Ripten Rant: PS3 Users Don’t Need an In-Game XMB

by Patrick Steen on December 5, 2007 at 9:19 pm

Just like you don’t need this burger, Fatty, you don’t need an in-game XMB

Today is the start of a new Ripten mid-week feature, where I, the resident Brit, get to rant about an issue in the gaming industry. This weeks rant concerns the much wanted In-Game XMB for the Playstation 3.

There was some fuss over the last PS3 firmware update before it even hit. 2.0 was rumoured to contain a number of much wanted things – such as being able to play your own music during games, or bring up the cross-media bar (XMB) during gameplay. This final feature is perhaps the most wanted by Playstation owners, but I’m here to say they don’t need it.

To me this is obvious, and it may also be to you and I’m sorry if I’m about to patronise you with subtleties, but somehow I think that what I’m about to say might be a revolution to those muppets at Sony.

You don’t need or want to look at photos while you’re playing a game. You don’t want or need to watch videos/movies on your system while you’re playing a game. You don’t want or need to surf the Internet while you’re playing a game. You don’t want to go onto the Playstation Store while you’re playing a game. You don’t even particularly want to change your systems settings while you’re playing a game.

This is what you don’t need – you don’t need these options that are on the cross-media bar to come up during gameplay.

You already know this, so why do you want an in-game XMB? You’re personally holding back Sony by telling them you want this, by making them implement all the XMB features into one update, you’re holding us back from what we really need.

To prove that you’re responsible for Sony’s dilly dallying, I shall quote Peter Dille, Sony’s Senior VP of Marketing, who wandered onto the subject in an interview with GameInformer:

As far as in-game XMB access, we know it’s a feature that’s important to our consumers. Because PS3 packs so much advanced technology ‘under the hood’, it takes some time to implement major, new functionalities, but we are working hard on addressing this feature, as well as continually expanding the capabilities and functionalities of PS3.

You see what he says? All this mumbo jumbo about taking time to implement “major, new functionalities” and that the feature is “important to our customers”. You greedy little leprechauns, what have you done!? Sony is spending so much time making sure that an in-game XMB is perfect — this could take them another year to get everything ‘under the hood’ working to their ridiculously high standards.

So what am I waffling on about? Of course we need an in-game XMB, I hear you cry at me in a slight tone of annoyance. No, what you need is in-game messaging, and voice-chat to friends who are playing other games. This is what you need.

Yes in-game music would be nice, but it can wait (surely). If we could get the message to Sony, that all we desperately need is in-game messaging and voice-chat with those on our friends list, then perhaps they could give it to us now, or soon, instead of trying to get everything to work for this “in-game XMB”.

Lets set the scene. You want to play Warhawk with your friend who is currently playing Uncharted. You send him a message. They can only see what you want if you write “Want to play Warhawk now?” in the title box, since this will come up as a notification while they are playing. But wait, the title box can only be a certain amount of characters long, so it comes out as “Want to play Wa”. Already frustrating.

You now wait for your buddy to quit Uncharted and come play. But what if they don’t want to straight away? What if they intend to join you in 10 minutes? They aren’t just going to quit and tell you that. So you wait and wait and wait. You finally give up and go into Warhawk and enter a game.

You get engrossed in the game, but suddenly recieve a message from your buddy, asking “What game you in?” WTF!? You’re not quitting out of the game that you are pwning in, just to tell him which game it is. Maybe he can find you anyway.

Uh-oh! “The Game is Full” is what you’re friend sees…he’d love to be able to tell you that he can’t get into your game and ask you to quit so you can join him in another game, but he just can’t be bothered. So he enters his own game. Both friends playing Warhawk, but not with each other.

The amount of times this has happened to me is many, and it shouldn’t be this way! It’s very simple. People CAN already send messages to each other in-game, since we get a little notification. But why oh why can’t we read the message and then open a mini keyboard, not even a predicative text keyboard, so we can reply to them. Why not let us speak to them with our mics?

This is what we need. Thus, start a revolution with me. Stop asking for an in-game XMB and make sure Sony knows that we’d prefer in-game messaging now, and the holistic package can come later.

If there is something you would like to rant about, feel free to contact us or comment below.

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Tags: cross-media-bar, Playstation 3, PS3, xmb

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Thomas
on December 5, 2007 9:39 pm

“So what am I waffling on about? Of course we need an in-game XMB, I hear you cry at me in a slight tone of annoyance. No, what you need is in-game messaging, and voice-chat to friends who are playing other games. This is what you need.”

