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Ad Nauseum Article
PlayStation 3 Article by Rob Fahey
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Published as part of our sister-site GamesIndustry.biz' widely-read weekly newsletter, the GamesIndustry.biz Editorial is a weekly dissection of one of the issues weighing on the minds of the people at the top of the games business. It appears on Eurogamer after it goes out to GI.biz newsletter subscribers.
Sony's most recent update to the PlayStation 3 firmware, version 3.00, has brought with it a little more controversy than anyone had expected. Coming in the week when the console notched up the highest point in its sales since launch, it's unlikely that this unrest has caused too many sleepless nights at the firm, but it's interesting to consider the source of the complaints.
A few minor issues regarding user interface aside, the primary source of the backlash was, perhaps, somewhat predictable. Many users don't like the new "What's New" panel which appears when you switch the console on - accusing it of being a platform for advertising rather than a useful addition to the system.
Sony refutes that viewpoint, arguing that the panel also gets you into games more quickly by offering hotlinks to recently accessed games on the hard drive. However, there's no doubt that What's New is, for the most part, designed to serve as an advertising platform.
So, do consumers have a point when they complain that this update has polluted their dashboard with adverts, eroding the sleek, minimalist aesthetic and functionality of the XMB interface in favour of the steady encroachment of adland? From a design standpoint, possibly. From a functionality standpoint, however, the PS3's dash is long overdue an advertising mechanism.
Regardless of your personal views of the console war, there's no doubt that one of the big winners in this generation has been downloadable content - in the form of game add-ons and small games on services like Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Store. Whether it's providing more content for blockbuster games, such as song packs for Rock Band or new areas and missions for Fallout 3, or encouraging creativity and risk-taking in development by providing a channel for the distribution of low-cost games like Braid and Flower, these services have provided new breadth and depth to the gaming market.
However, they suffer from a huge problem - visibility, or rather, the lack of it. XBL and PSN titles are locked away behind an icon on the dashboard, often buried several levels deep in a store interface which few users will peruse on a regular basis. Consumers who regularly read the gaming press will know which titles they're hunting for in these stores, but the average user will probably either ignore the store entirely, or only skim through it on a very infrequent basis.
Rockstar went for the obvious solution to this problem when it released expansion content for Grand Theft Auto IV - the publisher invested in a major TV advertising campaign, the first of its kind for a piece of Xbox Live content. This avenue, however, is only open to major publishers with high-profile content to push. Much of the point of XBL and PSN is the benefit it affords to smaller firms, for whom TV advertising is out of reach.
The obvious, logical solution to this is, of course, to create an affordable, tightly targeted advertising solution on the platform itself. Console dashboards need a way to put new releases and products of interest front and centre, where users will see them, rather than burying them in the store.
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Poster
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+9
I really don't understand why the new panel would irritate people - it's tucked away at the end of the sodding dash, for god's sake!
It's still a lot more simple and inituitive than the 360 dash by a long way. IMO, of course. I do like the way the music player pops up on the 360's 'guide' menu, though. |
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+14
So, I've got to have advertising for my own good?
It's essential, no absolutely vital that I know about new wares available online? I would understand that if this was being run under a public service ethos but it's not like they're giving this space away just because they think Flower for instance deserves more sales. If it was to support the underexposed titles and give them a helping hand I would feel a bit differently, what we are actually losing is yet another refuge from hype and marketing. Hey! He's got to know about Fallout 3 DLC and all the other stuff that's already overexposed everywhere else! Being out of reach, able to ignore things that don't interest me is something that I value.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 12/09/09 @ 10:14
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-5
Nonsense. Why is advertising products 'vastly more questionable'? Adverts are everywhere, the only baffling thing is that games have resisted as an advertising platform for this long. The very website on which you're reading the article is plastered with adverts.
And I'm sorry, but it's naive to say that advertising turns people off products. Why then is advertising a global trillion-pound industry? Even annoying adverts work because they put the product in your mind when you're making a purchase decision. Is anyone in the UK not annoyed by the Sheila's Wheels adverts? No, they're the most annoying adverts in history. But they have become by far the biggest brand in female-only insurance in the UK, entirely on the back of that advertising campaign. Microsoft are going to make a hell of a lot of money advertising on their NXE dashboard and Sony will get left behind if they don't follow suit. And please, dashboard is the name of the 360 interface, not the PS3 interface. /rant |
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-10
I dont like the new panel like i never , neither anyone, ever liked the adverts nor similar pages on XBL.
