New Premium Theme Options on PlayStation Store

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Bioshock_themePS3_ProofofConcept

The last time I posted it was regarding our special E3 section on the PlayStation Store. This time around I wanted to tell you about a new offering that you’ll see tomorrow. In addition to all the free themes you’ve already been getting and will continue to get on the PlayStation Store now, you’ll have the option to upgrade and purchase premium themes to customize the look of your PS3’s XMB.

We have linked up with a few partners, Smobile & Disruptive Media Publishers, to distribute premium themes from PlayStation Network. They have content offerings that range in type from NCAA College licenses to beauties on the beach to original cartoons and anime. These themes were created specifically for the PS3 and have special backgrounds, XMB icons and, in some cases, sounds. Here is a sample of some of the new Themes:

screen004 UNC-2

We have created a new “Premium Themes” section under Themes & Wallpapers for you to easily access this content. Also, for each theme, there is preview option that allows you to view images of the theme prior to making your decision.

We plan to offer approximately 6-10 new “Premium Themes” a month. So be sure to check back often to browse the newest in premium theme content.

High-Voltage-2

Have a good rest of the week and keep a look out for the new offering dropping tomorrow!

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327 Comments

7 Author Replies

  • As long as we can still continue to create our own and share them with others, I’m cool with this. I like having options! :)

  • Sony please if there is a brain in your company. At least offer us some animated themes and not just the same boring still ones which we can get from other sites for free. Seriously. I have no idea who you have on your staff but to just have decided in a meeting to sell us themes for $1 and think we would buy them without it being animated. Please.

  • People like to complain a lot, is not like they are going to make you pay for it, if you like it you buy it, if not just pass. There are a lot of sites that offer themes for free. But for $1 if I like one of these I might buy it.

  • Was totally going to buy one until I saw that UNC one. Go Duke.

  • There is no way I’m spending money on a freakin’ theme. That’s just ridiculous.

  • Will custom themes ever translate to the in-game XMB or does custom icons demand too much memory? if possible, I’d like to see the cool translucent blue message box with a theme I have pop up in-game instead of that dull default gray one.

  • no thanks i can make themes on my own

  • You want me to pay for something that I can make for free? NO THANKS!

    If you want more of my money sony, release some PS1 games on the store. I’d gladly throw money at you if you put up my favorite PS1 games for download.

  • Paid avatars coming soon!

    Want to play online? Pay an extra $5 per game.

    Heck, Netflix just raised the price of their service by $1/month if you want Blu-ray.

    Welcome to America. Remember Sony, the economy is failing… I’d suggest waiting to roll out your pay for anything services…

  • I don’t see premium themes as being any worse than paying for a t-shirt with someone’s business logo on it.
    I’m not sure why anyone would but they do :P

    And actually, if Tom from Newgrounds was posting premium themes I’d probably pay for one. If the art is awesome and not selling anything, I’m in.

    If it’s just selling a product, then give it to me for free and you might get a consumer out of me or someone in my household.

  • What really makes these themes so much better? Honestly I cannot imagine even paying one dollar(or 99 cents) for a theme which I will change in the near future. Do they actually differ any or are people just complaining that they put too much time in and get no return?

    There have been many great themes with sounds and unique icons and I have always been under the impression that themes would always be free.

    May I suggest adding these new ‘premium’ themes into Qore? I do not see myself purchasing them singularly but maybe with the prospect of Qore(of which I have yet to get a single episode) I may be enticed once in a while to purchase considering the grouping of content in that episode.

    I hope the rest of us here know better than to waste our money on things that should be free.

    One last question. What is to stop someone from recreating these themes on their own and distributing them through a website since we all know how to make themes thanks to one of the blog posts on here? ie what is the DEFINING difference between premium themes and regular themes? What can devs do in the premium themes that are restricted to anyone else?

  • Wow…great way to sell out, Free themes and such were the reason I liked the playstation store over the Xbox marketplace, Which charges for everything. I don’t think that its right to charge for backgrounds/pictures.

