PlayStation released a small announcement, or maybe a feature unveiling, which is the foundation of the ongoing conversations. And by conversations, I mean complaining, but in a hopeful way, ‘please add this’. The official Ask PlayStation account published a quick how-to for the use of your own music and podcasts while on the PS5 if the game is compatible. This is a nice way to play games, isn’t it? Just fire up Spotify or Apple Music, maybe even a podcasting app, and let your tunes mix in with the game’s sound. A really nice feature to have. But player reactions in replies? That is where all the excitement is. It is not about the feature but rather it is all about what is not there.
For the news bots and those who just want to know the main point: PlayStation support account of Sony has promoted the background music feature, which is already existing on PS5, allowing streaming from such services as Spotify and Apple Music while gaming. But the comment area of that tweet was quickly filled with requests for YouTube Music integration and a native Discord app, both of which have been among the most asked features by gamers that are still missing from the console’s ecosystem.
Let’s go back to the human side of the talk. If you click that tweet, the top reply is of someone asking “@AskPlayStation Where’s YouTube music?” as the very first out-of-the-gate response, instead of being a ‘cool!’ or ‘thanks!’. Not at all. It’s “Where’s YouTube music?” from a user who calls himself Homo quærens. That, dear friends, was the entire discussion’s tone. It appeared as if opening the floodgates to a very specific and very passionate wishlist was just the case.
The same thing just was happening all over again. User by user, their replies just kept repeating the same thing. NotChris pleaded, “Plz add yt music 🙏🏻🙏🏻.” AZA asked, “And Amazon Music?” Lexgotti suggested, “Add YouTube music @youtubemusic @PlayStation.” The demand for YouTube Music support is obviously very strong. It is astonishing how a single tweet by the support team that is so mundane can cause people to start a full-blown petition for a specific music app. The community managers who handle that account must be sympathized with—they just wanted to contribute a helpful tip!
But, wait, it has just gotten even better. Or more complicated depending on your point of view. Another major issue that was part of the replies? Discord. Oh wow, Discord. Gamers are not letting Sony forget about their promise. SolPrime09 was quite direct: “Sony was so open when announcing Discord integration, but you know what? Xbox didn’t announce anything and integrated Discord streaming 2 years ago… So, please, YouTube music and Discord streaming, that’s all.” Oof. That was a counterattack. Another user, Dontmiindme1, made an even simpler remark, “Bruh make a discord app on ps5 already it’s just painful to think that you guys don’t have it.” The message is very loud and clear: the newly announced partnership feels like a blast from the past, and players are tired of waiting for the proper and fully-featured Discord app covering areas like streaming your gaming session to Discord calls.
This is indeed a very interesting insight into community priorities. Here’s Sony saying, “Hey, listen to your tunes!” and a big chunk of the audience is replying, “We are going to, but only if you give us tunes from the service that we really use and also let us speak to our PC friends the proper way!” It’s that classic gamer thing where a nice feature reminds you of the even nicer feature you don’t have.
However, on the flip side, there were not only demands in the replies. There were also a few remarks offering a humorous angle on the situation and helping to change the mood of the whole affair. One such person, Tha Incredible Edible Cee, expressed a different point of view, “Idk… usually I enjoy the soundtrack of the game I am playing. It helps me to create memories of the game itself. But anyway cool feature.” That’s a completely valid argument! Sometimes you just want to be immersed in the game through its music! And a different user, romboutv, pointed out the problem with the model, “Don’t understand why it’s has to be a paid 3rd party feature. Why not play from usb stick or something?” That is a thought-provoking technical question—why should it be limited to streaming apps only?
But come on, let’s not kid ourselves, those replies were simply exceptions. The main story in that comment section was a general request for two things: YouTube Music and Discord. It’s somewhat amusing in a way. This tweet was about utilizing an already existing feature,