It's still rather amusing how they had to see so many reactions from PS3 owners in order to"excuse" the adverts on a console instead of keep spitting on the console like they did for XBL. Honestly, its just way too odd and f**ked up if you ask me. Now, wanna advert on dashboard? If you ask me keep in the Indie games sections the adverts for those games themselves so you can see those adverts if you visit them yourself. Wanna have GOD adverts on XBL? Do it in that sections/part of the XLB/dashboard. Wanna have random adverts? You get them on your PS3's browser's eitherway. Wanna Have anything else? Excuse it poperly if you dont want reaction and ALWYAS give option to NOT have them in your face even if you consider they MIGHT cause reaction for irritating your consumer or accept the fact that you will be trashed for. Like MS has been dealing with all the craptalk ever since their first effort to get in the console universe, they shouldnt find it so f**king weird that finally even the "Sony" consumer has a mouth of his own and opinionate on what they get and the services. Anything to argue about? Minusrate me for all i care you will be the ones that can NOT have an opinion but love to have shit forced onto them without talking nor thinking about it. And for those few that dont get bothered the slightest? Well thank God there are ppl that have no issue with "small" things, cause when it comes down to final point is small things that either you see that you have the right to complain about so they wont keep screwing you over OR you are smart enough to know you can worry and be bothered about way more important things. Unfortunately im in the first category. I cant and wont freaking care what others think if they see it differently. As simple as that. You do? then im sorry that people are that sad and have nothing better to do :p |
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+4
The article seems to promote the idea that the real gripe with this firmware is the advent of advertising, while the aesthetic changes would be minor quibbles. I happen to think the opposite. I can turn off What's New, but I can't get rid of an awful zoomed font or grey boxed contacts... These changes overall makes the whole xmb an unpleasant experience, uneasy on the eye... PS3 loses much of its sexyness, but that probably just reflects the arrival of the slim.
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+3
I often look on the store so the ads don't inform me much (they may brainwash me a bit though). The new panel isn't that intrusive but it does break the beautiful simplicity of the xmb a bit.
On the other hand using the 360 dashboard is like being forced to drive past giant billboards. It's genuinely annoying when all I want is to.. - play what's in the disc drive or on the hard drive - know what's new in the store ...if I want saucy videos of jessica chobot pointing at gameplay or some fop haired marketing cock telling me about new product I'll go onto the internet :-o edit:terrible grammar
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 12/09/09 @ 12:03
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-5
@RedPanda
" Δεν μου αρέσει, ούτε σε κανεναν, άρεσαν ποτέ οι διαφημίσεις σε παρόμοιες σελίδες στο XBL" That is translated in Greek since im Greek. Now if you are english and your IQ doesn't allow you to even imagine what word is missing and makes that sentence unexplainable to you then I wont even feel bad for you being a retard. Start with crosswords and connecting dots. And i wont correct my comment just cause its fun when dumbasses jump up like you did. lol |
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notmyrealname
12/09/09 @ 10:54
+6
Lol you can just switch it off. EG bias from Rob;)
also: ''The biggest pitfall of all, however, is also the most enticing - simple greed.'' O RLY? A company wants to make money!? GASP! Who would have thought! /looks at obtrusive EG adds and ponders writers double morale.
Edited 2 times,
most recently on 12/09/09 @ 11:58
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+1
It would be good if the content was differentiated by quality, instead of merely being the newest, most expensive shite. Sort them by OPM scores, or better yet, Metacritic scores. If I had Noby Noby Boy, The Last Guy, Flower, etc popping up and I knew that, despite the total lack of advertising, they received good reviews from someone not on the Sony payroll, I'd be interested and give them a go (if I didn't have them already).
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+1
I wonder whether console-based advertising needs a little more sophistication.
Its all very well splashing ads all over the dashboard/XMB - but apathy can quickly set in and it's easy just to ignore them as peripheral objects. Consoles now recognise a disk that has been inserted, so how about a box appearing that lists any additional DLC - or 'other games you might like'? At least then any advertising or offers are somehow related to the user. Or even scanning your game saves and listing potential items of interest. Personally, I would find that more appropriate to me than 'What's New' on the PS3 that hasn't appeared to change since the update, or hiding content amongst a pile of other crap. Advertising seems to be here to say though - I just to pray to God we don't get real, regular adverts streaming onto any of the consoles... |
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Eraserhead
12/09/09 @ 11:57
+11
This is DISGRACEFUL. I can't believe EG had the NERVE to publish this article.
I mean, everyone knows it's spelt "Ad nauseam." |
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SeesThroughAll
12/09/09 @ 12:13
+12
For those complaining about the addition of advertising space to the PS3, however, there are no words of comfort.
But you can turn the "What's New" off. A much better example to support this article's case would have been the Wipeout Fury loading screen ads.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 12/09/09 @ 14:27
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Stegofreak
12/09/09 @ 15:25
0
Personally I'm not really bothered by the advertisements. I think SONY have implamented them well enough. What bugged me about the new update was putting a store icon between Game and Trophy List.
