GDC08: Sony t-shirt teases in-game XMB

[wraggster]

SCEA just updated their Flickr page (aren't they so web savvy these days?) with an intriguing image: shirts that proudly display the phrase "in-shirt XMB." Apparently, Sony's picked up a sense of humor these days. We read this either one of two ways:

ZOMG, in-game XMB confirmed!!!1
Sony is just teasing the gaming community in a cruel, but humorous way
In-game XMB has been one of the most requested features for the PS3 since its inception. Currently, gamers are forced to quit games in progress in order to do things like check which friends are online, read a message or play music. This much-awaited feature has been promised for "this year." According to our watches, that includes now. Stay tuned.

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/19/gd...s-in-game-xmb/

[Mister Klownes]

This! This is why I love Sony. The sheer ridiculousness. If you assume it's confirmation that in-game XMB is coming (and I'm sure it is, they wouldn't joke if they weren't at least working on it,) Sony will totally ignore any questions about a release date for the next fw, and will act like the entire event never happened. Then, the next day, they'll officially announce it, still acting like they've completely surprised everyone.

It's like they live in some kind of weird, half-disconnected bubble, wherein the normal rules of reality don't apply, and they're free to just do whatever the hell they please (i.e. paying taggers to advertise PSP, questionably racist advertisements, really really bizarre PS3 ads with a creepy doll and eggs that explode into crows...etc.)

[Accordion]

Of course you could take the fact that no XMB is on that shirt as being confirmation that in-game XMB will not be happening.

Personally if they add a function to install downloads automatically i will be happy, i dont care for such fractured game experiences.

[DPyro]

New firmware

[Napalm-Death]

New firmware

I wonder when we'll get it, hopefully soon.

[mcdougall57]

does it mean like the xbox has? when you can press in that little button in the middle of the pad and lets you do all those little things.

it seems like an essential feature to me, why wasnt it implemented in the first place?

[Accordion]

does it mean like the xbox has? when you can press in that little button in the middle of the pad and lets you do all those little things.

it seems like an essential feature to me, why wasnt it implemented in the first place?

The reason is simply that SCE prefers to leave creative decisions up to the developers. They take a very hands off approach to the process of getting a game on the system. The 360 can do all those things because Microsoft enforces that those abilities must be available. SCE stated at the beginning that those functions were entirely possible, but the developers had to decide to implement them…*[and the publishers had to provide the funds for the work]

What it means is that SCE now must fit that functionality onto a products that were not designed for it. Hard work.

We either get the great outcome that the XMB is always available in every instance, new or old.
Or the compromise that new games must adhere to the requirements, old games are patched if possible…*and most probably, third party games take a hit with lower performance and resemble third party titles prior to DMC4, and CoD4 due to compromise.

[acn010]

for one: i want that shirt cause it looks cool and black
2nd... meh new fw...

[Mister Klownes]

As is, I really can't think of much personal use I'd have for it. I mean, I know it'd obviously be a plus, but given that I don't go making friends with strangers over PSN, I don't really need the ability to access things while in the middle of a game. I suppose if it implemented custom soundtracks, that'd be all sorts of fun. But other than that...well, I guess I just haven't seen how it's supposed to be done, having never had much experience with the 360.