Exactly, but people are saying “In-game XMB” because it’s easier than saying “in-game messaging, and voice-chat to friends who are playing other games”
Alix
on December 5, 2007 9:39 pm

Ingame XMB is easier to say than “ingame messaging system”.

But of course, you hit the nail on the head. We need a way to organize people, play with friends, and communicate without exiting the entire game.
Arithmetic
on December 5, 2007 10:21 pm

I agree totally.

It pains me that I have to exit out a game just to read a message or I can’t cross chat or private chat while IN a game. Come the hell on Sony, get your act together. What is taking you so long? We don’t even need FULL in-game XMB, just in-game messaging and voice chat FOR NOW! You hear me, FOR NOW!!! I don’t want a big update or have to wait, get it together now. We waited in line for your system, we drop 400-600+ for your console, we went through crappy ports, we waited nearly a year for the (good) games to come out and this is how you treat us? Something so simple to be added (I don’t believe that mumbo jumbo that it’s a major update) and we can’t get it yet? WTH Sony! Eric Lempel, you need to be FIRED! TERMINATED! What are you doing at SCEA? Your not doing a damn thing man. Matter of fact, QUIT your job, play the bench, you are an embarrassment to us PS3 owners and PSN. Stop dodging interviews about this in-game XMB or messaging, and just tell us the truth. When can we expect this? Before Jesus comes back? Is it a PS5 system update? We need somebody who is listening to US and will give US what we ask in a timely fashion, not when Sony execs get off there comfortable leather chairs, smh. I swear, how would you feel playing Call of Duty 4, about to rank up and complete a challenge and BAM you get a message and you can’t even pause the game to read it? Oh no, I have to exit, I HAVE TO EXIT, that is absurd! Also I want to check my d/l, why must I have to exit my game to check, I should be able to press pause, go to the XMB and check it’s status! Damn you SONY, get your freaking act together!

I hope Sony or any SCEA execs see this. This just doesn’t go for in-game XMB, but goes for everything about the PS3, system price point, exclusives, advertising/marketing and developer support. This should be a gaming system first and EVERYTHING else last. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, you getting blown out the watter by the Wii and 360!
bobby
on December 5, 2007 11:51 pm

i tottally agree
when i play call of duty 4 and im in a game and i want my friend to come but he wants me to go to his party, i have no way of telling him to come to my game. i dont want to leave a game i got in. if i could only send a simple message, it would fix the whole problem!!!
AwRy108
on December 5, 2007 11:51 pm

I agree completely–this is what I’ve been asking for since day one!

I mean, how lame is it to have an 8-core CPU and not be able to read or send text messages while playing a game? C’mon SONY.
TJ
on December 6, 2007 12:25 am

Very good article, couldn’t be more true. As an owner of all three next-gen consoles, i can definitely say i’ll be disappointed with going back to the PSN for unreal tournament 3. Live is just a better setup, despite the cost. I’m not biased towards any of the 3 consoles, but Xbox Live is just the way all current online gaming should be.
lmmr1
on December 6, 2007 1:06 am

Right on the money!
Cavin Smith
on December 6, 2007 1:34 am

The sad part is that some games already have these features in a rudimentary form, but with the lack of an over-arching, unified messaging system, it’s restricted to people playing the same thing and isn’t nearly as comprehensive as it should be.

Sony, if individual developers are able to do this, so should you on the console you actually designed. Some game makers have called foul on the PS3’s complex architecture. Apparently, that’s why it gets so many bad ports. Do in-house devs actually suffer from the same problem?
MoNaRky
on December 6, 2007 3:42 am

@TJ
No I don’t think we need a full XMB on the PS3 and I agree with Patrick here. Give us the basics of Messaging, Music and settings. That’s it! We don’t need the other crap!!!

Re:Live is just a better setup….
#1 UT3 isn’t even out yet, so you can’t say anything!
Yes, right now “Live” is the bomb! …But it just celebrated it’s 5 year Anniversary. That’s like comparing a rookie race driver with a seasoned pro!

We’ll see more of just how the whole PS3 experience shapes up as the many inovative features they have planned, go live. Like in “HOME” game server player staging, VOD Streams from GT-TV and films. A complete virtual market place. Complete with “Eye” cam store fronts and the ability to see and try on clothes, etc for purchase. Test drive a car in GT-5 (full) and buy it in the “HOME” Dealership, etc!