  • Sounds good, I am very interested and will def buy some cool ones. I would like to see more animated ones like the default one. Also cool sounds, $1.99? What a steal.

  • Great, another thing we have to PAY for…

  • Just heard about Tekken 6 being released on the 360. LOL Sony.

  • @213

    “Great, another thing we have to PAY for…”

    Who is forcing you to pay for anything?

  • I don’t get themes off of the PSN, so it doesn’t matter to me. This does seem silly though, because there is already thousand’s of themes out there. I have a saying about the PSN. If it ain’t free it ain’t for me.

  • slowly slowly psn is become pay for everything, just as bad as xbl, anyway, no thanks

  • Bad move.

    The work that goes into making a theme (especially with the resources of Sony and these developers) is pretty minimal.

    It is much smarter to use these themes as promotion and hype for your game instead of nickel and diming your potential customers.

    Plus… along side the user generated free themes, the pay-for themes aren’t even going to sell that well anyway.

    Petty.

  • Boo.

    So, we’re really expected to believe we’ll still get decent official themes for free now. Not a chance.

    That’s one thing I liked about the ps3. Sony wasn’t nickel and diming for glorified wallpaper like M$, but no so anymore. I loved getting game themes like Uncharted, R&C, SFIV, etc. They were great promotional items for games. That’s how they should be treated. Actually, I think they should come w/ the game when you buy it, but that’s another topic.

    Anyway, terrible for gamers, and an obvious money-grab no matter how Sony spins this.
    Really disappointed in Sony for this.

  • I’m sorry, but it says something sad about people when they are notified that the same things they have been getting for free will now be available for purchase and the people say “thank you”. What makes these new themes so premium aside from the fact that they cost money? The themes that have been going up on the store have usually been pretty dam good. There should be a new section in the store called “Still have money and ran out of things to spend it on?” that contains premium wallpapers and Qore. I’ll pass on this one.

  • Ohh boy… I took too long to post, now you won’t see it.

    Well, my question is: Will there be a way to Preview how the theme will look like? I don’t know, using the video preview feature would do. Just how icons, text tescriptions and the background will play together?

    And by the way, this is awesome, it’s great that the PSN is becoming so open to third-parties.

  • I’m going to have to pass on paying for themes. I don’t pay for themes on the PC. It’s crazy to pay for them on a console. I hate to be negative, but what’s next? Premium video clips of games? We already have “premium” game demos, via having to buy into Qore to get them.

  • I would like to pre-congratulate you for likely creating what will be the lowest rated PlayStation Blog Post!

    Congratulations on petty charges for wallpaper!

  • I’ll take back the above, just a bit…

    If your “partner” companies want to make themes and think they can make money off of them, I don’t think Sony should block them from trying.

    I just don’t think you should encourage your game developer partners (or sony itself) to charge for the PlayStation game or brand related XMB themes.

    That’s what would be the mistake… But allowing the PSN store to sell themes from “partners”… Sure… good luck to them!

  • No Thanks, Why pay for themes when I can make my own and download thousands of free ones online.

    If there are premium themes now does that mean the free ones are not as well thought out when designing them?

    You do realize that themes are a way to market games right? I don’t pay for marketing. I’m subjected to it.

  • Hey Ro,

    Will you do this for the PSP Themes also?
    Like over the PC Playstation Store?

    Thanks,
    Kyle

  • Hopefully these themes will contain more than one background and will be FULLY skinned meaning skinning the notification window. If so I wouldn’t have a problem buying a few themes to show support to those that take time in creating themes instead of slapping some together.

  • By Premium, I would expect they would release better looking themes.

    I would pay for a “premium” Graffiti theme rather than the free one with missing icons replaced with the “?” sign.

  • New avatars on the way too? Please. :-)

    Custom themes, free professional themes, and paid professional themes. That’s a level of choice no consumer can argue with.

