Do you prefer console themes?

Skinning the graphical appearance of your console's dashboard can really be a fun process, although not exactly free should you want something really impressive. But are enough people out there actually interested in optimising the appearance of their console dashes versus, say, their computer or phone desktops.



One of the problems is the lack of free content - some of the better themes and backgrounds for, say, the Xbox 360, aren't free, and it seems reasonable that it could be a standard similar to the PC of, say, wanting a Crysis or even a Partypoker logo as your background, making an image yourself or finding one online on a site like this, and then just using it. No payment, nothing. Less money for the game developer/publisher, sure, but charging money for some images of game characters just seems slightly ridiculous.

It's also valid that while your desktop background may be present should you not be running full-screen applications or ones that leave no space around them, games consoles are not the same - most people will go straight into the game, sometimes booting straight into it, bypassing the dashboard area entirely, and therefore having a theme or a background is effectively pointless.

But if the price barrier was removed, and additionally themes altered the way your entire GUI looked, from your dashboard background to achievement and trophy notifications, then people might find it more appealing. In an era where there are an increasing number of adverts showing up on console dashboards, it's nice to have something familiar show up when the console boots into its home screen.

For now though, gaming desktop backgrounds are still a reliable way to personalise your computer, so until console manufacturers relax a little and allow people to tinker with their dashboard's appearance, it seems fairly easy to explain why most people might stick with the default outside the "it already looks nice."

So what's your choice of themes; game, manga, anime, cars, or movies? Leave comment.