Go to a lobby in “HOME”, invite some friends to your pad and form a game party for UT3 or whatever. That’s not potentially better? You’ve got to include an evaluation of their future plans to come up with a fair judgment. Or at least qualify your statement with proclaiming “for NOW, Live is best”! ;)
Arithmetic
on December 6, 2007 5:26 am

The thing is, why should we wait for HOME? Home is not schedule to hit until March, that’s 3 months from now, so your gonna tell me, wait 3 MORE months for these future, no way man. Sony needs to do something NOW. I’m tired of quitting games to read message, this was suppose to be implemented over a year ago, but what is Sony employees and execs doing, sitting in there swag leather chairs, probably playing Wii, smh.
MoNaRky
on December 6, 2007 6:06 am

Yeah… well I guess I keep forgetting I’m in the “Beta” so…. I’m sampling some of the goodness now! hehe But I’m certainly not going to rush them into making a mistake and get this XMB in game to us and lugging game performance down! I want it work when it comes out!!!
ant
on December 6, 2007 12:02 pm

Go to a lobby in “HOME”, invite some friends to your pad and form a game party for UT3 or whatever. That’s not potentially better? You’ve got to include an evaluation of their future plans to come up with a fair judgment. Or at least qualify your statement with proclaiming “for NOW, Live is best”! ;)
you kidding me, that would take like 10 15 minutes to start a game, ppl want easy interface and features that run smooth, not a bunch of gimmicks to work a around a problem, do you really need to ” meet up at your place and then start a game” why cant i just start the ps3 and join any game my friends are in?
Dude
on December 6, 2007 12:46 pm

I totally agree. Give us in game messaging. I honestly hope that Sony knows that’s what we’re really asking for when we’re asking for in game XMB. The biggest problem with the PS3 right now is the inability to at least text chat with your friends when you’re in a game. I don’t understand why they haven’t been able to implement SOME way of getting this done.
Peter
on December 6, 2007 1:27 pm

who are you to tell me what i want, and what i dont want? i do want a fully accessable ingame XMB, for alot of reasons. -not just the features you were mentioning. so stop being so overly selfconfident, and consider that not everyone, if any at all, agrees with you on what ever subjuect you choose to speak about.
Cavin Smith
on December 6, 2007 1:45 pm

Peter, it’s an opinion piece. That said, I’m curious to hear exactly why you want a full XMB in-game, yourself. “A lot of reasons” doesn’t go very far as an explanation.

Now, playing a bit of a devil’s advocate to Patrick, I could see some value in allowing you to, say, view photos from inside a game. But that’s only if the developer took advantage of it. For instance, a game that lets you take snapshots would potentially dump those into your Pictures folder. Then you’d want to go look at them without leaving the game, or send choice photos to people on your friends list.

That’s where a full XMB might come in handy.
Stav
on December 6, 2007 2:08 pm

360 has is doing it and has been doing it for yrs now, psn is rubbsih end of story, lets be honest ps3 cant even keep the same frame rate or stop its games freezing tht are working perfectly on 360 with the guide ;-) so why would you all want something else to help clog ur inferior systems internals up? why dont you all ask for a decent system not a cheap blue ray player first and foremost before whining about things too advanced for ps3
Sam400k
on December 6, 2007 2:46 pm

We don’t need the whole XMB, just the friends section (for messaging, voice chat, game invites) and maybe the music and network (so we can check downloads) sections. But people say XMB because it’s easier and because when these features are implemented, they should still be in the XMB, just a smaller, XMB super-imposed over the paused game image. An XMB-lite if you will. The XMB is a powerful enough application to equal if not surpass the Xbox LIVE Guide, just do it Sony!!
Citric
on December 6, 2007 6:03 pm

Exactly the soft point. Just in-game massaging and chat.
Peter
on December 6, 2007 7:48 pm

@ Cavin.
from my point of view, it looks like he’s stating something. making him seem very ignorant. to me at least.
as you mentioned, taking snapshots and viewing them right away in the XMB is a feature i’d like to see. the things he’s mentioning are things i’d like too, but not all of them, or the most wanted ones. what would appriciate the most by having ingame XMB access, is that you wouldnt ever have to exit games completely, unless its to change games and that sort. also listening to music while i play is something i’d like to do. what i’d really like, would be to play a game, jump online (internet, to check out hints on how to progress in what ever game i might play, or what ever), start a music track, then continue to the PSN store to start a download while i play offline (or online if the connection’s up to it), continue playing, then go back out to the XMB to watch the video i just downloaded, and check out the screenshots i’ve taken while i played, and then continue playing.
-and maybe even have a video conversation while im in the ingame XMB.
that’s what im thinking of, when i hear “full ingame XMB access”.
Patrick Steen
on December 6, 2007 7:59 pm

Hello all.

