PS5 Homescreen Now Replaces Unique Video Game Art With Annoying Ads You Can’t Turn Off
ign.com
Wow, this is awful. Some people reported that these ads are also very petty and not necessarily related to the game, like apparently Elden Ring shows an ad for a licensed mousepad when you hover over the game now...
Edit: Playstation Product Manager says this is actually a new bug. I really doubt it but they do seem to be "fixing it".
Man it is never enough with these greedy fucking assholes. I don't even own one and I'm mad about this... It's with everything lately... Soon we'll have ads in our fucking dreams like Futurama....
"But not in our dreams!"
Ugh the constan dream ad reruns
trying to get back in a nightmare to avoid seeing puppymonkeybaby again
Cannabis will be sold as a way to escape the constant dreamvertising.
I can't even smoke anymore... Stupid anxiety... THC triggers panic attacks and I've finally gotten to the point where even if my bowl is 90% CBD it still gets me...
Not to get all serious n shit but as a fellow sufferer i hope you're getting your anxiety treated. I didnt listen to my friends when they told me it progressively gets worse and kept gutting it out until i was non-functioning and had to get a pro to get me back on my feet.
None of my biz just hope you're taking care of yourself
I appreciate the concern!
I have to try again I suppose. I kinda gave up after every med I tried turned me into a zombie and made work really difficult because all I wanted to do was sleep. CBD really helps stop a panic attack, but the majority of my father's side of the family has anxiety issues so I think my brain is just broken lol
Society/economy of 2024 isn't doing me any favors either lol
Never know, you could have undiagnosed adhd which when untreated for a lifetime manifests as anxiety and depression. Like me. Or it could be something different.
It might take you a bit to find it but that's normal. Those friends of mine warned me it often takes time to find the right mix so you're not unusual... Just prepare in advance to keep sloggin' until something hits. It will, but it will take more time than you'd like. I wish i had a better sales pitch.
Finally don't consider your genes or brain broken, that's just our brain doin' the same ol' self-hate as usual but with extra stolen labcoat to slip our defenses
I see all the adhd memes and comments that usually makes me feel like "hmm maybe I do have this" but I also see a bunch of people saying "we all think that even if we don't have it" lol thanks again for the concern!
I had to look up what puppymonkeybaby is, thinking “am I too young for his”
Tommy horror, I am now too old for this.
What an absolutely terrible fucking idea.
Can't wait for major story spoilers to show up full-screen on the background of the homescreen because clickbaiters on YouTube are fucking assholes.
Also really don't need product placement on the home, I am on my PS5 to play games, not to fucking buy stuff. It's a console, not a goddamn webshop.
This really needs an option to get disabled.
Edit: Reading again it just seems to get worse. Looking at the alternative game ads, offers and promotions when selecting a game seems borderline against consumer laws, at least in EU. Especially kids could be easily targeted and triggered by this. Also most of these examples make it look like you're starting up an entirely different game, it's just such a awful update all together. No self-respecting interface designer would come up with this, it's 100% corporate predatory marketing cunts that came up with this kind of stuff.
I heard from another lemmy user that his new Xbox required him to click an ad to finish booting up. So with a grain of salt MS' consoles are even worse. If this continues and i don't see why it won't, PC gaming gonna be the only viable one soon. Thank God steamdeck and valve Linux collab are now a thing
Holy shit, this is full blown verification can shit.
They saw the cans as a challenge and are inching closer and closer to see where the cutoff for bullshit is.
My piece of shit, $1800 Vizio TV does that. I can't even default it to a specific input without clicking through an ad.
God, that's awful. Is it connected to the Internet or are they internal ads? I suppose you've already looked into a piratefix firmware update or something? I have a big roku tv that i keep away from my wifi lest ads sneak into my experience too
I'd kill Internet to it if my wife didn't leave on random free streaming shit like Pluto to play for the dogs when we leave. The steps it takes for me to get to streamio are nuts. Boot on TV -> close ad and navigation to Fire stick -> listen to auto play ad while piece of shit fire stick loads UI -> finally get to watch what I want.
That's dystopian nightmare shit. Never buying a smart tv. Fuck having the nicest thing if that's what it takes to deal with
Sounds like a job for a rasberry pi with pihole installed: https://pi-hole.net/
I've really wanted to start tinkering with rasberry pi, so maybe that'll be a fun first project!
