Skip to content
Browser Screensaver

Fake PlayStation Update Screen

The PlayStation system software update screen, deep blue with a progress bar and a warning not to turn the console off.

Press F for fullscreen, Esc to exit.

What the fake playstation update screen is

Console updates are the most reliably annoying kind: they arrive exactly when someone has sat down to play, and they cannot be skipped. That shared frustration is what makes this one land.

Run it on a television with a browser, or cast a laptop to one. On a big screen with no visible browser interface it is very convincing indeed.

PlayStation update prank on a TV

Most smart televisions have a browser, and most support fullscreen. Open the page there, press F or the fullscreen button, and hand someone the controller.

Nothing is installed and the console is not touched — this is a web page on whatever device is displaying it.

How to run it, and how to stop it

Press F for fullscreen, then F11 to hide the browser’s own toolbars. That second step is the one that matters: an address bar sitting above the screen gives the whole thing away instantly.

To end it: Escape leaves fullscreen, F11 brings the toolbars back, and closing the tab removes it entirely. Nothing is installed, no file is written and no setting is changed, so there is nothing to undo afterwards.

Worth saying plainly — use this on people who will find it funny, and on machines you are allowed to touch. Show them the way out once the joke has landed.

Questions

Can I run this on an actual PlayStation?

The console browser is limited and awkward to drive, so a smart TV browser or a laptop plugged into the TV works far better.

Is this a specific PlayStation generation?

It follows the general system-software update look rather than one exact console, which keeps it plausible across generations.

Will this affect my console?

No. It is a page displayed on a screen, and it has no connection to any console at all.

How long does the fake update screen run?

You choose. The run-time control sets how long a full sweep from nought to a hundred per cent takes — anything from one minute to two hours — and the progress is paced to land on a hundred exactly when that time is up. On reaching the end it starts over by default, so it keeps going until the tab is closed; switch it to stay at 100 per cent if you would rather it settled there.

Why does the percentage freeze part-way?

Because real ones do. The screen stops at an arbitrary number for a few seconds and then jumps, which is the single most convincing detail on it. The stalls never change the total run time — the bar catches up afterwards — and you can turn them off for a smooth climb.

Is the fake playstation update screen safe?

Yes. It is a web page that draws a picture. It installs nothing, writes nothing to your device, requests no permissions, and cannot survive the tab being closed.

How do I exit?

Press Escape to leave fullscreen. If F11 was used to hide the browser toolbars, press F11 again to bring them back. Closing the tab ends it completely.