Feedback on the Singstar XMB icon [ Edited ]

[#1]

As many of you will now be aware Singstar has become a free app and has been placed on the XMB as a compulsory icon in the Game category.

You will receive this as part of the recent v4.30 firmware update (although it is not listed as a feature of the new version)

You can read more about the Singstar update HERE and I'm sure we all agree that making Singstar free to access is a positive change for PlayStation and its customers, however, the icon (and specifically the placement of it) has become a matter for debate.

While it is beneficial in terms of reaching new customers, the lack of option to move/remove it is detrimental to the user experience of others.

Seeing as Sony are now keen to take on customer feedback and act upon it, I believe it would be useful to gauge public opinion on this new addition to the XMB with a simple poll and discussion.

Please avoid flaming and the general descent into name calling, fanboy-like behaviour and "trolling".

Everyone is entitled to a valid opinion and all should be heard in order to give fair and representative feedback.

UPDATE:

The poll is now closed due to abuse of the voting system in an attempt to unfairly influence the false result, however, the last retrivable statistics are displayed below.

Thank-you to everyone who voted and offered genuine feedback.

Poll Results:

Analysis:

From 2106 votes we can see that 89% would prefer not to have a permanent Singstar icon on their XMB and 98% disagree with its current placement at the top of the games list.

Furthermore, if we discount the 5th option in the interest of eliminating extreme negative bias, we still see a clear vote against the icon with >75% wanting to remove it and 94.8% disagreeing with its current placement.

-Perfectly placed - 5.2% (48)

-Move to Music - 10.6% (98)

-Move to folders - 8.7% (80)

-Option to delete - 75.5% (698)

Total 924

Thanks again to everyone who contributed their feedback, please do continue to offer thoughts and opinions in this topic.

[#2]

that was a reply to my post today

its very sad how far people can go with their fanboyism ,  disrespecting people that passed away in such horrible way is the lowest level , cannot think of anything worse right now

[#3]

We had a similar situation when someone asked why we were complaining about a icon and then posted a massive load of waffle about the universe. Some people are just strange in the lengths they'll go to to protect Sony.

[#4]

---

SuperUnknown79 wrote:
We had a similar situation when someone asked why we were complaining about a icon and then posted a massive load of waffle about the universe. Some people are just strange in the lengths they'll go to to protect Sony.

---

First off, I think Fred Dutton responded swiftly and professionally to the exchange inside the blog thread: "All and any references to the tragic, horrific school shooting over the weekend are inappropriate in this context."

Secondly, in one fell swoop, Fred also communicated, as expected (which is why I haven't posted on the weekly blog recap this time): "I’ve no update re. Singstar, and if I did I wouldn’t be making it in a sale post." After 8 weeks of SingStar Icon. Sure, it is now holiday season and personnel is busy and tied up. Certainly a valid excuse to keep the SingStar Icon on the games XMB, well into January 2013.

Finally, all these lines of reasoning such as posted by 'infinite universe' DuesQ and - my heart is with these children - 'school shooting' frodouk boil down to the same thing: they are a combination of a 'smokescreen' [using unrelated but heavy impact arguments (which must certainly be talked about, but within a different setting) to distract the discussion from its actual topic] and an 'ad hominem' attack where one side of the discussion is derided for daring to debate something the other side considers irrelevant. As such, these arguments are - as Fred put so succinctly - indeed inappropriate in this context. Pay them no heed.

[#5]

I lost one of my nephews a few years back. He was only 18 months old and I had to

say good bye while he was lying in a coma. Can't get that picture out of my head.

Yet I am still complaining about the icon. And I am not a bad person or insensible.

As I wrote before, it's not so much the icon itself, it's the statement it stands for.

[#6]

Well said kb.

[#7]

An I the only one who doesn't have the SingStar icon on my XMB? And yes my firmware is up to date

[#8]

its an ad

no matter what the subject matter is , i do not like advertising forced on me, and i dony expect my games machine to become a platform for it.

either take it off or give us the option to do it ourselves.

since this was shoved at me , ive cancelled my psn+ will not buy anymore dlc  from the store, and will happily go back to my pc for gaming if thats what it come down to, at least on my pc i can choose what i put on it.