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+3
The only adverts I've seen so far have been for popular games I already own (e.g. Shatter) or for massively hyped upcoming games which are impossible to avoid elsewhere (e.g. Heavy Rain). It could be a useful feature if they used it to advertise stuff which we might not know about, e.g. obscure or long-forgotten PSN games.
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+2
Games consoles are a media format, all media formats eventually fall 'prey' to advertising. I place 'prey' in inverted commas because [prepares for flaming] I actually don't mind it - when it implemented properly.
Personally I think the NXE has the right level of advertising and in the right places, it shows me what's new on the games front and if I'm interested it links me straight through. The other day I noticed an advert for a film that is yet to be released, clicked on it and it presented me with some trailers. This is good for me because the XBOX is just part of a larger home entertainment system - I have an interested in Movies too and so am interested by this type of advertising. The form this advertising takes is okay because it is passive, if an advert pops up every time you loaded a game (that you've paid for) or drilled down into a menu then this would be annoying but as it stands you go up one level and start you game or in PS3s case you use the 'What's new' to jump straight in so you can ignore the advertising if you don't like it. I happen to think that the advertising is so well implemented on the NXE that it almost adds to the 'decore' of the dashboard and there in lies my issue with the PS3 - the XMB isn't exactly brilliant at presenting large amounts of information without looking, dare I say it, ugly! It's not the advertising that's the issue, it's the way it's delivered and Sony need to make it fit a little better! |
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xXBrombeerXx
12/09/09 @ 16:53
-5
@Evilfoxhound:
You can't turn off the What's New section. It's the 'default' icon, so when you navigate the XMB to your friends and aren't fast enough, the whole background changes. It's very annoying all this flickering and blurring in the background. You can choose not to boot on it, yes, but you can't make it go away (which I want badly). Furthermore you CAN'T turn of the sparkles totally, as you still see them floating about when you leave a game or the browser. You CAN'T turn off the hideous large font nor the totally obtrusive grey boxes on the friendlist. You CAN'T turn off the extra store icons, 3 in total now? You even CAN'T play Uncharted anymore and your PS3 hangs a lot more than pre-3.00 firmwares. Especially upon entering the friendlist within a game. Have you noticed the flickering in the fl during scrolling when you call the XMB in game? UGLY and seizure inducing. I do mind the adds, but at least don't make them so terrible distasteful and in the process ruin the whole neat and clean XMB otherwise I could have coped with it.But suddenly I feel like I'm playing with a cheap toy console instead of a more, well, sophisticated one. Anyone noticed that the XMB looks a lot like SingStar now after the new update? SingStar has the same (ugly large) font and blurring the PS3 now uses on the XMB. It even has stars in it.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 12/09/09 @ 17:53
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chessboxer
12/09/09 @ 17:33
+4
@ xXBrombeerXx
The panel still displays BUT the background will only change if you're too slow whilst navigating the XMB. I can scroll through the entire XMB without the background changing, and that's with a normal theme or a dynamic one. If the background changes when navigating past "What's New" then you need to be a bit faster. I haven't noticed any flickering whilst scrolling through the friends list but that may be because my TV has a very high refresh rate (very high end Bravia). Oh, and I like the sparkles. |
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+4
Actually, as a PS3 owner I have to say the problem isn't so much the outright visibilty of these games as it is an obtuse layout for the store itself and the fact that NO screen shots are present when you highlight a product. Even a looping 10 second clip of the gameplay would do, like the XMB does with video files.
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+5
Mate, the What's New can be turned off.
The thing that can't is the information bar. You used to be able to. I wouldn't honestly mind the information bar, but there is a bug in it that causes the clock to popup for me every 5 minutes during video playback (even if paused): http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247... xXBrombeerXx - the "sparkles" can be turned off also. You have to change your theme to Classic (which is the old PS3 theme). "Original" is the new theme with sparkles.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 12/09/09 @ 23:19
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man.the.king
13/09/09 @ 03:20
+2
Looks like Rob Fahey was so enthusiastic about including the PS brand in this admania criticizing that he forgot that the "What's New" thing can be turned off in the PS3 System Settings.
