I Tried Sony's New PlayStation Social Network

For all you members of the PlayStation Nation out there, I did a little somethin’ somethin’ for ya. You may have heard news on My PlayStation, Sony’s new attempt at tackling the mysterious field of “social networking.” The new system expands on the existing PlayStation Network, adding a number of new features to the mix, and dedicating a specific platform just for social gamers. I thought it was a little weird at first, but figured trying it out would make for a good article, so here we go.

Setting up a profile is as cut and dry as you’d expect, having likely done this whole “create an account” adventure roughly 53,901 times, on average. Of course, for those of you who are already active PSN users, which nearly every PlayStation owner is, you essentially already have an account. My PlayStation is already linked to each and every PSN member’s info, just waiting to be activated. With that in mind, consider this one of the least painful “sign ups” you could experience.

The home page includes a front-facing view of your new profile, complete with whatever info your PSN account already had established. Gamertag, profile picture, friend list, the works. If you scroll down you see a few of your existing friends as well as your running tally of trophies (my total is 1,904, but no one’s counting). Not sure what I expected from the network’s homepage, but I’ve got to say I was pleasantly surprised by its simplicity. Some of me did figure it may be over complicated, trying its best to reinvent the long-existing product known as social media. No such complications.

After my first glance at the homepage, I perused the upper tabs of the site, including the notifications center. I peered inside to see alerts on my recent party invites, including a previous invitation to join my fellow Game Chop employe Austin’s Star Wars Battlefront match. The other tabs on the top right right include access to PSN messenger and a list of those friends online, simplified from the PS4’s typical list. To the far right, is my profile thumbnail which provides a quick summary of me and my gamertag. At this view, it’s simply a streamlined and dedicated area for PSN’s typical social characteristics.

Personalization is a little odd. Clicking “edit profile” brings you to a separate page but only allows the usual variables to be changed; name, profile picture, and those things. You can’t seem to change the backdrop image, which was odd to me as a personalized background is featured in their marketing for it (if you actually can, then I haven’t been able to find how). While a little weird, not a deal breaker. Oddly enough, I noticed that My PlayStation is not yet accessible on mobile. The website is mobile friendly, but there is no app, and it isn't even featured on the existing Android and iOS app. Not sure what the strategy is there.

I can’t express how simple this network is. During this quick test, I was able to utilize literally every single feature. It only took about 20 minutes to get a handle on it, which leads me to believe that it doesn’t have much to offer. Or does it? The system has only been up for a few days, so I anticipate a bit of an adjustment period while folks get to using it. I recommend trying it out and seeing how changes the way you manage your fire-team or coordinate a party. In summary, My PlayStation exists, and I’m not sure what to do about it aside from wait and see what others think about it. Article complete, thanks for stopping by.

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Ben Stembridge, Editor-in-Chief

Ben leads the reviews and news coverage for Game Chop. He also offers opinions on games and the industry, covering a wide range of genres and platforms. Ben especially enjoys discussions on game narratives, design styles, and independent titles.

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