Why the fuck hasn't Sony fixed the PSN store's search engine yet?

[Deleted member 11093]

What was wrong with the old one from 2012?

Searching for a game in a specific series with bazillion entries, DLCs and microtranscations is just way too much, and it's even worse if the DLCs you're looking for is from a video game with a long ass title:

You can't even know the DLC's names unless you pause for 5 seconds or press on the DLC to know if it's the one you're looking for, it's such a badly designed search engine it makes me dread going to the store.


Who on earth thought that searching by scrolling letters was a good idea how the hell is this acceptable in 2018?

 

[Theswweet]

The Japanese PSN lets you actually search, instead of going letter by letter. It's a night and day difference...

 

[Stuart444]

I was going to say I'm fine with the search engine (and I am mostly since I use the website more than the console version of the store >_>) but yes that is very annoying and it would be nice if they fixed it somehow. Either bring back the old type in one or make it so DLC doesn't show up (so just go to the game and get to the DLC from there or some shit)

 

[KrigareN-]

Sony sometimes value impractical shit for the sake of dumb design philosophy.

 

[justiceiro]

Maybe they should classify results by what is games, what is dlc, what is microtransaction, etc. My 2 bits

 

[Hamster Plugin]

The store actually used to be pretty good back on the PS3 before they introduced the PS4 store style re-design.

Now the best way to buy games is through the web store and then going to your library on the console. You can even remotely start downloads on the web store if you're playing on your primary PS4.

 

[Pankratous]

While we're on the topic of the PlayStation store I'd quite like if during sales you could filter for season passes relating to games you own or have played.

That way it'd be easy for me to check if there was a cheap season pass for a game I've got and want to go back to.

 

[Mr Delabee]

Just after they showed off P.T demo and said it was on the store it literally took me about a half hour to find via search.
Today's PSN search was brought to you by the letter P and the letter T, which psn decided to show me everything featuring those letters except the actual demo.

 

[Deleted member 249]

Yeah, it's absolutely inane.

 

[DOT_mjo]

Really hoping PSN is revamped sooner or later but I feel as if that is just wishful thinking.

 

[Deleted member 36578]

The playstation store in general is always terrible for me. The search, the loading, it's a messy environment. I hope they change it.

 

[Crayon]

It truly sucks. I have a laugh every time I use it.

 

[ebsy]

It's a terrible experience on the console. The web version isn't much better. Search definitely needs an overhaul.
(e.g. try searching for 'god war' it won't find 'God of War' I never realized how lazy Steam search made me!

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

yeah its still awful.

 

[freeradical]

Hard reality. Best selling system doesn't need to fix anything!

 

[night814]

It's gross. Especially as OP says if whatever you're looking for has a bunch of DLCs it becomes a huge mess.

 

[Gradon]

I miss this store so much. They had to go and fucking ruin the PS3 one with the PS4 store as well.

 

[Protome]

Try and find ZHP for PSP on the store. (The web one obv, not PS4)

Edit: Actually nevermind, they finally fixed that. For literally years it didn't show up in the search.

 

[Deleted member 249]

I miss this store so much. They had to go and fucking ruin the PS3 one with the PS4 store as well.

Click to shrink...

I have to be honest, this was actually pretty bad too. It's just that it was better than the shit show they ultimately turned the PS3 PSN Store into.

 

[JMY86]

PSN and it's store have never been all that great IMO.

 

[Deleted member 26746]

I use the smartphone app or the PC browser to buy/add items to the download list.

 

[Lukemia SL]

Yeah that search and keypad is terrible.

 

[StallionDan]

Click on ANY dlc for the game you want, click on the game page option, view all the dlc in full detail from there.

Don't use the huge list in search results...

 

[Red Alert]

Just using pc browser at this point

 

[Protome]

To be fair, the example in the OP is more an issue with Ubisoft's awful naming conventions than anything else. Although yeah, the PS Store should handle it nicer.

Maybe they should classify results by what is games, what is dlc, what is microtransaction, etc. My 2 bits

Click to shrink...

They actually kinda do this. Full games have a "Game" tag next to them. Everything else is dlc.

 

[Lagamorph]

Where would Sony get the money to invest in improvements to the PSN service though? They're not a charity y'know.

