Get ready for SingStar on the XMB!

are we still being ignored?

Well that’s ridiculous! EU gets the forced icon but USA has a optional store download? Though looking at the US store yesterday I see the categories are much better set out than the EU effort. Seems that Sony America have much better sense and understanding of how to run a games division, I just wish they could take over from that shower that run the EU division. I’ve already voted with my ££’s and brought my games for xbox since this debacle started. To the people that don’t understand why a lot of us are doing this, I ask why would you reward an incompetent company?

@kieran yes we and these comments are being ignored. I don’t think they even removed the cfw links someone posted a few pages ago. unfortunately it looks like its here to stay.

We are not being ignored ? dont make me laugh it should have been resolved by know.

The icon has been on for weeks now, sure its not that hard to have a meeting with the powers that be,

and yet the usa get the option to download it from there store, Now thats just a huge slap in the face to sonys EU customers,

And you wonder why there is so much hate on these blogs towards scee

Sorry Fred,

One update every two weeks is not good enough.

I think it very clear that ‘we’re looking into it’ no longer cuts it. This has been near on a month now – how long does it take for someone to realise that all people are asking for is the ability to delete something they don’t want – it’s not rocket science!

A more detailed update about what SCEE are actually looking into and some reasons why, depsite all the negative reaction that this has caused, SCEE still think it good marketing to leave the cause of such offence in place, may quell the storm.

But, until SCEE start addressing legitimate concerns instead of standard fob-offs, their reputation will continue to plummet.

Sony are losing custom over this when it’s just simply a case of when you give customers what they want, customers come back to you. When you treat them with contempt and a wall of silence, they go and don’t come back.

what ?? USA is getting a optional singstar, i was so much looking forward for the reaction over there and already prepared some popcorn and you deny me that joy… LMAO

Optional download in the US what a joke

So the USA gets it as it should have been, an optional download in the store. Incredible.
Maybe just wishful thinking it’s because they’ve listened to these complaints. and more wishful they’ll see how there don’t seem to be any complaints about it from the US and will make the change here.

Do different regions have independent firmwares then? Bit strange would have thought they all the same just region code and language change.

Nice to hear from you again Fred.

I think we need to direct this towards chris Bruce he’s the director of singstar

[Quote]Do different regions have independent firmwares then? Bit strange would have thought they all the same just region code and language change.[/Quote]

@ pepper duo – this isnt just related to the firmware version but also to the country your psn account is registered to , i have another psn account which does not support ps-store and the singstar icon isnt visible there on the same console

@GANTZn00b
Cheers I forgot that

Are you ******* kidding me?, the US gets an optional download and we’re forced to endure a full screen ad?

Why are Sony ignoring us on this one? even SCEA see sense.

I think (or is that merely hope?) that the US “optional download” is actually a good sign.

It means that Sony have listened to feedback from us here at Guinea Pig HQ (I mean the SCEE region) and the negativity is too great to do the same in the Holy Land.

So hopefully it will mean that it will be offered optionally here too in the near future to keep things consistent.

I don’t think it’s a good sign at all. Europe was clearly used as a test market for Singstar. I wouldn’t expect SCEE to do anything. The answer from Fred is the bog standard generic reply from SCEE. Used many times in the past (look at any CS:GO comment) and nothing happened. Europe isnt important to Sony and that’s a fact. Singstar will be going no where for the foreseeable future.

Mmm….thinking Voodoo might be right. Do SCEE care enough to provide an update to remove Singstar when they can’t sort things like CS: Go, Retro City Rampage, Youtube, etc, etc.

I think this blog could hit 2,000 posts before we even get another reply from SCEE let alone an update.

Thanks for the update Fred, just a shame we know nothing of what progress has (or hasn’t) been made. Granted I know nothing of the procedures that go into decisions like this but I’d have thought 1 quick meeting is all it would take to decide if it stays or becomes deletable. Have there been any discussions amongst the decision makers on the unpopularity of it yet?

