There’s one feature that the Xbox Series X/S consoles have that the PlayStation 5 doesn’t – dynamic wallpapers – and another one has been revealed for Hellblade 2. Almost 4 years into the console’s lifecycle, one of the most requested features which was available immensely on the PS4 is still nowhere to be seen on PS5.
Xbox Series X and S on the other hand, offer plenty of dynamic backgrounds for various first and third-party games. This is the complete opposite of the previous console generation, where Xbox One had no such feature but PS4 had plenty of it.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Dynamic Wallpapers Are Now Available
Ninja Theory, the developer of Hellblade 2, recently took to Twitter to unveil the new dynamic background. It features the game’s cover art: Senua’s face surrounded by several mysterious hands with light mist swirling around her.
The Senua's Saga: Hellblade II dynamic background is available now for your Xbox Series X|S! pic.twitter.com/VLJhVPZoNT
— Ninja Theory (@NinjaTheory) May 10, 2024
The game, which is the highly anticipated sequel to the 2017 title Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, has been in development for a long time. The game has caught the attention of fans with its hyper-realistic graphics and intense combat, similar to the first game.
The game’s release on May 21st is just around the corner, and it will be coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one. Xbox users have enjoyed dynamic backgrounds from various games like Halo Infinite, Forza, and Starfield, as well as popular third-party titles like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
The reveal of the dynamic wallpaper was met with a very positive reception, but it also reignited a very old, very relevant question – where are the PS5’s themes and backgrounds? It’s hard to answer that question and try to understand why such a beloved feature from the PS4 still isn’t available for the PS5.
But if we had to take a guess, it would be that PlayStation wants to keep the sleek and clean UI that the PS5 has by default, and doesn’t want users messing around with it.
PS5 Has a Custom Background Feature but With a Big Catch
A UI beta was launched back in March of this year, with an updated explore page that offered a compact hub of useful information, including battery levels, trophies, a media gallery, wishlisted games, and more. This update is still currently only available to beta testers.
One of the key features of this update is the ability to select a custom background for the Explore page. You can use a preset image or a screenshot from your game. While the ability to customize the Explore page background is a nice addition, many users may find it disappointing that this option does not extend to the entire PS5 UI, like how themes worked on the PS4.
This limitation is in stark contrast to the PS4, which allowed users to fully customize their home screen themes. The PS5’s default dynamic themes, which change based on the game highlighted by the player, offers very little scope for personalization.
What do you think is the reason behind PS5 still not offering any customization options, almost 4 years into its lifecycle? Let us know in the comments below.