Thanks so much for your comments.

For a start. Thomas and Alix: What’s easy is not always what’s best. Sony generally will only hear one thing “We want ingame XMB”, when what’s really important is to get ingame messaging/voice chat.

Furthermore…is saying “ingame XMB” really easier? How are we meant to say that? X. M. B.? Or do we say “cross media bar” like it’s short for? Of course I’m being facetious here…but I feel saying “ingame messaging/voice chat” is very easy.

Peter: Thank you Peter for saying I’m ignorant and over confident, when you sound like you haven’t read very close to the rant; and are overly confident that you’re right.

For a start, expressing one’s opinion, not matter how forceful, would be softened if I ended it with “IMO” - but this is my thesis/argument and I want to put it over as strongly as possible. I would do the same if I was arguing against the existence of God, or whether Sony was God. This is the nature of critical writing.

And secondly, I don’t hesitate to say that I agree with you Peter. We DO want many of the features of the XMB, but my argument is that we don’t need them YET.

In truth the title of this article should have ended with “yet” to make it clearer, but that doesn’t help my call to you all. Ingame messaging and voicechat is what we NEED now; everything else is a bonus, which I hope we’ll get in the future.

Thanks for reading.
non-idiot
on December 7, 2007 12:06 am

“This is what we need.”
This is what YOU want and need.
I DO NOT need in-game chat etc since i along with many others doesn’t even have any ps3-mates.
I’d rather surf the web, watch a clip, change track etc (and preferrably also chat with friends) during for instance waiting for a tekken-room to become availible.
I’d much rather see xmb/Audio change track etc since that is something you can use 100% of your active ps3 time rather than chatting which is only availible when someone actually is online…

Let’s never be friends, ok?
Ryan
on December 7, 2007 12:16 am

Let me reassert what everyone has already said: when people say “in-game XMB” they mean in-game messaging/voice chat/music. If the writer of this article wasn’t so naive he might realize that. It’s just like accessing the Dashboard in the 360. You don’t get the whole dashboard, just a few select messaging/music features.

Jackass.
phantomzer0
on December 7, 2007 1:10 am

I want the in game XMB just so I can check a faq and get back into the game without having to get up and go to my computer. I hate having to CONSTANTLY get up when I could just hit the PS button, select internet, go to a faq site, check the faq and get back into the game.

What would be phenominal in my opinion is if Sony allowed you to have multiple things happening. For example, if I go to a web page, and decide I want to play a game, it would be nice if the web page stayed open under the internet area, this way you can quickly shift back and forth without quitting one or the other. If you wanted to check the faq your game would just pause and “minimize” to the XMB.

This would be a worth while update to me.
Felicia
on December 7, 2007 1:16 am

Well, I think the main reason would be music in-game. I know it’s my reason :)
Andrew
on December 7, 2007 1:34 am

What if I’m playing a game and I want to look up cheats or a strategy guide to help me get past a certain part? I would have to quit and go to the web browser, but with an in-game cross-media bar I could do it on the fly.
Cavin Smith
on December 7, 2007 1:44 am

If the on-screen keyboard takes up as much memory as it does now, I wouldn’t want to imagine what an open web browser during gameplay would do. It would be cool, but it seems very unreasonable to expect something like that from anybody. Now, a few games allow you to access their website from the main menu, but that’s about it.

Also, “non-idiot,” so you don’t want in-game chat because you have no friends on your PS3, but you want XMB to “preferrably chat with friends.” Indeed.
Soong
on December 7, 2007 3:26 am

Hey stupid, peeople who want in-game XMB don’t want/need it for the photos and video. In-game XMB = In-game messaging. You can’t have messaging without the XMB.
Nerfgun
on December 7, 2007 3:27 am

While I can appreciate the vigor with which you make your point, I do think that the author has missed the point. Entirely.

