PS4 dynamic themes creators extraordinaire at Truant Pixel have been courting the iconic PS2 dashboard for a long time. Back in 2016 they released a homage to it named Blue Nebula, and earlier this year they showcased a prototype mentioning that it would never pass Sony’s approval due to legal reasons.
Looks like that has changed, as Truant Pixel will soon be releasing the Legacy Dashboard Dynamic Theme, created with direct input from Sony Interactive Entertainment America and Naughty Dog. The theme is meant to simulate “the sights, sounds, and functionality of the PlayStation 2 Dashboard.”
The theme offers a fully-recreated boot sequence, even if the PlayStation 2 logo itself could not be used due to legal reasons, replaced with a “mid-boot ‘Easter Egg,’ which changes randomly with every login.”
The iconic seven stars and crystal clock are also present, including dynamic lighting and surface effects, with color shifting controlled by user input. All the sounds have been recorded in high quality from the original hardware.
The theme runs at 1080p and 60 frames per second, and it has been created with 4K displays in mind. It will be released on December 6th in both North America and Europe for $2.99 or €2.99.