PS3 User Interface

wedgie · 22 Aug 2006 at 07:28

DaveyD said:
I'd be worried if it wasn't, but it blatantly is

Anders0n · 22 Aug 2006 at 08:05

I quite like it. Nice, clean and simple.

rug said:
what about when they brought the menu system up in the game screen - almost unreadable imo.

I thought this was one of the best thing about the video. I'd rather have this coming up in game than a rather big slide. Wait till your viewing it in HD.

dirtydog · 22 Aug 2006 at 08:39

How important is the user interface really - how often do you use it?

Domo · 22 Aug 2006 at 08:43

Anders0n said:
I quite like it. Nice, clean and simple.

Same here - I also like it.
A menu system needs to be functional and easy to use above all else and it meets both those requirements.

The PSP menu system proved popular so why re-invent the wheel just to be creative?

Nismo · 22 Aug 2006 at 09:32

dirtydog said:
How important is the user interface really - how often do you use it?

If the PS3 is going to be anything like the 360, you will use it a hell of a lot for media, downloading, communication etc.

A good UI is hugely important anyway, no matter how much you use it. Badly designed, awkward to use ones put people off straight away.

Kreeeee · 22 Aug 2006 at 09:42

Nismo said:
If the PS3 is going to be anything like the 360, you will use it a hell of a lot for media, downloading, communication etc.

A good UI is hugely important anyway, no matter how much you use it. Badly designed, awkward to use ones put people off straight away.

Yep, it's obviously very important.

dirtydog · 22 Aug 2006 at 09:46

Nismo said:
If the PS3 is going to be anything like the 360, you will use it a hell of a lot for media, downloading, communication etc.

A good UI is hugely important anyway, no matter how much you use it. Badly designed, awkward to use ones put people off straight away.

I wouldn't say it's hugely important if you don't use it very often. I've used the Xbox and PS2 UIs a handful of times. So long as they are functional and intuitive, that's the main thing

I buy a games console to play console games, not look at its user interface.

Nismo · 22 Aug 2006 at 09:57

dirtydog said:
I wouldn't say it's hugely important if you don't use it very often. I've used the Xbox and PS2 UIs a handful of times. So long as they are functional and intuitive, that's the main thing I buy a games console to play console games, not look at its user interface.

But you hardly ever have to use the PS2's or Xbox's UI because they have so few functions, this new generation (if the 360 is anything to go by) is vastly different, and you use the dashboard/UI much more than anything else that has been released. Its integral to the console.

Yes of course you buy a console to play games, but this time around the UI/dash is part of the game too, so it has to be user freindly.

I get the feeling you dont have much experience of the 360 dash and how it works, so you probably wont understand just how important it is until you get a next-gen console.

NokkonWud · 22 Aug 2006 at 10:06

I'll accept all that with a big smile on my face aslong as they change the DVD playback menu from the one on the Playstation 2 which is the worst interface ever, it makes this [Playstation 3 Interface] look like it was crafted by the finest Incan architects!

dirtydog · 22 Aug 2006 at 10:06

Nismo said:
I get the feeling you dont have much experience of the 360 dash and how it works, so you probably wont understand just how important it is until you get a next-gen console.

I can't argue with that

dirtydog · 22 Aug 2006 at 10:08

NokkonWud said:
I'll accept all that with a big smile on my face aslong as they change the DVD playback menu from the one on the Playstation 2 which is the worst interface ever, it makes this [Playstation 3 Interface] look like it was crafted by the finest Incan architects!

Yeah the PS2 DVD interface could be a bit better I guess, but at least you don't need to shell out for a separate remote control just to play DVDs at all, like the Xbox :eek:

McManicMan · 22 Aug 2006 at 10:11

gotta agree , i use the 360 dashboard loads and its the 1st thing i check out when turning on the 360 for friends online and messages and new downloads, something i never did with other consoles. After seeing that PS3 menu i much prefer the 360 and its blade's concept, at least with the blades you can see all the info at once and as pointed out i want to see who is online and messages as soon as i log in to Live and by looking at that PS3 system unless it notfies you somehow it would seem you have to scroll through the menu's to get to do this?

NokkonWud · 22 Aug 2006 at 10:12

dirtydog said:
Yeah the PS2 DVD interface could be a bit better I guess, but at least you don't need to shell out for a separate remote control just to play DVDs at all, like the Xbox

Yeah, that was somewhat of a shame. Especially as the DVD playback was very good too

.

