Can You Buy New Visualizers for a PS3?

Available Visualizers

• There are three visualizers available for the PlayStation 3 system. The first visualizer is the PlayStation 3's "wave" default XrossMediaBar background, the second visualizer is a transforming landscape and the third visualizer is a view of Earth from space. As of the PlayStation 3 4.0 firmware update, these are the only three visualizers available on the PlayStation 3 console.

Accessing the Visualizers

• If you want to use one of the three visualizers installed on your system, you can do so through the "Music" section of the system's XrossMediaBar. Scroll over to the "Music" section of the XMB and highlight the music track that you want to play. Press the "X" button to begin playing the track. Press the "Square" button while the track is playing to access the PS3's visualizer. To switch between the three available visualizers, press the "Square" button.

New Visualizers

• As of Sony's 4.0 PS3 firmware update, there are no public plans to release any additional visualizers. Unlike backgrounds, themes and avatars, visualizers cannot be downloaded or purchased from the PlayStation Store. Instead, when visualizers are added to the system, they are added via an update to the system's main firmware.

Updating Your Console

• If your console does not have the three default visualizers or if Sony releases any new visualizers in the future, you can download them by updating the console's firmware. Scroll over to the "Settings" section of the XrossMediaBar and select the "System Update" option. Select the "Update via Internet" option and confirm that you want to update the system's firmware. Once the firmware update finishes downloading and installing, you will have all of the latest visualizers installed on your console.