Key Takeaways
- The PS3's XMB interface was praised for its ease of use at the time, and still impresses PlayStation fans with its hidden design features.
- It was recently discovered that particles in the XMB interface react in real time to the physical movements of the PS3 controller.
- It's not a hugely noteworthy feature, but it's still a nice demonstration of the PS3 controller's Sixaxis gyro controls.
PlayStation fans recently discovered something physically moving. PS3 Controllers can affect your console's home menu in interesting ways. The PS3 may be almost 20 years old now, but it continues to be a source of great Easter eggs for devout PlayStation enthusiasts who will still be using the console in 2024.
The PS5's sleek, minimalist user interface is appreciated by many PlayStation fans, but many argue its roots lie in the PS3's iconic XMB menu. The XMB name, short for Xross (pronounced “Cross”) Media Bar, may be a bit of an odd choice on Sony's part, but its sheer usefulness is something PS3 fans still rely on to this day. All of the console's features and related sub-functions are neatly laid out horizontally and horizontally across the PS3's interface, providing a simple and effortless user experience.
relevant
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Despite many PS3 users loving the operating system, Sony unfortunately abandoned XMB during PS Vita development, and the PS4 and PS5 followed suit. Although XMB is exclusive to the PS3, the 18-year-old interface has many hidden design elements that fans were still able to discover even as recently as a week ago. A recent tweet from PlayStation enthusiast realradec shows a user waving the PS3's DualShock 3 controller in front of a TV, with particles in the XMB background moving in the direction of the controller.
The PS3's UI particles react in real time to the physical movements of the controller.
Direction-controllable particles aren't a particularly useful UI feature, but they show how much attention Sony has put into XMB. Moreover, it's a great showcase of the PS3's Sixaxis gyro controls interacting in real time with the PS3's UI. Considering that the PS5's DualSense controller is compatible with the PS3 and also supports gyro controls, it would be interesting to see if XMB particles can be similarly controlled.
It's a shame that the PS3's XMB interface may never return, and we can only hope that Sony uses it as a major source of inspiration while designing the operating system for future PlayStation consoles. Interestingly, XMB still surpasses the PS5's operating system in one big way. That's custom theme support. Despite receiving numerous firmware updates since launch, the PS5 still lacks support for custom system-level themes. At this point in the PS5's life cycle, it's unclear whether Sony plans to release a theme for the console. But until that happens, XMB on PS3 is still superior in some very specific ways.
playstation 3
The PlayStation 3 launched in 2006, ushering Sony into the online era. As part of the seventh generation of consoles, the PlayStation 3 competed with the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii.