McManicMan · 22 Aug 2006 at 10:15

dirtydog said:
Yeah the PS2 DVD interface could be a bit better I guess, but at least you don't need to shell out for a separate remote control just to play DVDs at all, like the Xbox

same can be said for mem cards, xbox didn't need one but PS2 does, i'd rather shell out for a remote to play dvds if i require one to watch dvds than not be able to save and seeing its primary a games console and you need to save in games whereas you don't need to watch dvd's to me thats just Sony ripping of its customers

Manlove is my forte · 22 Aug 2006 at 10:17

Most software architects, developers, and users will argue that User interface is the most important aspect of software development. TBH everything a console does is user interface. Games that have bad HUDs or rubbish controls fail because these are user interface and they are flawed.

The system menus are just another form of console UI, and it is important that they are functional and intuitive.

Personally I think this is not a bad UI. at first glance. Maybe they need to reprioritise some of the menu items. At the top and first sublevels it looks clean and clinical. The Icons are recognisable so the writing should not be too necessary

But when you start going down 3 layers it looks a bit bloated. I wonder how it will look and feel when you add your 40gb of music and it has to drill down
Media
-Music
--Artist
---Album
----Song.

I suspect that it will become bloated and fairly unusable.

But we shall see,

dirtydog · 22 Aug 2006 at 10:21

McManicMan said:
same can be said for mem cards, xbox didn't need one but PS2 does, i'd rather shell out for a remote to play dvds if i require one to watch dvds than not be able to save and seeing its primary a games console and you need to save in games whereas you don't need to watch dvd's to me thats just Sony ripping of its customers

Wasn't the Xbox the first ever console not to require a memory card, and with an HDD as standard? I agree that saving your game is much more important than watching DVDs (which many/most console owners wouldn't be bothered about). But remember that the PS2 first came out in early 2000

I think MS were naughty to require Xbox owners to purchase a remote control in order to watch DVDs, seeing as they released their console 18 months after the PS2.

Manlove is my forte · 22 Aug 2006 at 10:30

dirtydog said:
Wasn't the Xbox the first ever console not to require a memory card, and with an HDD as standard? I agree that saving your game is much more important than watching DVDs (which many/most console owners wouldn't be bothered about). But remember that the PS2 first came out in early 2000

I think MS were naughty to require Xbox owners to purchase a remote control in order to watch DVDs, seeing as they released their console 18 months after the PS2.

At the time (and possibly now) you had to pay a licence fee for including DVD playback facilities in a console. As this was not the primary function of the console. MS made the decision to make it an optional extra, rather than a standard feature, with the cost of the licence being only paid by those that used it.

As the Xbox came out so much later than the PS2, many homes already had DVD players.

I personally never played a single DVD on my Xbox, I am glad I did not have to pay an extra £20 for the privilege.

NokkonWud · 22 Aug 2006 at 10:36

McManicMan said:
same can be said for mem cards, xbox didn't need one but PS2 does, i'd rather shell out for a remote to play dvds if i require one to watch dvds than not be able to save and seeing its primary a games console and you need to save in games whereas you don't need to watch dvd's to me thats just Sony ripping of its customers

The biggest rip off wasn't the memory card, it was having to buy a Multitap to play 4 players when Nintendo64 had offered it back in 1997. I thought Sony would have learned their lesson from the Playstation1 but alas, PS2 was launched with only 2 ports too.

dirtydog · 22 Aug 2006 at 10:49

Kronologic said:
At the time (and possibly now) you had to pay a licence fee for including DVD playback facilities in a console. As this was not the primary function of the console. MS made the decision to make it an optional extra, rather than a standard feature, with the cost of the licence being only paid by those that used it.

As the Xbox came out so much later than the PS2, many homes already had DVD players.

I personally never played a single DVD on my Xbox, I am glad I did not have to pay an extra £20 for the privilege.

I'm using my PS2 for region 2 and 4 DVDs

The user interface isn't a problem - start pauses, select brings up the menu.... and all at no extra cost. I don't have a standalone DVD player so I consider it a bonus. For other region DVDs I use my PC via my TV. I accept the point that the Xbox was cheaper than it would have been if it played DVDs out of the box.

dirtydog · 22 Aug 2006 at 10:51

NokkonWud said:
The biggest rip off wasn't the memory card, it was having to buy a Multitap to play 4 players when Nintendo64 had offered it back in 1997. I thought Sony would have learned their lesson from the Playstation1 but alas, PS2 was launched with only 2 ports too.

Yeah the Dreamcast also catered for four players out of the box

I don't know what the PS3 is like in that department.