Ugh I love Steam but when I click on a new game, sometimes it’s like WATCH THIS STREAMER STREAM and it’s in the middle of the game like I WANT GO INTO IT BLIND GIVE ME AN OPTION TO DISABLE THIS
I either GoG or pirate these days. You want my money? Then respectfully sell me the product.
If you are taking about the storefront you can disable that completely in your options.
I couldn’t find one when it first came out, and haven’t looked since. Thank you so much!
Sure thing, if I were in front of my pc I'd have given you more precise instructions but yeah I was elated when I found that setting as I don't enjoy livestreams even if it's not a spoiler.
Console makers see them as one and the same. This being Lemmy I have to advise that the only solution is to own your own machine, so best build your own hardware, install Linux, and compile all the games you want to play yourself.
I have a PC, with Windows though, I can't be bothered with the limited Linux support and hardware woes that come with it.
I only played a few exclusives on the PS5 before, most recently Astro Bot, but since everything else is basically coming to PC I recently upgraded it anyway. It's becoming less and less appealing to even bother with consoles anymore. Even Nintendo seems to barely bother to dare anything innovating.
My Linux gaming machine is a Steam Deck, it's been a pretty positive experience and you only really need to tinker if you're straying off the golden path.
I imagine we'll see some new Nintendo innovation with the Switch 2, they are at least good for throwing in a load of wacky ideas with new consoles.
To be fair the Steam Deck is similar to consoles, it is only one piece of hardware that people can't alter (or aren't meant to) that natively runs on a Linux system and is entirely designed to work as such. I think the Steam Deck is an interesting concept, but I don't believe it can be compared to custom built computers, as well as the idea of supported games on any choice of Linux distribution. Support is significantly better than it used to be, but it's still such a long way off.
While it defaults to a console-like experience it is meant to be altered, they give you a full desktop environment as standard and even provide instructions to install Windows if you really want.
Artist: designs really cool visual for gamers to see before launching
Sony: "Oooo, free ad real-estate!"
Sweet, just in time for the pro. Fingers crossed the next revision doesn't play games at all, just $1000 to pipe Morbius trailers to my TV. It's all I ever wanted.
Sony will just flash their 30th anniversary skin again and people will forget and drool all over again.
Isn't it rad that Sony designed the ps5 to have easily replaceable side panels and then for some reason only releases the really cool panels as part of a full console?
There will probably be loads of third-party panels just because of that lol, just need some spray paint for the the glossy middle part or something for the finishing touch
I don't know if you were part of the memers who got Morbius re-released but if so hats off because back then my in-laws were so excited to show me this movie they discovered on Netflix.
Just so well done
Sony looking at the rotting corpse of Xbox and taking notes. But only the wrong ones.
At least Microsoft hasn't announced a marginally improved $700 pro console that doesn't even come with the disk drive.
Yet.
I wonder if anybody remembers when it leaked Microsoft had a concept of a plan about restrictions on Xbox discs (used/shared), everyone gasped, Sony mocked them in a video about "sharing discs" on PS4 and became a turning point in the console wars...
Even a decade later: Remove discs at your peril! Half the reason I've even bought consoles is for Blu-ray movies (still unbeatable AV quality). Sony won both the console and disc drive wars FFS! Still not enough. "Line must go up more!"
I hope MS is at least mocking them back right now, for giggles. Before announcing a very similar thing next year...
Generally, I find that the discs often little more than licenses and require the actual have to be downloaded.
Yeah, but how long until it doesn't come with a power brick, and you have to supply your own?
I mean, if it has USB PD, that could be a not so unreasonable thing. That is, supposing USB PD supplies as outlets become common.
I was interested to know if that could work, supply wise.
According to these articles, the series x and the 5 pro aim to draw around 200W in-game.
USB-PD 3.1 (honestly, fuck the USB naming standard, seriously.) can allow for 240W draw.
So, kinda yeah?
Yeah. It's crazy to think that USB can now handle 240W. And yes, the naming conventions are terribad but, at least the standards are actually open, unlike VESA's.
Amen!
