Way, way back in March, the PlayStation Blog announced PlayStation.Blog Share, a spot where gamers could post ideas on how to improve the PlayStation experience and other users could vote to determine what ideas stood out from the pack.
Basically, it's an ongoing election to get the best ideas in front of the people who make your PlayStation.
Like any commentators worth their salt, we at IGN have watched from the sidelines as the ideas have developed and the fur has flown in the comments section, but now we're ready to endorse 10 ideas that we think Sony has to implement on the console we all know and love. There are hundreds of great ideas on the site, but these are the ones that we think need to get pushed through ASAP.
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Why We Endorse It: You really don't need to look at the vote to see that this is the No. 1 request from most PlayStation 3 users – it's so in demand that Sony has to respond that it's "looking into it" whenever they talk firmware updates. The PlayStation community is a haven for lots of gamers, and those gamers want to be able to discuss Predators while playing different titles. The fact that Xbox Live has had this feature for so long only adds fuel to the cross game chat fire that burns in so many PS3 souls.
Why We Endorse It: Something that's flown under the radar for many PS3-crazy gamers seems to torment a select few – the inability to change your name. This is something Xbox Live actually lets you do (albeit for a fee), yet it's something you can't do on PlayStation Network. Before Trophies, it made sense that you would make a new PSN name if you didn't like your old one, but PlayStation Network is nearing its fourth birthday, and people are invested in their Trophies, game/DLC purchases, and more. Charge a small fee and let people change their PlayStation Network IDs. It really can't be that hard to allow us to do that, and it's frustrating that it's not an option… especially because Japanese gamers can already do it on their version of PSN. So, why can't we?
Why We Endorse It: Here's one that's actually caused a rift in the community. Some want PlayStation 2 classics on the PlayStation Store, while others want backwards compatibility restored to PS3s in general. We'd be happy with either, but for the moment, we're backing PS2 titles on the store. Backwards compatibility has been stripped from the systems; let's move on and get the best titles from one of the best libraries on the cheap.
Why We Endorse It: OK. We're using this SOCOM II post as an example of what should be done with awesome PS2 games if backwards compatibility is gone and we're never getting PS2 games on the store. SOCOM II is a game that fostered the SOCOM community and gave the PS2's online a title to boast about. Why not take this game – and other touchstone titles – and revamp it for the PS3? Releasing a pimped out version of SOCOM II with Trophies, online, and a reduced price would be a great way to get folks pumped for
SOCOM 4. Sure, the HD collections are nice, but really pimping out the PS2's greatest games would be awesome.
It's perhaps one of the hardest things for a new PlayStation 3 owner – especially one who already owns an Xbox 360 or Wii – to understand: the PS3 controllers are rechargeable, but the PS3 has to be on to recharge them. This means that you can't game all day and then plug your controllers into your sleeping unit – you have to sit there with the USB cord tethered to a running PS3. Even a sleeping Wii's USB ports can charge the PS3 controllers. Can we get this resolved?
Why We Endorse It: We love Trophies, so why torture us and our friends by only being able to play LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 on one PSN profile? Why not allow two users to login on the same PS3 and earn Trophies to their individual profiles? Make this mandatory so all developers have to get on the same page.
Why We Endorse It: This is just simplifying how the PlayStation Network works. Right now, you're playing a game, you get a message, and you then have to tap the PlayStation button, scroll to your friends list, go into your mailbox, and read the latest message. How about if the "you have a new message" message is on the screen and you hit the PlayStation button, you go straight to the message? Seems nice to us.
Why We Endorse It: This one's a bit convoluted, but it gets to a problem that needs some solvin' – let's get the in-game XMB icons to pop up a bit faster. Have you tried checking Trophies in some of these games? It's a process of sitting and waiting for the logos you need to click on to pop up. If we could speed this up, that'd be great.
Why We Endorse It: For years, there wasn't a new avatar to speak of on the PlayStation Network, but that's changed recently with the addition of LittleBigPlanet, Heavy Rain and other familiar faces. Thing is, it's not enough. Where's Patapon, Infamous and the other huge Sony franchises? What about the ability to use the PlayStation Eye to take your own photo? The PlayStation Eye is about to be in a bunch of homes thanks to PlayStation Move, so it seems like someone should get on tech that allows our mugs to be our avatars. Again, Xbox has been doing it for a long, long time.
Why We Endorse It: When you pride yourself on your Trophies like we do, you want your list of accomplishments to be as clean as possible. That's why it's so disturbing to see "Pure Futbol Trophies 0%" on one of our profiles. Someone used one of our systems to check something, and now one of our lists is bogged down with embarrassment. What about all you GameFly kids out there? You pop something in, realize you don't like it, and are branded forever. Seems like if you haven't earned a single Trophy in a game, you should be able to erase it from the PSN's never-ending memory.
* The charging thing has been a issue for me for awhile... its annoying to have 3 dead PS3 controllers.
The name change hing is a good idea too..had no idea Japan could do it.
