PS3 and the Lack of Avatars

One of the great things about the PS3 is the ability to download and create custom themes and wallpapers to personalize your console for no cost. Sony has a bank of avatars to choose from for free as well (Gamer Pictures to you Xbox 360 users out there). Not having to pay for these is terrific and Loot Ninja hopes it always stays that way. However, the lack of additions to the avatar selection is upsetting.

[TheHater]

Sony should at least update the Avatar list once a month. I know they update it every time a first party game come out, or an exclusive. So hopefully we will see some MGS4 avatar soon :)

Edit: The updated it weeks before Haze came out with come Haze avatar. So hopefully the do they same with Metal Gear Solid 4. I check it last night and it wasn't updated :(

[fiercescuba]

great idea. bubbles and agrees.

[drunkpandas]

Yeah maybe have avatars available in the PlayStation Store (for free) so everyone knows when new ones are available. I would have expected some nice Heavenly Sword, MGS4, or Little Big Planet avatars by now.

[avacadosnorkel]

are never happy

[Tempist]

They'll only be happy when custom avatars are available. Then you know they'll be putting up some penises, asses and females they wish they could be avatars.

[Lifendz]

I love my PS3 and the fact that I haven't paid one cent to use PSN is a major factor as to why. That said, why can't I upload my own avatar icon or use a photo on my harddrive? Sony's selection is okay, but I'd like to upload my own avatar.

[Lifendz]

the potential for offensive avatars. Simply add a "report image" link and that's that. ANd if you're that offended then DONT BE FRIENDS WITH THAT PERSON! Simple. If someone would use an avatar that offends you then you probably don't want to be friends with that person anyway. As more and more people buy PS3s gone are the days when I'd play Resistance Fall of Man online and hear nothing because no one owned a blu-tooth. Now I hear all sorts of things that are offensive. Thank god for mute in COD4. Same thing with this. If we're mature enough to drop the funds for a PS3 then we're mature enough to deal with offensive avatars.

PSN: Lifendz

[Light Yagami]

Yeah, new avatars would be nice or the ability to make your avatar. I mean the ones we have right now are good, but are kinda old already. I would like some Final Fantasy XIII or MGS4.

[Milky]

I have Kratos's face as my avatar. Anyway, I dont see a problem.

[Maverick_]

I use a Helghast icon. Red eyes FTW.

[kosha]

At the moment my avatar is the snake off flow. Only because i didnt wanna be the same as all my mates which are nearly all either nathan off resistance or kratos

[drunkpandas]

That's what gets annoying... looking down your friends list and seeing the same avatar over and over

[Lifendz]

only because no one else has it. Nothing reminds me more of the lack of custom avatars than logging on and seeing 10 people with the same avatar as me.

[SPECTER]

yea I want a Young Snake avatar
they gave us Haze but we want MGS ones

[Shadow Flare]

Great article and about time someone brought it up. I wish you could use photos in your avatars. I can't see why not, you can already use a photo as your avatar for your login profile. At the moment i switch inbetween crash bandicoot and the happy dog. Happy dog ftw

[TheHater]

I agree. But there is a little problem with that. For example people might upload pornographic image as their avatar, and I don't Sony will be too happy with that.

So If the do allow that, and some do upload a pornographic image as their avatar, then you have a little b!tch complain. Then you have the media making a big deal about it like the whole Mass Effect situation. Unless Sony can somehow filter the images you upload as your avatars, I don't see this happen at all.

[Shadow Flare]

yeah good point. I suppose though if someone had an image like that on your friends list, just message them and say something like 'look i have kids that use my ps3, can you change your avatar please' and if they don't just delete them off your friends list. But thats a problem i hadn't thought of. In that case i just wish sony made more avatars. I always wanted grey fox from mgs1 as my psn avatar tho

[taz8080]

This makes sense, as you can do it with your 360 and take a picture and make that your icon for your friends to see.

[Shortstop]

Nah, don't force them to use an "acceptable" avatar.. just allow being able to decide who's avatars are shown and who's aren't. A simple "hide avatar" option.

[PirateThom]

Mine is just the default grey square with a face!

I'm waiting for a Snake one.

[Drekken]

Custom avatars FTW!

[taz8080]

I am thinkin custom animated avatars FTW!

[heroman711]

ya i too get upset at the avatars cause in my opinion only a select amount of them are really any good. they should update with some every month

[ATLRoAcH]

Checked and said a bunch of new avatars are o their way. They add a couple here and there right now. They surely need more though.

[taz8080]

The 360 has the ability to take pics and use them as your avatar, why not on your PS3>?

[Wildarmsjecht]

The ps3 allows you to create your own themes and download them for free. Why not on your 360?

[wicked]

1.1 you can use any picture as a theme on the 360. I made mine in Paint shop pro

[XBOX 360]

1.2, We're talking about a real themes.

PS3 themes change the entire XMB icons, sounds, backgrounds, etc

[Ali_The_Brit]

LMAO nice come back wildarms, bubbles for you sir

[Wildarmsjecht]

awesome wicked! U made a pretty picture no MS paint. Get the sound and icons changing, then we'll talk.

