The PlayStation 5 has had its ups and downs, but it's hard not to get a little sentimental when booting it up during the 30th-anniversary celebrations. PlayStation has officially turned 30, and Sony is going all out to celebrate that. From dedicated sales that are slashing the prices of its biggest games to the lowest they've ever been to flashy new animations when booting up the PlayStation 5, there is a lot of love for Sony's next-gen console.

However, the most important part of the 30th-anniversary celebrations is the potential it has shown fans when it comes to customizing their home screen. What once felt like a pipe dream has now become a reality, as Sony has added customizable home screens for the 30th-anniversary event. Of course, while they're a lot of fun and fans are having a great time playing around with them, it is the promise they bring of something bigger and better that is far more enticing.

PS5 30th Anniversary Home Screens Are A Good Move

It Adds Some Much-Needed Flair To The Console

There are a number of different options when it comes to the 30th anniversary home screens on the PS5, and all of them add a lot of charm and individuality to the console. Whether it's selecting the classic PS1 look, which puts the iconic console front and center, or picking the more laidback iconography of the PS4, these home screens are a delight to behold. Fortunately, they're not all-encoming, only taking up a small portion of the screen. However, they feel present in almost every aspect, with even the time in the top right featuring a unique twist.

​​​​Sony had a lot of options when it came to celebrating the 30th anniversary of the PlayStation, especially considering 2025 could be its biggest year yet. Naturally, there was the obvious choice of a sale and heartfelt marketing that pulled on the heartstrings of those around during the PS1 and PS2 era. However, the inclusion of customizable home screens, as well as the message that pops up whenever turning off or putting the PS5 to sleep, was a great touch and one that goes much further than a simple YouTube video.

Players have long requested customizable home screens, so it meant a lot that, to celebrate the fans' financial of PlayStation for 30 years, Sony finally listened to them and gave them what they wanted. Of course, this move is just a stepping stone, especially as these options are only going to be available for a limited time. However, it is a step in the right direction to make up for the frustration that fans have been dealing with after losing access to their custom home screens from the PS4 era.

The PS5's Lack Of Home Screen Options Hurt PS4 s

They Can't Use The Custom Home Screens They Bought

One of the most frustrating aspects of transitioning between the PS4 and the PS5 is that all the home screens s purchased for the PS4 are not usable on the PS5. While it's obviously great that there is backwards compatibility ensuring that game libraries are transferable, the home screens weren't cheap, and fans of multiple games likely purchased a lot of them. Persona 5 fans, for example, had a number to choose from, all of which added gorgeous art of the various characters as well as music from the game.

Rather than implementing these custom home screens, the PS5 enlarges the image of the game selected and plays music from its soundtrack. Of course, it is better than nothing - something Nintendo Switch s have been experiencing for the past eight years - but it doesn't make up for all the lost home screens. Additionally, Xbox features dynamic home screens for a number of its games as well as the ability to set a screenshot as the background. This is just one of the many things Xbox does better than PlayStation, giving it a slight leg up in the dwindling console wars.

However, while the current 30th Anniversary home screens are perfectly enjoyable, the PS5 needs far better customization, something more akin to what the PS4 offered.

Of course, PlayStation could be pivoting towards having customizable home screens. It would certainly be good timing, especially with the PlayStation handheld on the way, and it is always better late than never. However, while the current 30th Anniversary home screens are perfectly enjoyable, the PS5 needs far better customization, something more akin to what the PS4 offered. Not only would it help make each player's console feel more unique to them, but it would increase Sony's profits as it could go back to selling themes again.

The PS5 Needs Proper Home Screen Customization Options

It's Time The PS5 Matched Its Competitors

The PS5 30th Anniversary customization options are a good jumping-off point for the potential that future options could bring. If Sony is to continue offering customization options, then it needs to allow players to customize not just the overlay when scrolling through games, but also to add a splash image like they could on the PS4. It should also enable s to add custom music that either comes bundled with a theme or can be added separately, potentially even letting players choose from a selection of songs from a specific game.

For example, players could have the shot of Miles and Peter from Marvel's Spider-Man 2 as the background image with "The Great Hunter" or "Greater Together" as the song. Fans could get themes of games to celebrate their launches or even get them bundled into ultimate editions of new releases. Additionally, just as Sony has changed the boot-up screen and sound for the 30th Anniversary, as well as the shut-down animation, players should be able to customize those. It could be as simple as a color change or something more complex, like a fun animation featuring Astro Bot.

Players can customize the outside of a console with personalized stickers, plates with designs from their favorite games, or even just by switching up the color scheme. It stands to reason, then, that players should be able to customize the experience when interfacing with the console. Sony has given players a taste of what customizing a PlayStation 5 could be like, but now it needs to deliver and offer even more. Expanding on the customization options for the PlayStation 5 would be a dream come true for many and a great way of further celebrating this great console.

Source: Shinobi602/X, PlayStation/YouTube