PlayStation Stars: Potentially Fun, But Super Smash Bros. Has Done It Before

Sony’s Tuesday night State of Play(Opens in a new window) event revealed more about its PlayStation Stars loyalty program, which will be a series of campaigns that challenge players to perform tasks in different games and reward them with 3D digital collectibles.

Details are minimal outside a short video clip showing examples of rewards and a PlayStation blog post(Opens in a new window), but it sounds like a fun little project. Complete achievements in games you’re already playing to get 3D models of objects and characters from PlayStation’s history? Neat!

The idea is also at least 20 years old, and not to get too cliché, but Nintendo did it first.

Trophies in Super Smash Bros. Melee, for example, were 3D models of characters in Nintendo’s past that could be won randomly throughout the game or by beating certain modes with different characters. There were 290 to be found, and you could view each one individually to read a profile of the character or item, and spin the model around to see it from different angles. The idea continued through Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros for Wii U/3DS, but it was unfortunately replaced by 2D, sticker-like Spirits in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Marth’s trophy from Super Smash Bros. Melee
(Credit: SSBWiki)

This isn’t an exclusive concept to the Super Smash Bros. series or Nintendo, either. The more sterile term is “model viewer,” and many games already have it. 3D models are present in the games, and making them viewable from any angle as a reward for playing is common. I mean, they were in Sony’s own Astro’s Playroom, the pack-in game on the PlayStation 5.

Also, rewards for playing games across a platform isn’t that new, either. Xbox has been doing it for a while with Xbox Game Pass quests. You only get points that can be used for Xbox Live membership, gift cards, and in-game rewards, but it’s still a fun concept.

Still, PlayStation Stars could be enjoyable. Model viewers are always nice to have, and if they push some really fine details using the PS5’s processing power, it might even be amazing.

With few details, we can run away with our imagination and think about the best possible thing PlayStation Stars could be. How detailed will the models be? Will they move, or will you be able to interact with them? A PlayStation model with an exploded view to look at all of the internal components would make it of the best model viewer features ever. Or a Kratos where you can choose different novelty costumes or moves from the God of War games.

It would be nice, but don’t count on it being more than this.
(Credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

How about additional information with each model, beyond just a text blurb? Imagine getting classic PlayStation 3 ads with a PS3 model, or game manuals with game characters.

I doubt that will happen, but it’s nice to imagine. As it is, you’ll get some little 3D versions of PlayStation things for playing games, which is fun if you like collecting things like that.

That’s the best thing I can say about PlayStation Stars at this point. Another plus: It won’t be the elaborate-but-abandoned boondoggle that was PlayStation Home. Incidentally, Facebook/Meta? Sony created your image of the metaverse before you if you want to go into the weeds of Second Life and VRML. Anyone remember VRML? From 1997? No? Okay.