As others have mentioned, “in-game XMB” is shorthand for “I want to use the XMB interface I am familiar with to send messages and change the music”.

Of *course* the eventual in-game XMB won’t have all of the same items as the full XMB. That was never going to happen. Because no one wants it.

You’re hung up on the term.

What we’re going to get is a mini-XMB, a subset, with the friends list, music, probably some basic save game manipulation and settings.

In other words, an XMB that does exactly what the current 360 Home button menu does right now.

It’s kind of funny to me that you think somehow Sony can’t parse this.
Nerfgun
on December 7, 2007 3:29 am

Oh and to the people who want to “surf FAQs” while in-game - are you willing to give up performance and RAM in your actual game just so you can have memory reserved for a fucking browser? That’s idiotic.
Peter
on December 7, 2007 7:01 am

@ soong.
how would you know what other people likes/wants?? i, for one, do not want ingame XMB mainly because of messaging, etc.
i DO want the ingame XMB for easy access to video/internet/photo/music/etc.
alot of people in here share that point of view. heck, “even” patric steen does ^^
Peter
on December 7, 2007 7:18 am

@ nerfgun.
of*course* we’re getting a mini XMB.
why are we never getting a fully functional ingame XMB? how would you know? people want it, and somewhat need it.
and if sony could just make it possible overnight, they would. they just cant do it that easily. that’s why we dont even have a mini XMB yet. over time, i believe a fully functional ingame XMB will be intergrated through a FW update. be it in months, or years.

@ Cavin.
where did you hear the on screen keyboard takes up that much memory?
im not saying you’re wrong, i just wanna check it out too if you can provide me with a link. sounds odd that the PS3, in all its glory, are having problems with a damn on screen keyboard ^^
Patrick Steen
on December 7, 2007 7:22 am

Ryan, Soong, Nerfgun: It seems people have a loss of reading abilities.

Look to the original text

“To me this is obvious, and it may also be to you and I’m sorry if I’m about to patronise you with subtleties, but somehow I think that what I’m about to say might be a revolution to those muppets at Sony.”

I’m quite aware that you ALL know that ingame XMB MEANS ingame messaging, what I doubt is that Sony understands this. And nerfgun, I really wouldn’t be surprised since it’s taken so long, AND they are giving these possiblities to developers (so they CAN do ingame messaging now) but not doing an overarching system, and that’s why I layed it out here. I don’t think we should have to wait for a full blown ingame XMB for this (or even custom soundtracks which HVBowling has)

phantom, Andrew: I also agree that we want all these other things, but getting ingame messaging is a must that we should have got by itself a LONG time ago. Just like we’ve got with the TimeShift demo. There it is, all by itself…and I’d be very happy if we had that option over all of our games.

However, this is an opinion piece, and so the nature of it means that not everyone will agree. I’m all up for a debate, and so I take all your opinions into consideration. Intead of perhaps arguing/insulting me, let’s debate and disagree.
Dragis
on December 7, 2007 8:35 am

Of course I don’t need a XMB in games. Because I don’t need a lot of things. LIKE VIDEO GAMES. Apparently, Sony also thinks we don’t need a good variety of console exclusives before Christmas either. Oh I hear the fan boys already. Well sock it, because I’ve been defending the system since day one, and it’s getting pretty bloody old.

But that’s MY FAULT? I’M to blame for SONY taking their sweet time with PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING? Let’s talk about home and how crucial that is, according to every Sony employee and his mum. And how it’s been pushed back by months. I know that it seems like if anything is worth waiting for these days, chances are that is the case and you will end up waiting longer than you’d like to, but I guess Sony’s policy is that everything they are doing and will ever do is ground shattering because NOTHING they’re associated with is ever done in a timely manner as of late.

In summation, no. You’re the fatty. Fatty fat fat fat-head. Why don’t you cry yourself to sleep on your tear and ketchup-stained pillow. Fatty.
DemSum
on December 7, 2007 10:37 am

Your such a dusch, love you tell people WHAT they need. One thing you don’t want to tell consumers is what they need. If the buyer wants something give it to them. Its not about that I don’t need to browse the internet while im playing again its about having the OPTION to. Maybe I want to check out something on the net while im playing the game and dont want to quit the game at the same time. Maybe I’m playing a game and all of a sudden I want to pause it and show a friend a video I downloaded on the net but dont want to quit my game. Its about having the option, so if sony is willing to do it let them. I want the option to not just cause some guy doing an article says we dont NEED this stuff.
BW
on December 7, 2007 11:04 am

No, actually you’re completely wrong, I *do* want in-game XMB because games are very, very spotty about what settings they’ll allow you to change, and if I need to switch from my bluetooth headset to a USB mic - for instance, if the battery in the headset died - I may not be able to do that without quitting out, like in Warhawk for instance, where you can’t change audio settings in-game at all.

