When Firmware 2.00 came out for the PS3, Sony released a number of ho-hum themes for the PS3. Third party themes were better. My current favorite is Sfere, you should check it out.

With this week's PSN update we see two game-based themes, and they are free. Both the Ratchet & Clank and Uncharted themes are really nice. Not only do they change the icons and background, but also changes the sound effects of the XMB.

If you chose to, you can even create your own PS3 themes, which supports rather nice 128x128 px. PNG icons. If you are interested in creating your own theme, one of the better-organized sites is ps3-themes.com.

Why does Microsoft charge upwards of 150-200 Microsoft Points ($1.87 to $2.50) for Themes and Picture Packs? What happened to, before the launch of the Xbox 360, Microsoft going on and on about user created content? Wouldn't themes be a great stepping off point for that?

Now, some would argue that the only reason Xbox 360 themes cost so much is because people buy them. The only problem with that argument is that if Sony sold themes on the PlayStation Store, well guess what, people would buy them too. The point is that Sony is not selling them. They could, but they do not. For once, we are not getting ripped off.

Offering an editor for themes is even better, and we are seeing a crop of sites pop up with many theme download options. Do you like MotorStorm? There is a theme for that. Are you looking forward to Little Big Planet? There is a theme for that, too. If your favorite cannot be found, you can crack open the sample theme and start adding things here and there — it does not have to be a blank canvas scaring the crap out of you type event.

You will need Windows to actually compile the theme file, and you will be editing an XML (text) file, but you can edit the images and text files anywhere, like a Mac, for example.

Installing the themes is also quite painless, though requires some specifics. Create the following folder structure on your portable media device (such as a USB key):

/PS3/THEME

Add the .p3t files inside of THEME folder, plug the USB key into the PS3, and navigate to Settings > Theme Settings > Theme > Install. Your USB key will be shown, and a list of all the themes in the THEME folder will be available for installation.

If that is too geeky for you, there are a couple themes on the PlaySation Store, though you may be looking for more choice before long. If you use ps3-themes.com you can just download the themes using the PS3 Internet Browser.