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[Deadly Cyclone]

Now I think overall that both systems' stores could be arranged better and have better layouts, and Microsoft always loves to throw ads at us, but I logged into PSN today and took a look around the store, and not only do I think they have too many categories for similar items (Coming Soon, Must-Haves, Only on PS4, Day 1 Digital, Digital Only, do they really need all these?) I also noticed a bunch of new ads.

I went specifically into the "Games" area and they have an entire tab dedicated to the movie "The Purge." Also under "Digital Only" AND "Coming Soon" they have a giant "Noah" tile as the first thing you see. Go down to "Only on PS4" and you get a big Slim Jim ad as the second tile, and under "Indies" there's a Youtube channel ad.

This is all inside the specific "Games" section mind you. I'm not talking about the dashboard itself. XBO loses there (has some games/TV ads in the store area on the main screen).

To compare I opened up the "Games" section on the Xbox One and there's a small tile ad for Infiniti 4 rows over, but it's in-game Infiniti content for Forza 5, and that's it.

Now I'm cool with ads for new games or demos or whatever showing up in the games area, I just thought it was odd that Sony is throwing movie and food ads into that area as well, and dedicating whole tabs to movies. Sony did everything right so far this gen, but it seems they swapped places with MS completely, including in the ad department.

As a side I think both stores could use to lose a few sections, as far as I'm concerned all I need is "New Games," "Demos," "Add-Ons," "Indies," and on PS4 "PSN+."

Thoughts? Am I crazy?

EDIT: UPDATE
The discussion I guess, comes down to "outside the store" and "inside the store." Outside the store the XBO has game/movie ads where PS4 does not. Inside the store it's the opposite. Both could use tweaking.

Here's the screens (all taken within the games-specific area of the store).

 

[GoofsterStud]

Not even close

 

[Captain Zyrain]

I barely notice the XB1 ads, I think it's an improvement from the last 360 dashboard for sure.

 

[WaffleTaco]

Not even close

Can you explain then?

 

[Dragon]

You're crazy for using anything but the web store, especially for PS4.

 

[thekonamicode]

Until videos of car commercials, World of Warcraft or Mcdonalds start playing on the launch XMB ... no.

 

[Majine]

All the ads I've seen on XB1 are gaming related, so no complaints here.

 

[DayEnder]

I don't care about ads in the Store section...I'm already looking to purchase something at that point. On PS4 my home screen/games list isn't littered with ads...on the Xbox 360/Xbox One it is (hate non-gaming ads especially).

 

[Iacobellis]

I barely notice the XB1 ads, I think it's an improvement from the last 360 dashboard for sure.

The 360 also had minimal ads at first.

 

[DWinn7]

No

 

[NateDrake]

PS Store does seem to have a lot of movie & other random advertisement. I primarily use the webstore for anything PS4-related at this point just to avoid such things.

 

[Face it Tiger..]

Web store or bust

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Not even close

Well from where I'm sitting there are multiple, non-game related, ads in the PSN "Games" area alone, and only 1 ad in the XBO "Games" area and it offers in-game content. That seems like a flip. Also an ENTIRE tab section for "The Purge" in the PSN "Games" area? Why?

 

[SocksAndShoes]

I don't care about ads in the Store section...I'm already looking to purchase something at that point. On PS4 my home screen/games list isn't littered with ads...on the Xbox 360/Xbox One it is.

So much this.

EDIT: For the 360 anyway, I don't own a XB1.

 

[Caayn]

I don't care about ads in the Store section...I'm already looking to purchase something at that point. On PS4 my home screen/games list isn't littered with ads...on the Xbox 360/Xbox One it is (hate non-gaming ads especially).

That's new to me.

 

[RedAssedApe]

Ads on live from playstation are annoying but I guess that's a twitch and ustream thing. Assuming this is on xbone and PC too

 

[VanWinkle]

Of course the store has ads, if you consider content they're trying to sell you in the store ads. The problem with ads is when they invade the home screen. If we get a McDonalds ad as one of the live tiles in the homescreen, then that will be an issue.

