The reason why I liked the XMB was because of it's minimalistic look, the appeal was classy and slick kinda like a good scotch where all you need is an ice cube to enjoy it's rich flavour... Now after update 3.0 I get the feeling like I'm drinking a cheap vodka mixed with pulpy orange juice in a plastic cup.

Seems fine to me.

What made the downloading so long? Maybe GL needs to drop dial up. The name of the site is true just switch the words around.

and why oh why does this article even exist?

Fa, fa, FAIL!

...how SCEE likes to hear what gamers want. Well, who asked for most of what was in 3.0???

No significant functionality was released in 3.0, it was just an interface overhaul that the majority seems to dislike.

OMG at the end of every video Mr Sony guy (Eric) says "We look forward to your feedback" and we say "Nice update can't wait for the next one, maybee cross game chat? :P".
This time around it was more like "Well F****ng done Sony you have F***ed my XMB and were the F*** is cross-game chat!!???"

I personally would have liked this update if it had come out after cross-game chat, but the simple fact is they have spent time and money to make things worse! They don't LISTEN

Meh. I like it. Its faster, and i have had absolutely no problems.

I miss the old ps3 chimes when you start up games. I hope they add those back in.

Let me call the Waaaambulance.

Seriously, aside from the people with the legitimate tech issues..Give it a rest.

These should help.

sony did that because they're stupid

Things I like:

- Dynamic themes (so far we know they're affected by directional buttons and sixaxis).

- New status bar (battery, clock, name, etc).

- Trophies and profiles load faster.

- Sparkles; they've grown on me

- Seeing what friends are playing without selecting them

- Smoother XMB navigation (my imagination?)

Things I don't like:

- "What's New" feels completely separate from the XMB, most likely because it has a separate background. You can change it being the default space though in System Settings. Also, why can't we use X to select our game like the other icons (very minor complaint).

- The "What's New"-esque menu when you select the Playstation store. It really doesn't help with navigation at all.

- Playstation Store icon in the Game section feels unecessary.

- Grey boxes around friends

Lets see if I can articulate this question properly.

Is there any way to turn off the game music themes which play when you select a game on the XMB? I think it's really annoying and I haven't seen a way to turn it off. I was hoping a FW update would address this issue, but it's possible I just haven't found the option.

It's annoying when I turn on the PS3 and then leave the room for a few minutes only to hear Rag Doll Kung Fu (it was free) or Pixel Junk Eden playing in a loop... The Echochrome theme also gets old really fast... Not to mention quitting a game and listening to the music.

*EDIT*
@ below, thanks, but I was looking for a menu option. It would be a simple feature to implement. Actually I have never created folders on PS3. I should try that. Good tip!

Please delete this comment

The new friend list looks crappy! change it back or make it better damn it.

Creator in Heaven. Would everyone stop whining. I swear gamers are the whinest people in the world. Microsoft's system damages games and burns out completely and you barely hear a peep from Xbox owners. A few technical issues from a firmware update that can probably easily solved and Sony owners, bloggers and game sites are already crying and wetting themselves over it. It is even only a few islolated incidents. My system has the 3.0 and not a game freeze, controller problem or system freeze in sight. Jeez people will say anything to put Sony down while Microsoft and Nintendo can do all the crap they want and everyone takes it up the tailpipe with smiling faces

WHY DO PEOPLE HAVE TO BEATCH ABOUT EVERY! PS3 UPDATE?
LIKE DAMN
I DON'T REMEMBER SO MANY PEOPLE BEATCH ABOUT NXE!!!

I dont know what kind of connection these guys have, but this update didnt take much longer than others. At least for me. I use wired connection though. maybe these guys use wireless?!

im with Lance

i think it took me 5 min
maybe 10

if thats biblically long you need to chill da FARG out

I love it. I have a bright backround and It's hard for me to see or read anything. So the gray bar works fine

I talked to two of my friends who are gamers, but not hardcore like most of us, if not all. One said that he barely notices any differences and doesn't care about the new changes. the other said he liked them. and they both like the new friends list. After talking to them I found that it really is not a big deal and stopped complaining. I love the new top right corner thing and even though I was a little surprised by some of the other changes. It really is not a bog deal and we should just be happy.

At first I hated the new font size and friends list but I am used to everything now so now I don't really care anymore.

Give me the option to have the old startup back and to have PLAYSTATION3 back when I boot up a game.

Because they are just as retarded as their fanbase.

I just now had the chance to install it. I haven't had any games freeze on me, but I have had a couple incidents with the controller disconnecting. I also miss that old epic startup screen. :'(

I haven't updated. I've ignored it til now. After all the complaints and issues I'm not interested in DL'ing this... even tho I have too when It prompts me for online games

I thought there was meant to be more avatars with this update, still same old ones from what I can see.
We need more variation.
I like the new update especially multiple audio outputs at once.
Funny thing is I was sometimes able to get my PS3 output to optical and via the multi av cord in the past but couldn't ever put my finger on how it did it, I believe it was just a lucky bug and it didn't happen that much.