Love to know what they’re discussing. Pls sort this out soon sony, you never know you might like it.

the fact that US isnt forced to have that ugly and offending singstar wallpaper and icon makes me really feel like a second class customer , although the games are even more expensive here we do not get the same treatment , referring also to CS GO which i was looking forward to play but at this point not even care anymore and if id buy it on steam, i really hope something will be done about it soon, i never had the urge to go here and post feedback although there were some thing i wasnt always satisfied with , but this intrusive singstar update has really crossed a line for me and keep on “whining for a loooooooong time i guess” until it has been addressed

OSony is the only company I’ve ever heard of that sets up a system to communicate directly with their customers then ignores them.

I’m also wondering why my comments from 10:06 this morning is still ‘awaiting moderation’ – no bad language, nothing offensive, just asked a few questions that SCEE obviously don’t want to answer.

@ Iffy: i guess some posts are just unable to be verified automatically and waiting for a manual check , ive had some of my posts waiting a couple of hours but then they appeared in chronological order , not at the bottom , if there is nothing against the rules in them i guess they will show later

This is a Joke Now USA get it on the store with no forced icon .0_0.
Sony you need to sort this fast now or you WILL Lose alot of customers

its bad enough we have to pay more and wait longer for games and this shambles today, the scea store team must be laughing at you guys !!!!!!

why should we be inferior to those across the seas !

Second Class Europe Entertainment

I still own the fat PS3 and the space on it is limited. So to have a forced downloaded game like Singstar on my harddrive taking up space that I need for better stuff is terrible. I don’t like stuff like Singstar and if I did I would have already bought it. But I like first man shooters and adventure, racing and sporting games not this silly stuff…. So come on lets get it removed PSN

For a moment I had the feeling that we could win this. But then I woke up…

Just received a reply to my complaint letter sent to help@uk.playstation.com copied in posts 1354, 1355 & 1356.

Guess what! It’s the same copied and pasted reply from Peter Wardle that everyone who has complained received. To me, all that says is SCEE are not taking any of our complaints seriously enough at all and are not even bothering to read them – If email=Singstar then send default reply.

So I’ve replied to Peter Wardle:

Thank you for the complete insult you have just sent me.

I have laid out a fully justified and legitimate complaint and you have sent me the same stock answer that you have sent to me before.

Your reply addresses NONE of the questions I have orginally asked in my communication to yourselves.

Therefore, I request information on who I can escalate my original complaint too as well as highlight the contempt you have shown me personally and the total disregard for your whole customer base, enhanced by the news today that SCEA have made Singstar an optional download – a real slap in the face to all European users.

Still not on my XMB and I’m possibly the only one that actually wants it and would use it

Yep, I got the same from Peter Wardle – my second email was escalated to head office, where they sent back exactly the same copy/paste response I received to my first e-mail!! Good to know head office is earning their money eh!

Third email sent, part one;

Hi,

This is the third time I have e-mailed you over this issue, and both times I have received a generic copy-paste response which does not answer my questions. See below:

“I understand that you’re unhappy at the addition of the new SingStar content which has been added to your PlayStation 3′s XMB as part of System update v4.30. This feature has been added to allow PlayStation 3 users access to the wealth of content that SingStar provides at no additional cost. Whilst I understand that this may not be functionality that you plan to use…yadayadayada… As advised previously, as is the case with other XMB icons such as PlayStation Home, Netflix and Lovefilm, it is not currently possible to delete or move the SingStar icon.”

I KNOW it is not possible to delete the icon.

My question is WHY is it not possible to delete the icon?

@splutterbug: if i could id send you mine lol , if it would be a optional download like in USA you could just download it from the store , i think were on the same boat here

Part 2 –
“In terms of your complaint regarding posts made on the EU PlayStation Blog, Nina Scherer has made a public statement which states:

“Insert insincere apology quote”

I KNOW Nina Scherer has made an apology, but I find it half-baked and insincere. She obviously DID intend to cause offence with such comments as;

“I guess the moderated bits mean you are really pleased about it. Thanks, we’re really proud of it.”
“Well, you’ll have to whine for a looong while then, I guess.”
“I could explain the concept of advertising to you now but that would probably take too long… Annoyed you may be but and ‘ad’ this really isn’t.”
“Here you go: No, you won’t. Don’t diss it before you try it. YOU MIGHT ENJOY IT!”
“You’re welcome.”
“IT IS STAYING!”