 

[kadotsu]

So you went to the store and were advertised to. You initiated an intend to purchase. On 360 you were/are advertised to on the dashboard, which is disgusting.

 

[GringoSuave89]

The 360 also had minimal ads at first.

Oh man, I just got a wicked flashback to when I first had my 360. Dat dashboard...

 

[LQX]

Sony REALLY needs to do a better job of making PSN+ and its free games stick out. I really hate that I almost have to search for it. Moreover, I'm already a PSN+ subscriber so stop fucking showing me join ads.

I honestly find the web store easier to navigate.

https://store.sonyentertainmentnetw...es?smcid=ps:shop-now:ps-psn:playstation-store

 

[DUFFMCWALIN]

That's new to me.

I see fucking McDonalds ads all the time.

 

[Quadraphonic]

I don't care about ads in the Store section...I'm already looking to purchase something at that point. On PS4 my home screen/games list isn't littered with ads...on the Xbox 360/Xbox One it is (hate non-gaming ads especially).

And that's all that matters.

Going into a store, I expect ads.

Turning on a computer, I don't.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Of course the store has ads, if you consider content they're trying to sell you in the store ads. The problem with ads is when they invade the home screen. If we get a McDonalds ad as one of the live tiles in the homescreen, then that will be an issue.

To me it's just odd that they have multiple movie ads in the "Games" section when they have a dedicated movie section already.

EDIT:

I don't care about ads in the Store section...I'm already looking to purchase something at that point. On PS4 my home screen/games list isn't littered with ads...on the Xbox 360/Xbox One it is (hate non-gaming ads especially).

To clarify there are no ads on the main XBO screen. There are a few in the store area where you select your section, but they are for games and a TV show.

 

[R3TRO]

Yeah, but the worst part is the ads on the "Friends feed" thing. I can't understand why they would put ads there.

 

[DayEnder]

That's new to me.

Too lazy to go take my own photo, but found this with a quick google search from Microsoft's own site.

See entire right side of image....complete with non-gaming Fast 5 ad.

Edit: My bad on the Man of Steel thing, not a regular user on the system it is my brother's. I primarily use PS4 except for exclusives. On the 360 the ads are pretty prevalent.

 

[Live Free or Die]

If you're viewing the store then there are suppose to be ads, it's a store.

 

[Persona7]

Half the time when you open the PS store on PS3 it shows a ad for a movie or some type of vehicle.

 

[VanWinkle]

To me it's just odd that they have multiple movie ads in the "Games" section when they have a dedicated movie section already.

Yeah, I guess. It just doesn't feel surprising to me to see ads in a store. To me, a store is basically one giant ad.

 

[NateDrake]

Too lazy to go take my own photo, but found this with a quick google search from Microsoft's own site.

See entire right side of image....complete with non-gaming Fast 5 ad, also Man of Steel right in the middle too.

The middle image is for Xbox Video - the area you would buy/watch videos. It is advertising that Man of Steel is available from Xbox Video while the user switched out the Xbox Video tab.

 

[Squire]

Can you explain then?

Ads on the PS4 are not as prominent as the Xbox. What more do you want?

 

[Werhil]

I don't care about ads in the Store section...I'm already looking to purchase something at that point. On PS4 my home screen/games list isn't littered with ads...on the Xbox 360/Xbox One it is (hate non-gaming ads especially).

Totally agree. Just turned on my PS4, and I see no ads at all. Just the What's New icon, then the next several icons are my games. This is as it should be.

 

[icespide]

both PS4 and Xbox One are a lot less egregious with ads than their predecessors, though I suspect thats only because they haven't had time to figure out where to implement them

 

[NamikazeBurst]

It is annoying going to the free to play section on the PS4 and seeing ads for paid games.

 

[Strictly]

Too lazy to go take my own photo, but found this with a quick google search from Microsoft's own site.

See entire right side of image....complete with non-gaming Fast 5 ad, also Man of Steel right in the middle too.

That's not an ad, it's an open app (xbox video in that case). And to the right is the store, so...