  • im sure some ppl arent happy you gots to pay but its a good thing even though i might not buty some. good job!

  • yea i must say this is a very silly idea….

    heres an idea… maybe you should bundle it with games… like a free theme once you buy.. lets say mega man 9… or keep having themes only for qore people… idk just an idea

  • sweet… im looking forward to that UNC theme.

  • ALL premium themes should include as BARE MINIMUM:
    -custom sounds
    -custom icons
    -multiple backgrounds, or a new moving background of some sort
    -perhaps even something extra not possible with standard or custom themes

    Bottom line: You guys need to make sure there is reason to buy these. How will we know it includes custom sounds or not until we buy it? Same with custom icons? Premium should mean going above and beyond, not just saying “yeah we made this” and leaving it at that.

  • Nice, pretty nice. I love that.
    About time!!!
    You see what happends when people gives free stuff, they just want more. lol

    Yeah, this ones look more professional.

    I love horror themes BTW!!
    hope you guys release alot of this tomorrow.

    Cheers!!

    One question there will be some sort of preview?

  • i’m sorry, to xbox like for me…

  • Themes are nice… but any word on a solution to people wanting to change PSN IDs? I’ve seen countless people asking about it… and there’s no good solution to get around trophies and DLC (both of which are strictly tied to an account).

    C’mon Sony! Help us out!

  • Premium would lead one to believe there is something special about them that makes them worth paying for.. and yet no new features are present in your unveiling.

    Alpha transparency for wallpapers that could show the PS3 wave incorporated into the wallpaper would be absolutely stunning.
    I’d also like to see the option for animated wallpapers.. twinkling stars, swaying branches and the like would be very cool.

    But hey.. if you are going to start the nickle and diming might I suggest screensavers. Being that they are a little more fancy and complicated and that we can’t make those ourselves it would certainly be worth paying for.

    At the same time make them work with music playback and bring the globe out of music playback as a screensaver as well.

  • Haha… no.

    I have an Xbox 360 for crap like this.

    Themes suck anyways. No customization of the PSN icon really sucks…

  • Well, if it’s an awesome theme for an awesome game, I think I can spare $0.99. I mean, what’s that gonna get me anyways, another McChicken?

    I guess only time will tell.

  • Wow, so much criticism. Guess that’s what happens when people expect everything to be free.

  • Will we ever be able to create better themes? will we be able to have sounds, have animated backgrounds, animated icons, ect. Why are we so limited? Anyways, I still love my ps3, so keep up the great work. :)

  • Can’t wait to check them out and buy some really cool themes! I was waiting for this to happen now there will be better themes that are done more professionally to download. Thanks!

  • Thats pretty cool! Besides amazingly cool graphics and icons and what not, will there be sounds added to these themes?

    And… kinda off topic, but its really making me mad kinda now, but can you release ANY iformation about the Canadian Video Store? this year? next year? never? yes? no? ANYTHING?

    and again Great update!

  • Awesome and looking forward to this.

  • Wow, I’m amazed at how many people are upset that people will get paid for creating something for them. If you don’t want to pay $1 for a theme, make your own or get one from someone who releases a free theme.

    Demanding that someone works for you for free is absurd.

  • Corporate greed anyone? Come on Sony, one thing I liked about the PSN was how what you payed for was worth it, unlike XBLA. Now you are just starting to follow their footsteps. What’s next, paying to play online???

  • Wow, some of those themes look SICK! I’d pay .99 cents for one, but probably not any more than that.

  • Check it out…don’t complain…you don’t want to pay … MAKE YOUR OWN!

    Me, personally, I probably won’t buy them during these “troubled times”…but still it is nice to have the option.

    Thanks Sony.

  • No thanks on paying for themes, can get some fantastic themes from m0dus for free (seriously check them out) I never got why anyone would ever paying for images/themes (goes for 360 as well)

    Sony can charge for whatever they want, as long as they keep my online play free, I’m happy.

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