This may just be a result of it being like 7 in the morning when I considered writing this, me experimenting with custom home menu backgrounds for my hacked 3DS, me using a custom theme for Discord that turns it into a Windows 98 desktop or all three of those things combined on top Nintendo announcing that they are going to be sharing details about the Switch 2 in the next fiscal year whatever the hell that means but I’m kinda hoping the Switch 2 has better menus than the Switch.

That’s probably like what a lot of people are hoping for though right? A console home menu that has a lot more personality to the one we’ve been stuck with for the past 7 years on the Nintendo Switch. So it might surprise you to know I’m only kinda hoping for it. And let me explain. The home menu for any video game console, weather it’s old or new, has been something I have never been overly concerned with considering the whole reason I or anyone else plays on video game consoles in the first place is to play video games (Or watch something on Youtube or streaming or whatever you use your console for) and I have never understood why the menu of a console is such a make or break deal for some people considering how little you actually spend in a console home menu compared to being in game. It’s one of those things people tend to make out to be a bigger deal than it actually is. Seriously, some of you people would NOT survive the Playstation 2 or Nintendo 64 era where those consoles instantly load into whatever game’s inside them, double so for the N64 since there’s no grand console start up sequence like the Playstation or anything.

Even with that said though, I won’t deny that I do still like a good home menu all the same. It’s one of those things that add’s a little more personality to a console and even if you aren’t using the console for playing games and are using it for watching a movie or show, like I’ve been using my systems for a lot more recently, even just starting them up can be fun. Especially the ones that let you add a little bit of personalisation to your system to make it feel more you I guess.

Seriously, this is the base home menu for both the Playstation Portable and Playstation 3.

They are both similar in there menu designs but both can be customized to your liking.

I've been using my own pics I've gotten as commisions for my home background for these things...

but there were a bunch of unique themes for the systems as well that you could get from the PSN store or even as rewards from certain games.

I don’t have any for my Playstation Portable but I got a bunch for my PS3 back in the day and I loved using them especially the ones that change the sound effects for certain ones. I use to have a Prince of Persia one two but sadly I can’t find it anywhere on the PSN store to re-download it.

Same with the 3DS, even just the base menu has a lot of personality since your able to move around all the different icons and create your own folders for certain games and apps.

(And of course, here’s a home menu using one of my comms if your interested. I have to put a lot of effort in for some of these let's just say.)

And back when the eShop for the 3DS was still a thing I’m pretty sure I brought more home menus for my system than I did actual games from the eShop.

Seriously, before I swapped to using commissioned pics for my systems the Xenoblade Chronicles home menu for the 3DS was one of my personal favourites. Just the shot of the Mechonis in the background with the Manado Blade in the ground paired with the beautiful title theme just made for one of the most relaxing home themes on any system I’ve played.

Which brings me to the Nintendo Switch.

Just an incredibly basic home menu, only two options for backgrounds being basic white or black, no sort of personalisation of any kind and the option to create custom folders for our games wasn’t added until a few years later. Yeah, it’s a prime case of over simplification to me. It’s one of those things about the Nintendo Switch I’ve always been conflicted on. Well, this and also the fact that the quality of some third party games is inconsistent at best and many of the first party games released in the first couple of years of it’s life were just ports of Wii U games I either already owned or could of saved money and brought the Wii U version instead since I was starting to make my own money by the time I owned a Switch (seriously, I will never understand how yall will crap on the Playstation 5 for its port which it isn’t nearly as over saturated with as you make it out but then turn around and praise this thing for its arguably larger number of ports!) On one hand I still stand by what I said earlier in that the Home Menu of the Nintendo Switch is not some make or break deal when I’m going to be spending most of my time in game on these things but on the other hand, I do still miss the option to make my console just feel like my own little personal device. And who know, maybe with the Switch 2 allegedly being a lot more powerful than the Switch 1 we could get better home menus. It won’t be a massive deal break if there’s not but I’d still kinda like it.

I don’t know, I guess I just miss that option to make newer consoles feel more personalized but even if it doesn’t come back I’m still as excited for the Switch 2 and the details we will be getting on it. Just please don’t have the library for the first couple of years be ports of games I’ve already owned on a previous console again for the love of Palutena!