PS5 Welcome Hub Update Adds New Stat Tracking, Backgrounds

Can’t say I’m too bothered. Still gutted that we never got proper themes on PS5. Loved my theme collection on PS4, hope they bring them back next time around.

Nice, but can we have real folders...what would it take to implement....5 years in...

...and themes....or at least colours....

can we just have the ps4 ui back?

I was waiting for a way to display my progress in Panty Party Perfect more easily.

@Czar_Khastik Panty Party Perfect is out? Time to finally buy the PS5 Pro

Seems nice. Then again, I have no faith these stats will be any more accurate than they have been. I’ll check it out.

I don’t spend much time in my system’s dashboard but additional game data is nice.

Jeez cheer up crew

@nomither6 you'll miss this when the PS6 comes out...

@4fold at least it's more accurate than on Switch

User: "how long have I been playing for?"
Switch: [looks up from phone] "oh uh.. I'unno, a little while...?"

Are the hours played numbers fixed yet? They've always been all over the place

I’m not sure I need a visual reminder to shame me for the number of hours I’ve spent in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Another reaction from Sony to Nintendo’s recent action.

For those who don’t know, Nintendo recently released an app that logs players’ game stats (total hours, total sessions, etc). This site even wrote an article about it, asking for Sony to do something similar. The only info it’s missing is each date that a game was played, along with the session time that day, which Nintendo shows.

To be fair, total hours and game progress was already something we could see. Only new thing here is sessions played. As a widget, I think this is useless. There needs to be a global way to see our detailed stats, preferably through the PS app.

@SegaBlueSky
100% with you on this

@blah01 Does the library have groups? Or whatever they are called on PS5?

I got used to Wii U/PS4/3DS/Vita folders but I have used the groups (started on Xbox One) and used them a bit on Xbox One, but used them to the limit on Switch 1, no idea how PS5 uses them and neither do people I talk to that use PS5 regularly.

I have access to all the consoles just use PS4/Xbox One/Switch 1 and older more.

I do think a toggle for 'strict folders' would be nice for those that liked them on PS4/Wii U/3DS/Vita instead of the groups approach they use now for any filtering and the list of games.

Then again manuals or digital website redirects are hit and miss these days of existing. Sigh miss those I used them on occasion those PDFs with hit and miss details as good or as bad as some glossaries, tutorials and more that devs still miss the point of multiple button actions, or other clarity.

To me I wasn't a fan of these groups but the more I used them and went 'huh I can put multiple of the same game in different groups and filter whatever I want' the more I got into using them.

On Xbox One I just went with the more 'OG Xbox back compat' '360 back compat', 'Xbox One games', 'apps', more general not a lot to it type categories/filtering'.

But to me I went more the 'what is on this SD card', 'order i bought my digital games', 'demos', 'what year they released' '(or original year released)' or 'what age rating', 'what genre', 'remake/remaster/port', 'from this console originally before ported' or 'generations they fit' or 'codes used in physical editions', and all sorts of stuff.

So why I was more into the 'folder and no need to filter just put them there' and I don't like 'recently played', 'title', 'longest/shortest hour count order' and I think the filtering for platforms can be annoying of recent and prefer my folders on PS4 to the PS5, Xbox One/Series share the same besides feature differences and Switch of last played order before the library/groups design, the rest missing of filters I would like to see.

Just got filtering interested/crazy about using them to really see what I could use them for. But that's just me.

nice, “the new animated background is linked to the current season and time of year” … sooooo will it currently (and correctly) be “spring” themed here in Australia? 😼

or, like PS Plus Premium, will we just not get it at all… 🥲

This would be cool if it was the past few games you've played. Seems kind of a bit pointless as it is considering you literally just need to press right once to see most of this info (because if it's your most recently played game then it's extremely likely to be the first one on your homescreen).

I do appreciate the sessions played stat, but would much prefer that to just be visible when hovering over a game/ on my profile.

There are a great many small quality of life things that could be implemented but Sony really doesn’t seem to care enough to be bothered. Something as simple as the option to sort trophies alphabetically existed on PS3, but was inexplicably removed for PS4 and never returned. Many of us hate the ‘last trophy earned bumps that game to the top of the list’ method.

This new one is OK.
In terms of usefulness I find the storage widget better - as someone who is always over half full on a 2Tb Pro with 1Tb WD Black SN850 expansion.

@JohntheRaptor @Andee @4fold
No idea if number of hours played is better now, but a while back I saw 100 hours added to my Hogwarts Legacy playtime over the course of 1 day. Its never corrected itself.

@nomither6 PS3 was truly the goat

I just want them to rebuild the horrible looking trophy UI.

His is pretty neat, I’ll give it a go.

People complain about everything this feature isn't bad u don't have to use it if u don't won't too

It's alright. I mean, hey, it's something new and it looks fairly cool. My issue is that the widgets pretty much block actually being able to see most of the backgrounds.

My favorite widget is the controller battery life but hours played is nice too. Now if the PS5 would stop asking me to sync up my controller with a wire to the PS5. As long as it's working fine I'm not going to go find a cable to do that. Maybe this update is the reason?

Love me some stats so will definitely check it and the themes out.

@blah01 What did you say ? Flod.., dolfe... no, folders ?? What kind of alien technology would it require ? It's impossible in 2025 !
😉

@nomither6 XMB comeback for PS6 would be stellar

It's quality but it disappears as soon as you move off the welcome hub. Let us have permanent themes Sony

I shall be activating my 'Happy Holidays 2019' theme on the PS4 Pro soon but these PS5 "themes" are fairly useless.
I do hope the PS6 comes with a decent UI, more like the 3 or 4.

@LazyDaisy so... not everything is a reaction to Nintendo. Sony already had this feature? I know I've played Vampire Survivors for 198 hours, when I got each trophy, how rare it is, etc.

@Scoot23 This is the internet. people don't know how to be happy

@nomither6 Team XMB! ✊

I really want them to change how some of the themes work on specific games. I'd rather it just show the cover art but on certain games it changes the theme depending on what mission you're doing or what area you're in and it's honestly crap looking.

@beltmenot haha valid point

Hey, I did know about the themes, but not about the new stats thing. Thanks for that!

@Rich33
Nice try Harry!
I knew you’d find a way to play 100 hours in one day! I’d love to know how you did it.

@Briarback
So would I - more impressive is how, according to the hours played, I managed 100 hours (it was a fair bit over but I can't remember by how much) in just 1 play session.

Either it was magic.. or Sony's counting system has... issues.

The best feature the Welcome Hub could have is a toggle to turn the welcome hub off altogether.

Not everyone wants or uses it.

@Czar_Khastik (#5) *updates wishlist

@sanderson72 (#34) best theme ever

@PerpetualBoredom It's up there with the PS2 themed retro one.

It’s definitely not autumn where I live 😌

This feature feels pretty pointless when my home menu is essentially a recently played list.

@Rich33 Curious... very curious. Presumably a wizard did it.

@Andee
Personally I think that Sony's counting method has issues, but failing that wizards may be involved lol, at least in this games case.