And if I run out of HD space - which is quite plausable on these newer PS3s with the smaller drives, and space-hog games like Oblivion - I want to be able to delete files without losing my *current* game state. In-game XMB would make that possible.
Patrick Steen
on December 7, 2007 11:11 am

Dragis: Surely you can see that I’m partially agreeing with. Yes Sony is delaying everything, and very important things. They are doing it because they want the features to be perfect and holistic.

My point is that they could stop this and give us one much needed/wanted feature earlier than they can/intend to.

DemSum: That was a passionate speech, and then some! You know I agree with you don’t you? Yes we should have the things we want, and don’t just need. Sony should surprise us…and we should have all the options from the XMB. It’s just about getting one important feature before the rest, and getting the message very clear to Sony, because a lot of their market research is via the internet.

Their recent poll actually shows that people want custom soundtracks over ingame messaging, and I think this is wrong. Plus, that they are asking people for one or the other - is worrying.

BW: Thanks for your comment. Those do seem like problems that could be annoying.
Eric
on December 7, 2007 2:02 pm

No i want it, I want to surf the net while im playing so i can look up codes, hints cheats. I want to check on the status of my downloads. I know many people who have to change resolutions or sound profiles in game. Its a pain in the Arse to quit the game, let it load up again. Hit continue, sit through the BS get to get back to where you were. IF you were lucky to save there. I dont need the whole XMB (in fact it would be dangerous i think for some things) But i want all of that and what you said.
Mousti-man
on December 7, 2007 2:27 pm

I want 2 things in-game and thats it. Messaging and adjusting my audio input settings. Too many times a mate a sent me an urgent message during a clan match. Too many times, my headset has died and I’m not able to configure it so I can talk through my PS Eye. Not essential, but very annoying, and as the above people have said, it should have been in it, straight from the box, especially as how much the PS3 was delayed from its original date in ALL regions. What were they doing??? But I’m not worried too much, as long as I have Warhawk and Uncharted, I’m a fairly happy gamer.
Vohaul79
on December 7, 2007 3:31 pm

I agree with this person that in game “XMB” is retarded and mostly pointless…but whats going on is everyone has called it “In game XMB” and all they really mean is “Custom music in game” and “In Game Text / Chat” and yes he’s wrong about the browser (it would be nice for GameFAQ if it came to that but hey, thats why we have an iPhone : )

1- Text and Chat for the online boys
2- In game custom music (after moving from my 360 to a PS3 Tiger Woods stinks not being able to stream some of my own tunes in while I golf.
3- In game browser would be nice, but not life ending NOT to have it.

Just include these options in the textual menu when you hit the PS button..In game XMB is not really what we are after..After a while you could even change that text list into a graphical interface Sony!
Ryan
on December 7, 2007 3:34 pm

Great article, now it just needs to get around the playstation community. I think I’m going to send this article to them and give them my 2 cents as well. Someone posted the link on the sony blog and thats how I got here.

The big thing is we all know that we need in-game messaging but, in that process we started calling it in-game xmb I’m guessing. Those who are saying we need in-game xmb are probably thinking about messaging and not all this other crap you’re talking about (at least I hope not).
Patrick Steen
on December 7, 2007 4:37 pm

Thanks for keeping the comments coming, it’s very interesting to see the two very different view points, but they still appear to really want the same things.

Ryan: Thanks, that’s good to hear. This article is more about Sony misunderstanding what gamers want.

One possibility which I haven’t tackled here, is that it is actually the ingame messaging that is holding back the implementation of the whole ingame XMB.

This could be possible since the keyboard takes up so much memory. But with Resistance and Timeshift approximating to ingame messaging, I think this is unlikely to be the main problem for Sony holding back.
Al
on December 7, 2007 8:07 pm

You’re absolutely correct. No need for any other functions of the XMB - just messaging.

