Pictures emerge of impending PlayStation Store redesign

It's no big secret that Sony is gearing up to redesign the PlayStation Store for users in Europe and the US, but with just days to go until the hard hats are donned, we figured it prudent to pass along the latest tidbits surrounding the change. Apparently the refacing will start on April 3rd and finish up in around a fortnight, but until the job is finished, "no additional downloadable content will be posted." Of course, existing content will remain available, and chances are you'll appreciate the updates when all is said and done, but we know how tough it'll be to not log on weekly and eagerly sniff for all new material. Hit up the via for lots of pictures -- we're told it'll help the sting.

[Via PS3Fanboy, thanks Kiwi616]

[Josh @ Apr 1st 2008 9:13AM]

Looks 1000x better than the current design.

[MatthewJ @ Apr 1st 2008 9:50AM]

Most importantly, they are finally moving away from a browser-based store to a software based one! Excellent.

[Zone 117 @ Apr 1st 2008 9:16AM]

I don't care about Playstation =/

[cduran01 @ Apr 1st 2008 9:24AM]

You cared enough to post that you didn't care......

[Wifiguy @ Apr 1st 2008 10:06AM]

I guess you wanted xbox to kill the ps3. The ps3 lives!! Brilliant!

[Mark @ Apr 7th 2008 7:10AM]

Loser

[cmc @ Apr 1st 2008 9:19AM]

The PS store only gets updated on Thursdays so it would be quite foolish to log on every day to check for new things!
:)

[cmc @ Apr 1st 2008 9:27AM]

Gah, they changed it and now I look dumb! hehe

[thelittleleaguecoach.com @ Apr 1st 2008 9:25AM]

I don't want to visit because I will spend way to much money!

[NHAnimator @ Apr 1st 2008 9:26AM]

The article mentions something I've always believed in:

I don't care if you're not the first to "get it right", as long as you do "get it right".

[Yoooder @ Apr 10th 2008 12:41PM]

So you're saying that the trade-off of being good, but not first, is better than being terrible (whether or not you were the first to be so)?

BRILLIANT!

[bobeotm @ Apr 1st 2008 9:36AM]

I am glad the they are redesigning the store. The new look is very slick, way more fitting for the ps3 that the fisher price store they have right now. I wonder will this look carry over to the PC playstation store, since it is the one I use.

One of my biggest gripes with the store was that it didn't give a substantial enough preview of the thing you were interested in buying. You mean I have to make my decision based on a thumbnail sized picture? With this redesign they seem to address that issue, giving the user a little more to look at in regards to the items they are interested in buying.

[Galley @ Apr 1st 2008 9:47AM]

The new store is no longer browser-based, so it will require a firmware update (2.30).

[rene siller @ Apr 1st 2008 9:48AM]

Two weeks to complete the update? I guess it doesn't matter when their content stinks anyway ;-0

[cduran01 @ Apr 1st 2008 10:27AM]

It's 2 weeks to go from a web based store front to an application based store front with totally different databases (the original one was just a thumbnail and a bunch of text, while the new one is much more graphic centric). This takes a lot of work to make sure the transition goes smoothly, Im sure the PSN store crew will be plenty busy.

[Rick @ Apr 1st 2008 10:19AM]

All I care about is HD downloadable movies. They can keep the same crappy store and I'd still be happy with HD movies to download. They have the trailers, so time to put some BRD movies up.

[mitchelljd @ Apr 10th 2008 12:44PM]

I agree, we need a download tv and movie store that has content like itunes and xbox video marketplace.

it would also be hella nice if they allowed netflix to develop a program to allow ps3 to be a tv console for the netflix VOD system which is pretty nice.

[Libb @ Apr 1st 2008 10:23AM]

Sucks for PS3 Rock Band players, they have to wait until mid-April for Still Alive and whatever Harmonix releases next week for the 360. (With any luck, it'll be Who's Next or Nevermind!)

XBLM might not be the easiest store to traverse, but at least it doesn't have to go down for two full weeks to update (they've done it a couple of times via the semiannual system updates, but Live servers don't even have to go down when a patch goes out)

[John @ Apr 1st 2008 10:59AM]

They aren't "updating" or "patching" the store, they're writing a new one. As software, completely different from the current one.

[why not the LS2/LS7? @ Apr 1st 2008 12:33PM]

I has presumably already been written, you don't write and test software like that in two weeks.

[Podaman @ Apr 1st 2008 6:07PM]

i downloaded boston - more than a feeling for rockband from the playstation store last night

[Tony @ Apr 1st 2008 12:12PM]

i'm only seeing ONE picture... i was told "lots"

[Kev @ Apr 1st 2008 1:06PM]

You'll find that if you follow the "Via" link (as the summary suggests) rather than the "Read" link, there are plenty of pics.

It's bad enough when people don't read TFA, but to not read TFS, that's just lame!

[PhilxBefore @ Apr 1st 2008 12:51PM]

Not bad looking.

I've never seen the original (current) storefront, but it looks great mainly because it looks VERY similiar to XBLM, which offers excellent functionality.

Even the shape of the New Videos, Downloads, New Release, etc. button are the same.

[Ben @ Apr 1st 2008 1:44PM]

Nice. Now the real question is, when will "Playstation At Home" go live? Because that's actually of interest.

In the meantime, the XB360 has a ton of better games, and my PS3 primarily serves as a (very, very good) blueray player.

[Yoooder @ Apr 10th 2008 12:41PM]

Agreed the XBox has more/better games, I'll buy one when all my my friends who own one (about 8 of them) can concurrently keep them all running for more than a couple months.

Frankly I'm sick enough of hearing them take their turns that it died/fried/won't work on thursdays and don't want to get into the lookp with them.

I've got the money set aside, although it'll probably move from the "XBox 360 is stable/Retirement fund (whichever comes first)" to the MGS/GTA IV/Mario Kart Wii/Dualshock 3/Nokia N810 fund first.

[paul @ Apr 1st 2008 4:26PM]

Here's hoping they actually list how large a file is before we download it.

[adrian @ Apr 10th 2008 6:34PM]

When XBox users keep harping on about more games, then you know that's a sign of worry.