They are doing this because a rotten corpse doesn’t force them to compete, they can do whatever they want. If MS didn’t shit the bed with the Series X/S, Sony would be trying harder to please customers, or at least not actively screwing them (see also: 800 EUR PS5 Pro without disc drive or vertical stand).
PS5 will be my last ever console. I don't see the value proposition in consoles anymore with the rise of PC handhelds.
Even better. The steamdeck is like the Switch. Dock it and play on your TV. You can even render on a gaming PC and stream to your TV of you want those cutting edge graphics.
Agreed. Just canceled PS Plus. Fuck Sony for the shitty bender they've been on.
Same for me with my series x, MS has all the same bullshit
Now I see why they never allowed custom backgrounds like the PS4. They wanted to do this from the beginning.
$700 gets you a pretty nice PC these days.....
Or two Steam Decks!
Or one steam deck and a fuck ton of games!
Crazy stuff... Ads everywhere. Makes my choice to not buy any console this generation seem a lot better. It saved me money and I don't get ads forced on me. I call that a win win.
Is steam deck a console? From this gen?
Either way it's pretty good. You don't even need to run their os if you don't want to.
At this point, the distinction between console and PC comes down to the corporate side. The PS4 and PS5 operating systems are based on a BSD (probably FreeBSD but not sure), and are capable of running a desktop OS (as long as hackers find a way to bypass Sony's locked-down firmware). XBox One and Series use a Windows-based OS, also locked down by Microsoft to only run the applications they want.
Everything about the Steam Deck is designed with gaming in mind, but in terms of capabilities, it's no different from a PC. You could hook it up to a USB-C dock and use it for work. I'd sooner call it a handheld PC than a console.
I've used mine more as a PC than console. Love the OS, it's basically Windows without any of MS's bullshit.
That's neat! I knew about the bsd origins but I didn't know they allow other oses now.
I have not ironically used the steam deck for amateur satellite tracking before. Its more suited for that purpose than a laptop in the field lol.
They don't. It's the same category as jailbreaking an iPhone: possible, legal, might brick your console, Sony hates it.
Well that sucks NVM.
I would argue that it's a handheld PC since it's not locked down to heck and back. It would also be the one thing I would buy but I have no use case for it so I don't.
Yeah, same. If I were going to get a handheld console, it's pretty much exactly what I'd want, but...I really don't need another portable computing device.
I still enjoy my PS5 for a few exclusives I play on it. But damn I'm getting very much triggered to just go back to exclusively PC gaming.
Ads have ruined the internet. Truly.
Ads have ruined everything.
"Game will start after ad: 1 of 5" 😂🤣😭
A game you paid for. On a console you also paid for. And you also pay for PS Plus as well.
Don't give them ideas, holy shit. Ads are already present in some sports games, though, afaik
Well with sports games at least its "a realistic part of the experience"
Like when you watch a live sporting event on TV, there's always commericals in-between the action. In that sense it fits the meta.
Also, sports games are the worst, pay 80 bucks every year for an updated roster and tweaks to the mechanics.
What, you don't want to pay another 80 bucks for what could have been a content patch to last year's game? Pshhh... You're not a real fan.
Is what I would say if I were the type of guy who should take a long walk off a short pier.
Build a PC
Install Linux
Fuck corporate bullshit.
What distro tho?
If you're coming from Windows, something that runs KDE Plasma will feel very familiar.
I came from windows to fedora kde, no regrets so far!! Though for gaming maybe nobara is better as it comes with some stuff preinstalled/configured for gaming. I haven’t really gamed on my laptop yet.
Hell yeah. I went with Kubuntu because I figured it would be easy for a beginner to troubleshoot eventual issues, given the amount of asked-and-answered Ubuntu queries online.
Very happy with Linux Mint
Bazzite use the home theatre version for a console like experience. Or go with the desktop versions Gnome and KDE both work really well however the emudeck devs have programmed it to work with KDE if you wanted to use that go with KDE.
I just switched to Bazzite on my Legion Go and LOVE the freedom from Microsoft.
Real talk: whichever one makes you happy. Do a little research with some search terms such as "play {game} on Linux" and see what other users are running. Then, assemble a few live disks and test-pilot a few distros.
