Update 10/01: The official Ask PlayStation account on X has stated that the news feed and game ads issue in the latest PS5 UI update was caused by a “tech error” and has been resolved. The tweet added, “There have been no changes to the way game news is displayed on PS5.”
Players have spotted ads and news feed items they cannot turn off in PS5’s new UI update.
The PS5 recently dropped a UI update with a new personalized space called Welcome Hub. This update allowed players to add customizable widgets and backgrounds to the console’s home screen. One of the features was supposed to let players remove all ads and news feed widgets from their home screen, but it seems this feature isn’t working as intended.
Some players have noticed (h/t Earl Turlet)that after turning off the ads and news widgets in the latest PS5 UI update, they will still see ads, announcements, and newsfeed items related to the game or franchise in the background rather than a widget.
In the X post embedded below, players can see that games like Final Fantasy VII Remake display their ratings, Star Wars Battlefront II’s page highlights all other Star Wars games from EA, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s page features a seven-month-old news feed article, and so on.
Many players wonder if the ads appearing in the PS5 UI update result from a bug or if they were introduced intentionally. The confusion stems from the fact that some of the information displayed on the screen may be irrelevant or outdated. Also, the issue wasn’t visible when the update was released, and players seem to have spotted it recently.
In other news, scalpers have already ruined the PS5 Pro launch. Also, here is a first look at PS5 Pro Enhanced games. What are your thoughts on ads appearing in the latest PS5 UI update? Let us know in the comments or our new community forum!
For more from Insider Gaming, read about Final Fantasy 14’s Crossroads quest, which introduces new quests, a dungeon, and more. Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Thanks for bringing awareness to this IDIOTIC change.