your friends network'. I'm guessingt the former means a home network, and the latter some kind of live-like network (file sharing?).

Of course, this could all change come launch time, along with the whole PS3 linux thing. Remember PS2 linux?

[SuiXide @ May 13th 2006 1:38PM]

If there's one thing I like about the PSP, it's the look of the UI. That said, I regret buying it because I only use it as a horribly expensive MP3 player. I'm not getting a PS3 because I can do everything it can on my Xbox 360.

[matt @ May 13th 2006 1:47PM]

sony's really pushing the whole XMB interface... it's even on my Bravia TV :)

I don't really hate it - it's much better than some other interfaces, but I am partial to the 360's blade setup

[Arochone @ May 13th 2006 1:53PM]

Is it just me or are the new consoles looking more like macs? Except with the new consoles you can install Linux. And they have games. :P
Seriously though...They're just PCs with standardized hardware.

[Desides @ May 13th 2006 2:02PM]

"16. Geez, what is up with all of these menus and personal settings and such. I don't want my gaming system to be a computer. I just want to turn it on have have it start the game. Not have to go through 5 minutes of personal settings and then another five to load the game.

On...Then Play....That is all I want."

Good thing, then, that this menu only appears if you turn the console on without inserting a game. You know, just like EVERY OTHER CONSOLE AND THE PSP.

[CUBS-BEARS-BULLS-RULE @ May 13th 2006 2:04PM]

ps3 is like a pc why buy ps3 if u have computer right except for the games exclusive ps3. A computer has better grahics than a ps3 cause they always get new graphic chips u can buy so don't buy a ps3 buy a 360 and a wii for the price of a ps3 possibly cheaper gears of war and halo 3 will kick ass so yea

[antaeus @ May 13th 2006 2:21PM]

wow #28 you come out of no where and its too bad the Xbox 360 only has 2 games that are good and they aren't even out yet.

[hawk @ May 13th 2006 2:27PM]

What's the average age of the endgadget reader? 8? Or are you all so busy looking at other blogs while you're at your cube-farm job that you can't be bothered to use punctuation?

Geez. Who cares which is better? It's like arguing whether Honda or Toyota make better cars.

[Liam Billington @ May 13th 2006 2:32PM]

I prefer the 360 interface.

The PSP interface is good for a small screen, but on a PS3 it just makes it look like a cheap DVD player *cough* sorry Ken. Its a cheap Blu-Ray Player of course!

If the PS3 wants to be the multimedia hub that it wants it to be it needs something to rival media centre or front row even.

60GB is poor for ripping DVD's, Music and Photos etc. That 60GB will soon fill with content. What about a USB HDD like the Wii, you seem to copied them as much as you could Sony?

Possibly a DVD rip is something which aint gonna happen at all. What about a VOD service from Sony to your PS3? Thats something what XBOX doesnt have- movie studios backing full length content to consoles.

Sony Connect on your PS3 eh??? So you can transfer movies to a memory stick for PSP, Watch from HDD to TV and transfer to your Sony DMP. Something which could be a kick in the balls for iTunes. Sony has sold more PS2's than iPods?? If so in theory, a Sony Connect store could be very lucrative.

[Mike @ May 13th 2006 2:32PM]

I dont like it very much. The main menu is too cluttered. Its like having separate blades on the 360 for music, photos, and videos...but it won't be all that bad.

[hot zizzy @ May 13th 2006 2:40PM]

"29. wow #28 you come out of no where and its too bad the Xbox 360 only has 2 games that are good and they aren't even out yet."

Only two good games?? What about Dead Rising, Huxley, Splinter Cell, and Oblivion and GRAW which are already out? If you actually looked at the 360 you'd see how much it actually has.

Chech out my Xbox 360 site, http://360stuff.blogspot.com/, with news and more.

[Nomnisang @ May 13th 2006 2:54PM]

If they're going to build something for the Price of a PC, they might as well justify it with the functionality of a PC. I like the look of how this is turning out, and if it will offer the functionality of a Home Entertainment System, then I think that the price point Sony is offering is more reasonable that I originally anticipated. I still, however, will not get it at launch. I'll wait until the price drops and go for the Peter Moore Deal: "Wii and a 360 for the price of a PS3!"

[Cody S. @ May 13th 2006 3:04PM]

It works good for the PSP, but I think that Sony needs something better for a console.

[crzyjamaican46 @ May 13th 2006 3:15PM]

MAN THE XBOX 360 IS TOTALY GONNA BLOW THIS THING OUT OF THE WATER.. .I MEAN EVEN AT 400 DOLLARS I WOULD STILL RATHER GET THE XBOX.... THIS IS SIMPLE MATH TO ME... WHAT YOU THINK?

[EdZ @ May 13th 2006 3:32PM]

34> I think it's the games that count. So far, the 360 has nothing that looks really special. Halo 3 looks good, and Gears of War looks pretty interesting, but everything that is out NOw is nothing special. The Wii has mario, it has a few gimmicky games with that controller of theirs (motion sensing is all well and good, but optical sensing will ALWAYS be dodgy. The whole 'line of sight' problem will contue to crop up. It's a re-shaped light gun with a wider cone of control). The PS3 has MGS4 and Final Fantasy, and Warhawk looks kinda fun.

So far, the output from the 'next gen' consoles has been prety lacklustre. The PC hasn't ben much better either. There a re a few beacons like Crysis and Spore, but not much else that really piques my interest. And you pretty much have to buy a new processor+GPU combo every 6 months to keep up with the latest games (and a motherboard and memory every year to support them). The costs mount up to more than the consoles pretty soon.