I miss the Playstation 3 logo fading in and out with the awesome sound effect right when I run a game :(

i didn't notice anything about the download being long, but i don't remember sitting there and waiting for it to download. I'm pretty sure i turned the ps3 auto-shut down to 3 hours before i went to bed last week. I haven't had any problems with controllers not being responsive and games freezing. The gray box around the friends list is weird but it's nothing to whine about, it's a gray box....who cares?

some people this gen are pathetic, the psn is free. stop whining. You wanna see a craptastic online service? go buy a wii.

biblically download time what???

5 min for me.

Yees, it ruined my life!! Oh nooozzzzzz

Gay article.

No complaints here. I like the XMB, nothing wrong with it at all. I like all the new updates, and they are free. Some people just complain for the sake of it. IMO Sony are doing fine.

head on over to the play station website and update your profile gamer card. Pick your fave game, choose a back ground and click display trophy info. Then when you update: BEHOLD! The new gamer card with trophy info and played games is exactly the same size as the "horrid" gray boxes, so one can only assume that the gamer card system from the site will soon be implemented to the friends list set up. God only knows why they couldn't just have it like that of straight the bat. When its done tho, it will look pretty damn good imo.

Yet again more moaning over a free update. -_-

Got to love gamers this generation.

Nothing bad happened to mine..yet

BTW,my Birthday is today,WOOOOOOOO!PARTY!

i like, it does look like their going for a bit more personality with the xbm. hell, i don't even mind the 3 psn store icons, but the one under the video tab should def take you to the video store, not just the store front page, that's it though...

It has its flaws, but the improvements are good, and its nothing that can't be changed =)

Just lay off the 3.0 articles, we know...and I'm sure sony do too =)

Yes, they have been around for a while. Its merely an observation, and like you say SCEA control the firmware updates, but the uk got the iplayer anyways. Plus the grey boxes are universal, much like the gamer cards on the Playstation site, all territories had them with the firmware update. so its hardly a stretch to see that if the grey boxes on the friends list are the same size as the gamer cards they will probably be used to incorporate the gamercard/gamertag feature to the xmb. I may be wrong, but it seems an obvious step forward.

The dynamic themes are cool but nothing to be excited about. I bought the High Velocity Bowling theme, and I doubt I will buy another. I just don't get into game themes, and that is all I forsee coming.

The What's New Section is an improvement, but I only need one place to access the Playstation Store thank you very much. The XMB was elegant in its simplicity. This update take it away from that, especially with the font sizes. My grandma ain't playing with me!

I thought the update was really good.The grey boxes in the friend list actually lets me see what my friends are playing much easier because of my backround I couldnt see it before.They also fixed some of the internet browser issues before I couldnt get in my emails but now I can.The dynamic themes are nice but $3 is a lil pricey for a theme im waiting until they add like a gran turismo theme I would buy that.The big things that pop up in the whats new to me just makes it look like a bunch of advertisements so not really liking that.I just hope they do something about the freezing issue hope theres a patch released soon.

SlagKill, yes you people are whining. First of a how do you know how widespread it is? is it hundreds of systems? Thousands? hundreds of thousands? Do you know how long it will take to fix the problem? Has the update destroyed PS3s? Has it made your system inoperatable? Has it frozen your games completely making it impossible to play them? The most complains i have heard so far are about font size, PS3 tone music and ugly friend lists. I mean are you people for real? We have no idea if they can fix the problem or not and per usual gamers and the media press the panic button at the hint of any PS3 problems. I can bet you people are just waiting i to leap at any problems the PS3 slim may have in the future. At least wait and see how this pans out before you wet your pants instead of wetting your pants now just in case this might end badly. Gamers can be so immature at times.

u all should be happy that u got a ps3 and sony is nice enough to do all this extra stuff for u guys!! so stop frigging complaining....

and the first time you see one of those zebra walk across the screen your like damn thats sweet.

Don't know why that crybaby complains. I like the stars effect and besides, you turn on the PS3 to play videos, music and above all else, video games, not to watch the background, right?

So shut the F up and turn the effects off if you want to.

Played Uncharted once since they update and I had no problem whatsoever.

And, it DIDN'T take a long time to download. Your connection is probably like you, CRAP!

What i like, what i don't like.

I got the africa theme for free(jap account), but it should be in all stores(free)

Ok premium themes cost, whether or not they are dynamic. So it's no surprise really.

Interface I actually like, things load quicker, the tv section for iplayer i like, Maybe they should have had custom colors for players online, instead of the the grey for friends etc.