 

[DanteSparda504]

Ads on Playstation have always been bad. Worse than on Xbox, I have felt.

 

[Oersted]

Of course the store has ads, if you consider content they're trying to sell you in the store ads. The problem with ads is when they invade the home screen. If we get a McDonalds ad as one of the live tiles in the homescreen, then that will be an issue.

Don't see this as disagreement, I just have to point out how far companies already pushed it.

 

[jbug617]

Too lazy to go take my own photo, but found this with a quick google search from Microsoft's own site.

See entire right side of image....complete with non-gaming Fast 5 ad, also Man of Steel right in the middle too.

you know the middle is not an ad. That person has Xbox video opened.

 

[xImmortal007x]

Too lazy to go take my own photo, but found this with a quick google search from Microsoft's own site.

See entire right side of image....complete with non-gaming Fast 5 ad, also Man of Steel right in the middle too.

I'll give you the Fast 5 ad, even though it's linking to content on the video marketplace. But the Superman is from someone being in the video section of the Xbox. Not an tbh. That's like saying I get ads for random movies when I open up Netflix.

 

[icespide]

Ads on Playstation have always been bad. Worse than on Xbox, I have felt.

I can't fathom how anyone that has used a 360 recently could possibly actually think this

 

[SmoothRunningGun]

No vids of people eating chicken wraps yet.

Neither have bothered me so far.

 

[Ricky_R]

Ads in the store? Well color me surprised.

 

[xxracerxx]

Ads on Playstation have always been bad. Worse than on Xbox, I have felt.

This is bizarro world if you ever owned a 360 and PS3.

 

[DayEnder]

The middle image is for Xbox Video - the area you would buy/watch videos. It is advertising that Man of Steel is available from Xbox Video while the user switched out the Xbox Video tab.

It is still showing an ad within the app. It isn't showing my content...which to me is an advertisement.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Too lazy to go take my own photo, but found this with a quick google search from Microsoft's own site.

See entire right side of image....complete with non-gaming Fast 5 ad, also Man of Steel right in the middle too.

That's a bit old. Here:

(Quick phone pics, sorry)
From left to right.

Ads on the right, but in the store section. I guess I get that argument (ads on the main screen), I was just frustrated looking for something in the PSN store and hitting movies ads everywhere in the games section I guess.

 

[Griss]

The PS4 store's menus on the left are a mess, no doubt about that. But as for ads (which I detest), so long as I only see them when I'm actually in the store looking to purchase things, then I'm okay.

My understanding is that the XB1 has ads on the main dash. I can't be doin' with that. Can't deal with it.

 

[manual4]

Too lazy to go take my own photo, but found this with a quick google search from Microsoft's own site.

See entire right side of image....complete with non-gaming Fast 5 ad, also Man of Steel right in the middle too.

that is not an ad

 

[Majine]

I do indeed know what Xbox Video is, it was also called Zune Video back in the 360 days. It is still showing an ad within the app. It isn't showing my content...which to me counts as an advertisement.

Xbox Video would show an ad for Man of Steel, I don't see what the problem is.

 

[Gamerloid]

I have a PS4, but no Xbox One to compare the stores. I've been quite annoyed with the store layout on the PS4, and I also know what you mean with the ads. Quite annoying the more I visit it. Thank you web store.

Ads on the PS4 are not as prominent as the Xbox. What more do you want?

Anyone can make a simple posting say "no," a thread like this should be about experience with the stores. PS4 has a lot of adds to me, so a simple no is far from enough.

 

[cakely]

I don't know about the Xbox One but when I boot up my Xbox 360 I'm looking at an add for a McDonalds bacon clubhouse.

I think there must be some mistake because I seem to remember paying Microsoft $50 a year for the privilege of using my console.

 

[xxracerxx]

that is not an ad

The Man of Steel one is not a dash ad, but the 3 on the right are.

Xbox Video would show an ad for Man of Steel, I don't see what the problem is.

Yup..

It is still showing an ad within the app. It isn't showing my content...which to me is an advertisement.

Dude, no. Those sorts of ads are fine, you are specifically in the Video app.