I'd rather leave gaming for a bit until the console wars settle down and integrate with PC gaming. It certainly shouldn't be long. The 'next gen' should be called the 'last gen'. The 10 year product lifespan is more than enough for networking to become ubiquitous and processing centralised.

::NOTE:: The preceding rant was composed entirely of personal opinion. Your opinion can, will and should vary.

[paul @ May 13th 2006 4:14PM]

Does typing in all caps make you feel special, because all is says to the rest of the world is "HI I'M IGNORANT AND I WILL NEVER LEARN"

[Shmoe @ May 13th 2006 4:23PM]

Why are you so sure they've put thought into this. This is Sony you're talking about.

[Geoffrey Sperl @ May 13th 2006 4:38PM]

Regarding the keyboard and mouse settings:

They're in the PS2's interface, too. Granted, they're only really useful if you are playing something like Final Fantasy XI, but the settings are there. Since most people have noticed that the PS3 seems to be pulling a lot of the interface from the PSX, and the PSX was just a modified PS2, that should not be surprising...

Secondly: You won't see the interface if there is a game already loaded, but there will be times you want to change games or movies (if Blu-Ray survives this PS3 pricing fiasco - C'mon, Sony, didn't you learn from the PSX pricing issues?).

In the end, the interface means very little as long as: a) you rarely see it; b) you can find settings for in it very, very quickly; and c) my Harmony remote can be updated with PS3 codes after the console drops below $300. ;)

[LongshotX @ May 13th 2006 5:07PM]

Any one know were to get the best premium 360 bundles. Gamestops bundles suck.

[Ciryon @ May 13th 2006 5:20PM]

I have 3 words for you all: Metal.. Gear.. Solid..

[bloggaru @ May 13th 2006 5:21PM]

ps3 will blow away 360

[LongshotX @ May 13th 2006 5:31PM]

How will PS3 blow away 360. What's your justification? because I see none.

[the real thing @ May 13th 2006 5:39PM]

The PS3(& PSP) UI is the best one because of its ease of use!!!BIG ICONS, WORKS GREAT ON THE SYSTEM, FAST, AND IDIOT PROOF! The 360 interface is alright but could have been tweaked a little more....the controllers d-pad and analog stick are to sensesitive and change the blades when your trying to navigate the screen!
I'm pretty sure once you pop in game it will automatically start without the use of a menu which is already easy to use. Also the video does not show the Blu-ray beacuse according to the lady it was being shown at the other PS3 tech booth!

[jon @ May 13th 2006 5:50PM]

Long before you ever see Metal Gear Solid...I will be playing Gears of War, Fable 2, Forza 2, Splinter Cell, Lego Star Wars II, Madden 07 and more.

Did everyone notice that Sony didn't even show Killzone at E3 press conference??? Why...because Sony nows that actually gameplay will be nothing like CG tech demo they showed at last years E3 and that would be an utter embarrasement. They didn't show any actual Gameplay for MGS either...so we don't know what that's going to look like either.

Check out this video of actual Gameplay footage of Gears of War: http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/10942/Gears-of-War-Sneak-Peek-Movie/

Skip to about the half way point to get past the Q&A session into actual gameplay demo.

That is all realtime gameplay running on the 360. There was absolutely nothing at E3 that was more impressive than what I've seen on this video.

That's the thing about MS...they shut up and put up year after year. You didn't have to guess what the 360 experience or games were going to be like before launch. It was all very in your face and tangible.

Sony has been the opposite. They would have gladly shown more CGI Tech Demos this year if it wasn't for the bad rap they got last year.

There's absolutely no justification for spending $500 - $600 for a system that will have no differentiation from it's main competitor...except to say that it's online offerings will be inferior...launch titles will be inferior to 360's second tier titles, controller will be far worse, without rumble and outdated design that is horrible for FPS, an expensive Blu-Ray throw in that is yet to be tested on the market.

[Eli @ May 13th 2006 5:54PM]

Can't say exactly until I've used both but I trust Microsoft to make the better UI. They are a software company and that's what they do, over and over. Their usability labs are second to none.

[LongshotX @ May 13th 2006 6:04PM]

Jon it's become painfully obvious that PS3 fanboys have nothing, and that the PS3 will not be as great as they have expected. Most of the things Sony claimed would come with the PS3 we will not see ie "Cell Storage, Dual 1080p, 120 fps gaming, games in the 4th Dimension". Microsoft never made any claims that it couldn't keep. Everything that they said would come has come. They (PS3 fanboys) are all in a state of denial just like Nintendo and it's fan boys were when they witnessed the end of their reign with the coming of the Playstation. The times are a changing. And I will support Microsoft's Xbox franchise as long as they continue to provide their vision of HD gaming, innovation and evolution, quality products and add-ons, and connectivity via Xbox Live.

[Josh @ May 13th 2006 6:16PM]

It looks much more counter-intuitive on a large scale. I think it'll be more annoying than it will be pleasant. While that works nicely on a PSP with 1gb of memory to save things, it'll be pretty tedious scrolling through 60gb of pics/music/videos like that. I feel the 360's UI is more apt to that task, but hopefully Sony will leave video unlocked unlike MS.

[David @ May 13th 2006 6:24PM]

A warhawk store. PURCHASE new levels, weapons, now you have to pay for more weapons instead of unlocking them with cheat codes? Oh hell no! Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, here I come!