[Imallvol7]

Yeah, they should ad more definitely. I like that I can use my own on the system, but it would be better if I could take mine ONLINE. Just, for the love of all thats good, never EVER try to charge me for these. I will hurt someone.

[Imallvol7]

Why doesn't Sony use this (or MS too) as a way to get more community participation. Hold weekly contests like shirt woot where there is a topic and user submit designs. These designs would be sent in by PS3 users, Sony would review them and make sure they are not illegal or full of porn, and then they would release the best ones (chosen by them or by community vote) as avatars free for download since they didn't have to pay anyone to design them. The incentive would be to get your avatar up on the PSN store!

[Breakfast]

:)

...of course theyll have to pay you for having the idea...right?

:P

[liquidsnake]

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, waaaaaaaaaaaah I can't have a picture on a rag doll (LBP characters) waaaaaaaaaaaah.

[poopsack]

I love my Japanese letters one. Anyone know what they mean?

[SpikeSpiegel]

Its "Kick me!" when translated :P Oddly enough though, I have that same one...

[SL1M DADDY]

they should let us use out camera for custom pics.

[vhero]

I have a custom avatar on my user long part but i think right now theres not much point in custom psn avatars until we get in game xmb

[Bigbangbing]

i really don't care about the pics of avatar or the pics of Gamer Pictures on marketplace

i just want take a pic with my cam and make it an avatar just like the Gamer Pictures.

[Fishy Fingers]

Definitely need to update their selection more regularly. But I understand why they don't allow your own, I imagine have my friends list would be full of little pictures of c***s and t**s.

High brow friends list you see.

[vegnadragon]

Please these should be the least of their worries. Right now in-game XMB is what i want.

[damnwrx]

.......

[gtafan]

WE WANT custom AVATARS!

[sephy 9 2 5]

Its not the amount of avatars that are lacking. Quite a few pages of them. Most of those avatars aren't appealing (< reread 2x), so you see the same decent ones up and down the friends list. That's the real problem IMO and then you can't make your own. But I understand why there wouldn't be customizable avatars.

[thehitman]

Sony woudve been implemented custom avatars. I guess there is no way to regulate it since they are publicly shown they dont want complaints for offensive/nudity things. They should have a system where you upload your avatar and it gets passed for use on your psn id.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

Why can't we use pictures yet...that's what I'm wondering.

[Ri0tSquad]

Because people are immature.

[oliverasadi]

Right now im using a basketball as a avatar :(

[StalkingSilence]

Completely unrelated to anything else (firmware, Qore, etc.) - anything. I guarantee you will see more next month. Not just the regular update with a few obscure game characters. I promise you, this is on Sony's radar and they have people working on it.

[Bazookajoe_83]

And not to hard for sony to fix, hope it comes up...

[QuietStorm]

Is it just me, or is it that people are trying to find something negative about the ps3 now. I guest back in 07' that was the trend, now its really scarce. Man I love my ps3!!!!!!! :p

[PJF_Josh]

although i'd like more than just the few updates they've given since launch because of repeats on my friends list.

mine is the 'solvalu' from (one of my favorite games) xevious. i even paid for the damn xevious picture pack on the 360 so i could use the same avatar there as well. new pictures come along and i change it every now and then.... for a couple of hours. but it's always back to the kick ass little ship from xevious. that just suits me better.

[xxBATTLECATxx]

they should allow user avatars from pictures in your HDD maybe in a firware update? or maybe something as simple as themes or wallpaper downloads, but i dislike that idea cuz everyone would have the same avatar as soon as its released, AND a lot of people are overlooking the fact that I hardly EVER change mine or look at anyone elses, we never use them except in our buddy list.

[Lord_Ash]

Nothing fancy just an update every 2 months will be fine as long as it stays free, either way it's no big deal.

[devilhunterx]

custom avatar....

[Irishrocket69]

The only thing that the PS3 is lacking is intelligent players.

[liquidsnake]

hahaha, then I guess you haven't been on planet xbox live.

[Bubble Buddy]

i got the black cat with an evil look. :D. Noone uses that.

[yanikins111]

Could this be the new critical flaw of the ps3 once FW2.4 is released?

Im so depressed that gamers having nothing better to talk about. When did ya'll become such nerds. If you're so worried about avatars go and play with msn.

Sorry im tired...

[Macho Man]

YEAH, I know yous kids want to have Macho Man as your avatar. YEAHHH! Stay true to your school and the stars above with one star, yeah, one star shining brighter than all the others! IT'S MACHO MADNESS YEAH!

[Morgue]

Uh why can't you take a picture of yourself with the eye camera and upload it? Or download avatars via browsing the web from the PS3?

[DFresh]

I don't really care about the Avatars too much only the custom themes backgrounds that you can create.
It would be cool though to use you Eye Toy Camera to take a photo of yourself and put it as your avatar.
Custom Themes beats avatars any day.