It's pretty fun getting to switch out your OS so freely and once you find an interface that feels good, you just plop your ass into that seat. If you keep decent records of your configs and such, you might find yourself starting over again multiple times while you "try to get it right." That's not failure, that's just advancing your skills and making yourself happy.
Linux can be as simple or as advanced as you want it to be.
Pop!OS for no video card hassle
Anything popular enough that you can easily google anything you need to troubleshoot. Beyond that, doesn't really matter which one.
Anything but Ubuntu will be perfectly fine. There really isn't that much difference between the major distributions.
Package manager choice is pretty important, and for that I always recommend debian-based for a pc for a new Linux user. APT is just so good.
Anything including Ubuntu will be perfectly fine. Canonical's shenanigans that us Free Software people like to bitch about are entirely irrelevant to new Linux users.
No snaps are fucking tragic and should be avoided at all costs.
Look, if the choice is "use Ubuntu because it's easy and officially supported by Steam" or "give up and stuck with Windows (or even worse, a console) would you really suggest the latter?
That's just a false dichotomy fallacy.
It was nice to have someone take this stand and I fully support this. People switching over to Linux already have their own stuff to deal with and need time to accustom to their new environment, and forcing them to embibe 'FOSS' philosophy and other strong opinions as held by others in Linux communities is only going to turn them off.
So are you just going to run around this community posting this same comment whenever something happens?
As both a Linux professional and freedom loving enthusiast that hates corporate bullshit, you bet your black ass I am. The block button is also free.
People like you are the reason I'm running Linux Mint on all of my PCs now, and I couldn't be happier. Keep fighting the good fight!
But then I'd be a Linux cringelord 😬
So a step up from crayon-eater?
Not by much 🤣
My pay checks beg to differ.
PCMasterRace. Each year, your consoles get shittier.
To be fair, Windows is getting worse every year as well and Linux isn't officially supported by most developers so you kinda need to compromise somewhere.
I personally went with Linux because I got fed up with Windows bullshit and the games I can't play are mostly games I'm not really interested in playing in the first place.
The good thing is that Linux is officially becoming a market space that they have to pay attention to or lose money. Not because of us, but steam deck normalized it. 4% of users doesn't sound like a lot, but to a company who is desperate enough to put ads everywhere just to make a few pennies, well, it may be worth it now
This is where I'm at too. I'm so fucking mad at the trajectory Microsuck is taking because I love indie games and getting into early access stuff and they often don't work on Linux. Plus star citizen... Stupid anti cheat stuff doesn't play nice with Linux :/
It's been a year or two, but I had no issues with Star Citizen in Linux. IIRC, I ran it through Lutris.
Microsoft master race, get it right.
gross.
I agree. People don’t want to face the truth. For the decades that the “PCMR” meme has existed, it’s all been about supporting Microsoft.
Sure, recently, the steam deck and Valve let you go “but Linux!” But the PCMR term is tainted. Always has been. You can’t tell me it was about Mac OS, Linux and Windows.
And this is before we look at the history of “master races.” It’s all really fucked up.
It all started as a gag joke on a bit from ZeroPunctuation.
I'm so glad I quit consoles. Now I'm just rooting for steam to get every game running perfectly in linux so we don't have to deal with Windows either.
Still have to deal with DRM and not owning your games
The arrogance of tech giants has never been higher.
I didn't know this was something I agreed to when I bought my console.
Now to figure out if I can block this.
That's 'cause it wasn't! Sony is "exceeding authorized access" -- a felony under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act -- but won't be prosecuted for $ome rea$on.
i guarantee you in the fine print they say they have the right to change anything they want any time.
"By loading this comment, you agree to give @grue@lemmy.world one million US dollars, payable in full within one week."
See? Anybody can make up unconscionable bullshit. The extent to which Sony's terms are enforced is only a measure of how many corrupt judges need to be gotten rid of.
Now, pay up!
Well, finally. There are still so many unused seconds in a day where the consumer cattle is not forcibly blasted with advertisements, it brings tears to the eyes...
Guess I'm staying with my PS4 then. Fuck upgrading if all I'm gonna get for it is ads and like, 2 more games..
There is no reason to get a PS5. There are hardly any exclusives worth playing. The games it does have are either on Xbox, which is generally cheaper to invest in, (especially if it's on gamepass) with the series s. Most games are locked at 30 fps anyway. And now you HAVE to see ads?