 

[Deleted member 13645]

Yeah, the store is borderline useless on PS4 for me. I just end up buying stuff using the PC browser. I recently tried to find Watch Dogs 2 on the store and it was a nightmare.

 

[WordsintheWater]

Yeah the search is pretty damn terrible, such a flaw on the store.

 

[Jotakori]

Oh god yeah it's awful. A little while back I was helping a friend new to PS4 get a specific theme (and it was for a game they don't own, so had to find it manually via the store to access it) and it was pretty much impossible to find. I eventually had to google search it and link the store page to them that way instead.

 

[Musubi]

Not that this is an acceptable answer but... this is exactly why I use the web store to purchase anything.

 

[xolsec]

I use the app, but yea, I agree

 

[Falconbox]

Not that this is an acceptable answer but... this is exactly why I use the web store to purchase anything.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, as opposed to the bad console store, their web store is practically best in the industry IMO.

 

[Dragoon]

Seriously that UI segment makes me feel like I might need another pair glasses after I'm done searching....

 

[AusGeno]

What's even worse is when I want to redownload something for my Vita or PS3 and there's no way to filter my purchases.

 

[TailorDKS]

I think its not broken so it doesnt have to be fixed, at least I find everything sooner or later or just use the web store

They could change it, yeah maybe. If they should or want to change it... Well thats up to Sony. I guess they think its faster this way with the controller.

 

[Bjones]

The whole store needs an overhaul.

I hate to pick games and see all new and get 50000 avatars and bs.

 

[JayBabay]

That's funny OP, because the same example you used for R6 Siege is what made me think the same thing, like, how much DLC do I have to sort through to find the actual product, especially with the vital writing In the name cut off. Even if you specifically search the title and add season 2 you get a ton of DLC listed.

 

[huH1678]

This is why i only use the webstore or use the app.

 

[ghostcrew]

Yeah it's terrible on the console. I pretty much exclusively use the web store for PS4 purchases/searches.

 

[Orochinagis]

You cant find Bloodborne theme in that thing

 

[Deleted member 437]

Like others have said, 99% of the time, I use the website.

Hope they take another crack at the store.

I haven't used switch or Xbox stores. How are those?

 

[GarthLordOfTheSith]

Searching letter by letter is such a goddamn design fail. I have no idea how anyone looked at it and said "yep! That's acceptable for end users! Release it, save!"

 

[kennyamr]

This is the reason why I use the website all the time. It is just so much easier. I almost never visit the actual store on the PS4. It's really bad.
Easy to remember too, so at least there is that. store.playstation.com

 

[SuperFakerBros]

Yeah, I was actually quite baffled it was letter by letter. I have never seen any store or website offer searches this poorly before or since. Kind of surprising, considering how well most of the PS4 was managed

 

[Deleted member 249]

Like others have said, 99% of the time, I use the website.

Hope they take another crack at the store.

I haven't used switch or Xbox stores. How are those?

Click to shrink...

Switch has the benefit of the touch screen.
Xbox is a goddamn nightmare

 

[kiguel182]

I was just thinking that today. Baffling there isn't something like "show games only" or some simple filter like that.

It's so bad.

 

[stan423321]

The scrolling letters thing actually looked cool until I realized it probably has something to do with my PS3 choking on the store.

The screenshot problem is not that, though. The primary search should just not cover DLC by default, or at least not the ones matched just by game title. OP's diagnosis sounds correct to me.

 

[Richietto]

Yeah its ridiculous, not only is it weird you have to pick each letter vertically instead of using the system keyboard in every other menu on the system but searching something ends up giving cut off results. Honestly the whole system was bad. I had the most difficult time finding new themes and avatars I liked because they make it so hard to find what you are looking for. And lets not get started on the fact that you can only use 1 filter instead of the normal multiple that websites have let you do for decades.

 

[chasingclouds]

Funnily enough I actually really like it! But I think I only ever search for obscure stuff that has only one or two entries so I never considered how annoying it must be to end up with a gazillion different results.

I really love the app on my phone, I use that most of the time.

 

[Deleted member 21709]

There's a lot more wrong with it than just the search engine. :/

I wish they let us search our owned games. Rather than an endless download list.