How on earth are comments like these “not intended to cause any offence”???

Part 3 – SO, I ask yet again:

1. Why is it not possible to delete the Singstar icon?
2. What actions have been taken to reprimand Nina Scherer over her disgraceful treatment of your paying customers? IF it is “none”, then be direct and say “none”.

There are hundreds and thousands of complaints on this issue at threads such as;
http://community.singstar.com/t5/SingStar/Feedback-on-the-Singstar-XMB-icon/td-p/17318024
http://community.singstar.com/t5/PlayStation-Network-General/European-petition-to-remove-icon-singstar-from-the-list-games-on/td-p/17338154
http://community.eu.playstation.com/t5/PlayStation-3-Technical-Help/How-to-remove-SingStar-from-PS3-Version-4-30/td-p/17316502

And even a Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/RemoveSingstarFromThePs3Xmb

Why are you doing nothing to address this? A simple option to delete the icon would make this problem disappear in a puff of smoke.

Again, I have tried to make my questions as direct and succint as possible, so please do not fob me off with another generic response. Also please be advised I have also copied in Trading Standards to this message.

Thank you.

So let me get this straight, as a consequence of living in the EU Sony have deemed that we get to enjoy the following “exclusives” compared to the US:

Higher prices across the board for games
Consistent delays for both PSN and disc games
Forced and immovable advertisement

All of this despite the fact that to my knowledge, the EU region has a higher PS3-Xbox ratio than the US.

Good to know that our custom is valued.

i hope we can have multi regional accounts on ps4 because i will start with a usa account at least they release content and at better price and don’t spam there users media bar, if it wasn’t for my trophy’s i would of moved to usa account by now. very unhappy the way eu is run

So here are our options regarding SingStar:

USA

a) Download it
b) Don’t download it
c) Delete it (after downloading it to try it out)
d) Put it in a folder (as you can with your other games)

EUROPE

a) IT IS STAYING!

@ Siltaria:

Nice summary of how we are being treated here in Europe compared to US , i dont know how we deserved it.

Instead of counter strike GO we get a not removable singstar wallpaper

RE 1431, I’ve just seen that on the US blog, infuriating doesn’t even cut it. It seems EU was used as a guinea pig they’ve seen it sucks and everyone hates. Hopefully it will get removed SOON.

@ sterushton: i wouldnt get my hopes high , if they were planning to remove it why wouldnt they tell us by now instead of copy-pasting business conform responses that can be translated as “deal with it”

Dear SCEE,

Please move Singstar from the XMB to the EU PS Store as per the US PSN Store.

It would be appreciated.

Regards,

Des

its Just like the new store design they tested it out on EU before the US got it, Sony dont want to upset the american market

After all this hate towards the icon then to do what they did in US Update yesterday Not making it a forced icon, Did they not think that the people in europe who want the option just to remove it will be even more p!ssed off with them,

FRED HOW ABOUT YOU GET SOME ANSWERS TO WHY THE US GOT TREATED THIS WAY, AND COME BACK WITH SOME REAL NEWS ?

i have already cancelled my plus auto renewal, and cancelled a couple of ps3 pre orders, after hearing how different we are being treated here in europe, convinces me i made the right choice.

theres no way i want to be greeted by a pair of moronic idiots pretending to enjoy themselves playing singstar when i turn my ps3 on…

luckily i already have an xbox so all my future purchases will be for that, it feels like i have wasted my time collecting trophies, i should have been earning gamer points

1000 posts ago fred told us something very similar to his post further up this page… copy/paste/copy/paste… cntl-c/cntl-v…

cheers fred, careful you dont wear your cntl key out mate…

maybe i should start reporting my own posts? at least ill be more convinced that someone at sony has looked at it…

I don’t appreciate the double standards that Europe are experiencing. Other than the fact that it looks like Europe was used as guinea pigs, I suspect Sony take advantage of a certain EU exclusive rule or regulation when it comes to advertising in EU territories. The US must have different regulations that have spared them from forced XMB icons such as Netflix, Lovefilm and now SingStar. Since this form of spam doesn’t (or probably doesn’t) violate any EU regulations, we must be fair game.
I can only imagine that Netflix, Lovefilm and SingStar paid a pretty penny for the extra advertising. Makes me sick.