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+1
@napalm68
The guy who posted about that issue on the Playstation forum found the source of the problem - the external USB hard disk he had connected. Unplugging the disk fixed it (well, obviously it still looks like it's a bug in the 3.00 firmware, but at least one with an easy and not particularly intrusive solution until it's been patched up). Edit: Actually that picture was from the post on the PS forum, so I assume that guy might have been you? :)
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 13/09/09 @ 05:52
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xXBrombeerXx
13/09/09 @ 06:05
-1
@Napalm68:
You can turn them off, I know. But try it and see for yourself. They re-appear when you exit a game or browser shortly. Read what I said, please. @Chessboxer I have a 200 Hz Samsung Full HD TV (the very high end oled) and it's not the refresh rate, it's the slowness of the boxes filling in. Just start a game. Now open the fl and scroll down your list until all the boxes are beginning to disappear (also very ugly). Now stop and see how all the boxes are redramn VERY SLOWLY in the direction you scrolled. Yeah, looks like quality firmware innit? Surely someone must have noticed? Or is it that no one cares anymore? I feel my PS3 has been raped by a bloody teenager. I used to feel ashamed of NXE and it's childish avatar but the PS3 has surpassed that IMO. I don't want to be fast when navigating the XMB. Why do the options disappear after 2 seconds? Why is the background changing for What's New. It's all so inconsistent and unnecessarily annoying. I really am amazed that people haven't rioted yet with all the bugs to boot. I have lost count how many times my PS3 just hang without reason. Uncharted is a known bug but I've had it with LittleBigPlanet, SingStar, Eye of Judgment and KillZone 2 (that's about my whole tiny game collection for PS3). It didn't used to do that before 3.00. Sony broke my PS3 and finally the tradition I buy every new console. Are people willing to take everything these days? |
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yrg_autumn
13/09/09 @ 08:03
+2
i don't think advertising is ok on my console's dash. i've paid for it! if you were to put advertising in a game and sell it for 30 euros, i'd mind. if you put ads in and sold it for 5 euros, then i'd understand. i think it's as simple as that - it's ok to use advertising as an alternative revenue stream in order to reduce the price of your products, it's NOT ok to shove advertising down your consummer's throat and still take all his money. So yeah, it's ok for eurogamer to be advertising AND complain about advertising on xbox360.
however, i don't agree with EG that advertising could help pull games out of obscurity. unless sony feel in a very generous mood, as a company, they can't be expected to do anything other than "rent" the space to the highest bidder - which won't be nobby nobby boy, it's going to be fifa 2010, who people probably already knew about.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 13/09/09 @ 09:04
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Mentalist(air)
13/09/09 @ 08:46
+1
I paid for my iPhone, but when browsing eurogamer on it, I get adverts! I paid for a Sky subscription, but when watching sky one, I get adverts! I paid for a cinema ticket, but before the film started, I get adverts! I paid for a magazine, but every few pages, there are adverts!
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Mentalist(air)
13/09/09 @ 08:51
+1
Also, to the chorus of people informing us that you can turn ps3 adverts off, the article explains that they are intended for people not savvy enough to know about forthcoming downloadable games and other content. What makes you think they'll be savvy enough to search for a config option in the settings to switch them off? Especially if it's something you need to explain to people on the forums of an enthusiast website.
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+2
I disabled my PS3 booting to the "What's New" section so now I seldom see any advertising unless I deliberately hover over the icon or visit the PS Store. Instead my PS3 boots to the Games section as it always did. No complaints from me! :)
Although I agree the XMB with the new 3.0 firmware has become a little messy and cluttered, mostly due to the increased icon and font size and the fugly Friends boxes, the advertising at least isn't as in your face as it is on my Xbox 360 where I cannot stop the console from booting to the Spotlight section short of not logging into Xbox LIVE. |
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-1
Anyone who says you can turn What's New off, needs to re-read the article. It's a commentary about the coming rise in console-hosted advertising, using the new firmware updates as an example. The points made in the article still stand, whether you agree with them or not (which, incidentally, I don't.)
Thick people really annoy me. Most of the features in 3.0 can be turned OFF! Even the background sparkles. And yes, the "What's New" section too. This is my favourite example of such a comment, for irony's sake. |
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-1
Christ, yes you can turn it off for start up but it is STILL on your dash with no way to remove it. That is not turning it off peeps.
Does Steam infect your desktop with ads? no of course not, sure you see ads or offers when you hit steam but people would be pissed if it put ads on your PC before even using it. I think that is the underlying problem a lot of people have with it (i know that's my issue with it), it's on your interface no argument. Internet connection for consoles seemed so perfect at first, now look where we are "BUY ME! BUY ME!!! BUY ME!!!!!" before you even start a game. (of course Sony are nowhere near MS and the absolute ad overload mess of NXE, but the new firmware is a step closer to them IMO) Of course some don't care about this approach (and even like it) but for others, like me, it's a complete turn off. Still maybe I'm just an old fart who foolishly still thinks hardware is for software not an ad platform. Keep it in your stores MS and Sony after all I expect to see ads in there.... |
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+3
@bad09
Yes, they are still there in the XMB, but as you actively have to scroll over to see the ads if you've turned the feature off, I personally don't notice them at all. The What's New section is almost to the far right of the XMB, and if you're quick enough on the buttons you can scroll right past it before it even activates. Anyway, aside from that I do understand the concern about forced ads, and just as Microsoft make sure to slam them right in your face, I certainly wouldn't put it past Sony to start doing that at some point as well - if not in this console generation, then the next. |
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