Sony blames ‘tech error’ for obtrusive PS5 dashboard ads

Sony Interactive Entertainment has said that a “tech error” was responsible for the appearance of obtrusive adverts on the PS5 dashboard.

The full-screen ads took the form of promotional news posts about games when players browsed their software library.

Users quickly pointed out that if intended, the new feature was seemingly working incorrectly, with outdated and sometimes irrelevant ads being emblazoned across their console’s home screen.

“A tech error with the Official News feature on the PS5 console has since been resolved,” reads a message posted on Ask PlayStation, the company’s official North American X support account. “There have been no changes to the way game news is displayed on PS5.”

So it turns out that the recent PS5 UI update that let you disable all the advertisements on the dashboard was too good to be true. Now EVERY SINGLE GAME on your homescreen shows you an advertisement in the background with no way to remove them lol https://t.co/Nts6eCq8Eb pic.twitter.com/29p56mYn34

— Earl Turlet (@alfredobofa) September 29, 2024

The latest PS5 system software update launched this month, adding the new Welcome Hub, Party Share, and more.

Welcome Hub is a new personalised space with customisable widgets and backgrounds on the PS5 home screen.

It’s a reimagined version of the Explore tab, which was previously only available in the US.