Dear Sony, gives us a delete option. It’s not rocket science.

Fred & SCEE – I issue you this challenge:

A simple question:

Please explain why we should have this icon when it is obvious so many do not want it.

Now are you able to give an equally simple answer?

(And ‘Because if you try it you might like it’ is not a permitted reply)

Oh, so the US overlords get a damn choice now do they? Well, **** you too SCEE, **** you too. See what consoles I get next generation.

Hint: Anything not marked with SONY.

I rarely bother to voice an opinion over here but since it always felt like an issue and Fred confirmed that the replies are still read, throwing in my two cents.

Overall, the consumer feedback has been as predictable as ever, i.e. things blowing up out of all proportions, further aggravated by the early, admittedly rather awkward PR.

The icon is, of course, very obvious and very notable. The reasons to introduce it are obvious and notable as well. Is it something that warrants rage? No. Is it something that pushes any self-respecting “loyal” customer away? No. Is it something people will vote with their wallets by not buying something they’d otherwise buy? No.

Is it a failed experiment? I suppose it depends on revenue gained vs. contempt received.

As has been pointed out countless times already, an option to delete that obtrusive little icon would be most welcome. If you choose to keep it, then… Well, nothing. That’s just the way it goes. Still, another vote for this having been an unexpected and unpleasant move on your behalf.

Here’s a short summary, before the firmware update i couldnt even imagine something like this happen in my wildest dream lol
1.) FW 4.30 is released , fimware update notes include Turkish language, Vita support and new trophies location BUT NO SINGSTAR
2.) A “controverse” (to say it political correctly) singstar icon and wallpaper overrides your purchased theme and games and takes the top spot on your console
3.) Affected people rightfully complain and get disrespecting and sarcastic responses from a official representative
4.) 3 weeks of silence and copy paste responses basically telling you “deal with it”
5.) US gets a optional download adding even more fuel to the fire and the silence and copy-paste responses continue

Do we really dont deserve the option of choice? I dont want it there and so do many others.
Why is it possible to be optional in US but not in EU? Why do we dont get a normal response instead of empty phrases?
Why are we being discriminated based on our location ?
Will we ever see counter strike GO here?
Why do even people who have PS-PLUS not having the choice to remove it , does it mean a non-PS PLUS US customer is more valued than a PS-PLUS EU customer?

i get the feeling that a nepalese wii owner is more valued than a european plus subscriber…

I sent a email today to playstation regarding the US update with singstar and i made it clear i did not want a generic reply back, – just got a reply

“I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been unhappy with your experience on you’re PS3. I’d be grateful if you could provide me with a contact telephone number and a convenient time to talk, so that I can arrange for one of our management team to give you a call to discuss this further”

Thank you,

Lee Fox
PlayStation Support

Just waiting for them to call me now – will report back what they say

@mordecaihunter: I expect him to say you the same standard responses just verbally , its not like he can change anything as a support employee. He may even agree with you but all he can do is forward it to the same place as the mods here. I mean what else is there to discuss? If they wanted to listen to us and remove it, they would let us know already here.

i dont know what there is for them to discuss, i got an email the same as that asking to phone me… i replied that i wasnt interested in being told over the phone the same standard sony lines… theres nothing to discuss… theyve had 3 weeks(?) to discuss it already, what more is there to say?

as old fred says ” I haven’t added anything as I don’t have a further update for you at present. If/when I do”

nicely added the ‘if’