I am annoyed that they still do not support AD2P for audio out.(not just chat), Hell all my phones support it.

Put the font size back, or allow size adjust and type.

I think alot has gone on behind the scenes, ram wise, there will be more to play with now for devs. Not had any games crash yet.

But tbh, as long as updates don't effect games, they are fine by me.

i guess i'm one of the lucky ones cause it works fine on my slim, i'd say its a bit better when streaming hd movies through lan, the one feature they should have added was being able to change fonts colors.

At least they gave us sparkles and confetti on the XMB. What other company is offering that?

the online scene of PSN is dead, it just keeps getting worster and worster. Where as Xbox Live keeps getting better and better.

Apart from the annoying scrolling status crap at the top left, that I don't want or need.

if there are some bugs then i can understand the complaints but what i don't understand is whats the big deal they put the ps store in the video section and games section now in case nobody realizes xbox has a video marketplace and game marketplace same freaking difference. also sony charge for dynamic backgrounds m$ chargers for their themes that don't even do anything its just a wallpaper. the double standards on this site are so retarded its not even funny. plus it took long to download cause im sure this guy downloaded it the night it came out when EVERYONE else was downloading it hence long download time.

I don't like the new firmware 3.0 to some degree, and I wish that I can downgrade to the last firmware. First, they spam you with ads about psn products in the upright corner of the tv screen and every time you go to the psn icon, speaking of the psn icon there are now 2 psn icons(which do the exact same job) which is a totally useless feature because I only need 1 psn icon right?. And even worst there is no option that I have discovered to turn even one or both of them off. I bought the metal gear solid 4 bundle ps3 on launch day and I did not spend $500+ to eventually be spammed with any kind of ads on it. I understand that sony is advertising to get people to spend money but they could have at least had an option to block or remove the ads feature of the firmware because ads do not influence me in any way, shape, or form to go buy something and if I want to buy something or feel like buying something I will go to the psn store if the mood should strike me and I dont need ads crammed down my throat every time that I start up my ps3. And also when is sony going to put an in-game custom music feature when playing games?. Other than the issues that I just addressed everything else seems fine.

Now that Jim Ryan is gone just need to remove Herman Hulst from his position! And maybe give Shuhei the position he deserved.

This gen hasn't been the best for games, last gen consoles are still out there and now there's been talk of the PS6 and Xbox Two for a year or so. Many games this gen will be ported to next gen and the cycle will continue. The re-release of the Neo Geo AES+, games on cartridge for £70 ($95), gaming is going back in time. Gaming has gone pricing mad with the high cost of games, consoles and controllers. The men and women at the top are clueless.

It’s always interesting to hear behind-the-scenes stories like this, especially involving veterans like Shuhei Yoshida and leadership figures like Jim Ryan. That said, there are usually multiple sides to decisions at that level. It could be less about not “listening” and more about differences in long-term vision for PlayStation. Yoshida played a huge role in shaping the brand, so whatever the reason, his impact is undeniable.

If true, and I'm inclined to believe it is, it goes to show that Sony lost their way when they became more western/didn't respect the PlayStation origin story. Andrew House and Jack Tretton did great work, but they also didn't try to fundamentally change the PlayStation DNA. Ryan oversaw the death of Japan Studio and a live service direction.

I already figured this, good lord imagine if Shuhei took over instead, would've been a platinum era 😩

I miss the first three generations of PlayStation. The way they turned PS3 around, we knew they meant business. We were all worried for a bit there around launch. Eventually from 2008 they started shifting slowly. But since Yoshida was fired, it's never been the same. Still enjoy my PS5 daily. I got a backlog dating back to PS2 lol So I'm fine but new games aren't as appealing anymore.

It seems like we were thrown on to the worst timeline possible where everything is too expensive and the wrong people were put in positions that makes the world a shitty place. We could have had Shu as the head of PS but we got the shitty alternative. Same goes for everyone in power around the world. Doesn’t matter the company or country the majority of us got the shitty picks and the world is declining like never before. I do think PS can come out of this because of their studios, talent and IP but they need someone more in touch with gamers leading things like Shu was. They’re still the best place for console gaming imo but it could be much better than it is especially without the massive live service failures. The rest of the world I have a lot less hope for right now. Hopefully the pendulum swings back towards the good ole days but I’m preparing for the worst.

There goes illuminati distraction story

So now there's certifiable proof that Ryan was in fact "fired", as opposed to when it was first announced that he "retired", in order to save face.

There's another guy who recently "retired" as CEO of another large gaming company, after doing a dismantling job as lead for well over a decade.

seems legit, the business man, fires the one who has ideas to move the business forward.

Jim Ryan is the reason why we are entering year 6 since the PS5 launch and many of us don't feel like the PS5 has gotten started as yet.

I hope going forward, we will see a return to form.