Would be nice if you could issue invites to your current game using this messaging system as well.
Eddie
on December 8, 2007 7:32 am

I agree 110% all we basically need is in-game messaging and chat. I can wait for the other stuff really.
Patrick Steen
on December 8, 2007 5:14 pm

Thanks Al and Eddie
kickback
on December 17, 2007 3:52 pm

surely we need the XMB to get into ps home and stuff like that.
Also another good point of this is that it would pretty much end the possibility of xbox users rationally being able to argue that the 360 is better, as it would mean the xbox 360 would now have pretty much no features absent from the ps3 (except parental control??)
ICE
on December 17, 2007 6:02 pm

im in the home beta dont worry there is ingame xmb like in RFOM but u can get it from anywhere
kickback
on December 23, 2007 12:15 pm

Also I think its stupid for you to complain about something you yourself do not mind, you make it seem like you DONT want an in game xmb at all, and if Sony hear contrasting view then they will probably do nothing at all (you surely know sonys poor reputation for keeping promises).
“Sony is spending so much time making sure that an in-game XMB is perfect” this is EXACTLY what we want for a change, a well made, complete update. Not some half arsed 5 minute jobby just to shut the impatient people like up and never see the xmb completed, infact judging by sonys past we would be lucky to get that.
Mousti-man
on December 23, 2007 5:10 pm

@kickback: I know what you mean, but really, who is going to need to play videos in-game? Music in game would be great, but thats an extra feature. We want to get the basics sorted out first (ie, in-game messaging and in-game settings) before you move on to the non-needed extras. Or else it could be monthes before we get even the basics sorted out.
kickback
on January 9, 2008 11:27 am

No we want it all sorted out at once or it will never be finished knowing Sony.
Mentality
on January 19, 2008 11:49 am

Agreed - nuff said.
w00t
on February 14, 2008 12:23 pm

I really find it hard to believe that Sony is daft enough not to realize that Messaging is what we truly want. How could they be that dumb? Although I agree with it, this rant was a waste of your breath. Sony is going to do what they please, surely they already know that messaging would be sufficient…To find out what fans want all they’d have to do was employ 1 guy to scour the forums/fan websites and with a little bit of weeding he’d easily know what we need.
lakdjflkj
on February 14, 2008 3:01 pm

Ever play SOCOM? I want ingame website browsing… ingame ps store access… so i have something to do when i die, or so my teammates can get on a website and coordinate plans of attack. I do everything now with my computer next to my ps2, but having it all built in would be nice for those without a PC.
mack
on March 11, 2008 7:53 pm

I think that the in-game music, messaging and chatting, all the IMPORTANT stuff should be rolled into one big package for the next update.
AzN_SeNzAtIoN
on May 27, 2008 7:56 pm

wel i’ll tell you what we do need, we need in game messaging because what if your telling some1 to go the lobby in a game, instead of going out of the game, sending, going back in and if they reply, you go back out, send reply and over and over.

and we just plain want music, and other crap.
Patrick Steen
on May 27, 2008 8:34 pm

Glad you agree with me.
seiber
on May 31, 2008 2:32 am

i agree with all these people for it i sold my xbox 360 to buy a ps3 and i would like to be able to do the same things i could do on it also i hope you can join games in progress like the 360 but i doubt its gonna happen but atleast we will be able to chat and other things and we meed to access settings when my blu tooth dies and i need to connect another headset i dont wanna exit the game sony hurry.
kickback
on June 1, 2008 6:29 pm

Chat is all I care about because with chat you can at least tell someone to get there arse into whatever game you want them to play then you invite them into your server or whatever.

In game music because I hate the music included in most games and since my ps3 is plugged to my massively amazing audio system that can unfortunately only play from 1 sound source at a time so it must be the ps3 outputting the music.

Would like the xmb in game so I could browse internet while playing a single player game and pausing it or watch a vid or something. But that one is less important.

Really I don’t see why its so hard to do isn’t 1 core of the cell processor + 64mb ram used only for the xmb (even in game) why is it hard to make the ps button switch XMB on in game?
Jason Hibbs
on June 13, 2008 9:19 am

The XMB is the existing interface so why would they design something completely different - of course we need it!

I could possibly count from the past a time when I would have liked to have been able to get back to the XMB for a different feature (each time) without QUITTING the game.

If it’s possible, it’s welcome.
car
on May 29, 2009 5:55 am

Wow! Thanks for the great post

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