Just get a PC or if you really want to stay with consoles, the series s or x on sale are the only options that make some bit of sense. But still, a PC is worth saving for.
The only redeeming thing about the PS5 is the support for standard NVME SSDs. But at that point, just get a PC.
A PC is something different and not really comparable to a console if all you're interested in is a hassle-free, straightforward gaming experience. Economies of scale make it so that a PS5 is just plain better than any PC you could cook up for that price.
Plus, exclusives are a factor for console choice, sure, but I'd argue that the performance boost relative to PS4 models is worth the price. I can only speak for myself, obviously, but I've been really happy with my PS4 for these last four years.
Same, still playing my ps4, probably won't buy a ps5 though. I'll just wait for ps6 or whatever to happen. As of now ps4 plays elden ring and bloodborne(two of my favorite games) so I'm content with it.
Emulation of Bloodborne on PC seems to be moving forward. Pretty cool
No?
Torment Nexus has been supplanted by the MORONIC Nexus
By the sounds of it, Sony isn't even getting paid for these ads. They're replacing the art with shit like a video explaining what the universe is. It's just an algorithm they put in to keep it "fresh" and it's amazingly shitty.
It's not an algorithm, it's just the latest news for the game. The news feature has been a part of ps5 since the beginning. This is replacing key art with the picture for the news article/video and the title replacing the games logo.
I'll accept it's a bug tbh. There's no money in this.
Seems like it's auto selecting the first "news" thing for the game rather than leaving it on the default game splash screen.
I think the end goal may be to monitize the news feed, but overall the news feed sounds like it's so poorly designed that nobody would want to use it in the first place. Being Japan, maybe the news feed was some high ranking dickhead's pet project and they got this "feature" pushed through without anyone actually having the guts to say it was idiotic.
Not sure how much you can monetise the news feed for a game you already own... The publisher may already control all the things linked to it. If unmonetised things are "ads" now, then the whole Steam UI is a giant ad.
I think it is intended behaviour, but it's not meant to be a system wide thing. I can see this being useful for multiplayer and live service games.
Please drink verification can to unpause.
Whats even the point? I get so many ads that they are almost entirely ineffective now. Its just white noise, the sound of the wind, the idle thoughts in my brain I am just hit with so many that none stick.
You know, I was really sick and tired when they updated the nvidia shield with the new android TV version that makes most of the screen show stuff that are basically ads. It didn't even let me show only stuff I was interested in and this constant "oh you are hovering over this item for 0.000001s so you seem to be interested in this, let me start the video for you with audio" no god damnit I was reading something else or got a text.
I had to install a different launcher so that I could only show on the screen what I actually wanted to see. I have basically removed or reduced all ads as much as I ca.
Lately, I was at my parents place and they don't have that stuff. Even the 1.5 minutes of ads for a free service is so disruptive to me watching something.
What has this to do with PlayStation?
Well, on the shield you are still able to install a custom launcher that is more to your liking, you could disable the internet access and completely stream your own local content. But on the PS, you don't have that option and are completely at the mercy of what they think you should watch and see on your screen that you bought with a console that you also bought with your own money.
Looks like the console wasn't expensive enough!
Whelp looks like the ps4 will be my last Sony console, too bad
same and only console i had, my brother has a ps5 he hardly uses anymore.
For those already owning one - try setting up pihole or an equivalent. Sony could be serving ads from a domain used by something like a cdn, but I bet they don't.
It's not an ad per se. They're replacing the key art and game logo with the picture and title of the latest news post for the game you're on.
This is satire right?
I'm sure that'll help PS5 Pro sales.
again, Concord was expensive 😡
-sony, probably
Guess it's time to sell the PS5 that I don't play anymore anyway.
This isn't actually ads, just the news tab being brought up front, on steam it would be the top row in your library if you didn't remove it, it's a good idea with terrible execution, everytime I see an update over there I go check out the game.
Interesting. This makes more sense. Curious to see what we hear going forward.
good i got a pc tbh
a story idk why and 2 years later i decided to dualboot windows and linux later and then in late 2025 am gonna wipe windows off my pc not using trash 11
yeah Its sad sony decided to go this route
The PS5 was such a disappointing mispurchase. I was so excited to finally get one... It just doesn't feel like any major improvement over a PS4. It is just gathering dust except for the occasional Blu-ray movie.