[#9]

I´ve got the same, even with the 4.31 update installed. Can someone advise on this please?

[#10]

There's nothing you can do about it. Sucks, but that's the way it is until SCEE decide to care about their customers wishes.

[#11]

I'd love to know how much money they've lost from this versus how much they've gained. Seems a lot have cancelled plus and preorders, however I've only seen 1 poster who said he's bought songs for singstar because of the ad.

[#12]

---

SuperUnknown79 wrote:
I'd love to know how much money they've lost from this versus how much they've gained. Seems a lot have cancelled plus and preorders, however I've only seen 1 poster who said he's bought songs for singstar because of the ad.

---

You're unlikely to see very many people posting who are either happy with or ambivilent towards the icon as they would have no reason to. The vast majority will only visit a forum when they have a problem or a question.

[#13]

I think if it was popular the blog post announcement would have had people posting as such. The plus content posts and updates generally have positive comments. Though out of 1500+ posts I saw none saying they were buying songs.

My point is I think we know this has lost money and has been a massive failure, which is probably part of the reason the US (with a bigger customer base) didn't put it on the xmb as well.

[#14]

---

SuperUnknown79 wrote:
I think if it was popular the blog post announcement would have had people posting as such. The plus content posts and updates generally have positive comments. Though out of 1500+ posts I saw none saying they were buying songs.

My point is I think we know this has lost money and has been a massive failure, which is probably part of the reason the US (with a bigger customer base) didn't put it on the xmb as well.

---

 The stupid thing about it though is SCEE has seriously damaged any hope Sony has of reviving Singstar as a brand. Singstar is now associated with SCEE's poor customer service and incompetence. 

[#15]

I would like to add myself to the list of people who dislike this icon / it's placement. I would not mind if we were given the option to remove it or move it to another spot on the xmb.

I know this post is incredibly late to the game so it may seem I am going off topic but I'm not trying to :)

[#16]

Merry Christmas to each and everyone  :xLol:  except $CEE*. :xMad:

*$CEE represents the people involved in this singstar scheme

[#17]

Not at all, that is exactly the topic so thanks for your feedback :-)

[#18]

I would like to add my name to those who dislike this singstar casual junk on the xmb. Sony if you want to chase the casual market next-gen prepare to lose. Focus on making great games, not this garbage.

[#19]

wow so this has still not been addressed then?

We're actually stuck with a forced 'static' advertisment on the XMB?

I'm lost for words seriously.

[#20]

Goddamit Sony just get this sh*t off the XMB!! Just look at how many people have purchased anything Singstar related over the past few months and you'll see it's dismal so rather than shove the sh*t brand down our throats, how about you just let it die quietly, now of it was an icon for Call of Duty perhaps I'd be more inclined on letting it stay, but Singstar... NO-ONE LIKES IT OR GIVES A CRAP ABOUT IT!! GET THAT STUPID ***** NINA TO REMOVE IT NOW!!!

[#21]

---

Skyl1n3 wrote:
Goddamit Sony just get this sh*t off the XMB!! Just look at how many people have purchased anything Singstar related over the past few months and you'll see it's dismal so rather than shove the sh*t brand down our throats, how about you just let it die quietly, now of it was an icon for Call of Duty perhaps I'd be more inclined on letting it stay, but Singstar... NO-ONE LIKES IT OR GIVES A CRAP ABOUT IT!! GET THAT STUPID ***** NINA TO REMOVE IT NOW!!!

---

Do you have any actual proof to back up the bolded claim?

Try just speaking for yourself. I would be just as disappointed with the way beyond awful, bland, pointless Call of Duty brand having an unwanted advert on my XMB, or any other game franchise.

It's posts like these (and some even worse) that really do damage the credence of our side of this debate. Luckily there are those on both sides of the debate that should never be allowed near a keyboard.