I'm so done buying console games, and consoles.
Not just because of this shit either. Games just run better on my PC. Like, a LOT better. Only thing I really use PS5 for anymore is playing blu-ray movies.
It always seems like 1 step forward, 2 steps back with console gaming
every day im seeing my lack of dedicated internet access as more a good thing
Hate when this shit is pulled, wonder if it om the pro. Imagine paying pro prices for unstoppable ads.
This is also directly targetted to people giving additional money. If you are connected to the internet you are likely, or previously, a subscriber. If you are not paying a sub you are more likely to disconnect and not be affected.
Ironic.
It was only a matter of time.
All for the low low price of most of your money, most of your spare time, and most of "the best years of your life"
wow, hold me back.
I think this was my last console, I'll return to PC.
Build a gaming rig on Newegg credit, pay it off interest free in 12-24 months depending on current deals.
Shame on console
Noticed this last night. Shadow of the Tomb Raider, a game old AF has advertisement for Merch.
Jedi Survivor adre rises the EA gaming pass or whatever.
This is super shitty!
Reminds me of the Steam news page
It's upsetting how news outlets can now call anything an ad to generate outrage and people here just eat it up. Something about that word seems to turn people's brains off and they start commenting misinformation.
This is:
A feature to show you news from the game you're about to play.
Badly designed since it can't be turned off and it covers the entire screen.
Prone to abuse for ads.
This is not:
An ad.
A money making venture by sony.
Unique to playstation.
I don't know, it's a bit hard to assume this was an accident and just a poorly implemented feature. It does cover the screen with the most recent news post, but that's often an ad, and even on first-party titles like Horizon it just covers the screen with a giant ad for the upcoming lego horizon.
At best it was a feature to shove game news into everyone's face with no way to turn it off.
On other news, welcome to my blog adshittification. The blog that uncovers the sinister truth about the ads being shown in your throat! This week's highlights:
Youtube still hasn't stopped ruining my week by filling up those precious few seconds between opening a video and going fullscreenwith intrusive ads that cover a quarter of your screen, and still even then you can't stop the wall of ads that show up after the video finishes:
I opened up steam to play some factorio to calm my nerves, but I got greeted by an illegal ad telling me to kill myself:
So instead I opened library home to play something alse, only to be assaulted by more ads at the top!
I decided to give up trying to play. Normally I would open reddit next but I haven't been using it since they put promotions in the post screen:
Thankfully lemmy is immune to such corporate bs
No lemmy-chan not you too!
There is no reason to get a console. sure they can be a bit more convenient but all the negatives are much worse than any of the positives
Personally, it doesn’t bother me. I use my PS5 to game and stream shows. I spend a grand total of mere seconds on the Home Screen.
Can’t quite understand why this is such a big problem. But we’re all into our own things so it is what it is.
It kind of dampens and cheapens the experience of using the console. The PS+ tab and the PS Store tab are, essentially, full of ads already but at least they're contained to the two left-most tabs on the home menu. Sure, you usually don't stick around too long after selecting a game to play or a streaming service to watch something off, but I'd rather not see more ads than needed when the current system already works well as is.
Yeah. I get that. It makes sense, but I just don’t see it as some thing that really bothers me that much. I spent decades watching TV ads though, so, maybe I’m just more patient?
Sure, could be. I used to not be able to watch movies because I'd be used to TV ads forcing a break every now and then. Took me a while but I couldn't go back to ad-less YouTube, for example
Oh I can’t either. Totally with ya there.
It doesn't have to bother you personally to be unfair. I don't pay this amount of money on their games and consoles to be bombarded by ads. It's not a "big" problem, but it is a problem. Some people don't want to see so many ads, to be tempted to buy stuff all the time or have a bloated home screen.
Just because you don't mind doesn't mean everyone has to do so as well.
It gets clicks from angry people, that's the only reason IGN do anything these days.
Sad that they bought Eurogamer, because they were one of the last sites that hadn't gone to complete shit.
That makes sense. Seems I am too though. Doesn’t change the fact that I’ve no idea why they’re so upset about it.