Two of the biggest problems with PLAYSTATION Store have been the fact that it’s separate from the XMB (please don’t kill the mood by stopping my music when I go shopping, Sony) and the horrible design/navigation that’s been a pain for the people who haven’t attached a mouse to their PS3. But change is coming, and one of these issues is about to get addressed.

By now, everyone has no doubt heard that PS Store will be getting a little make-up thrown at it this month, likely in time for the weekly update next Thursday, and seen the screenshots of the new design as well. But since nothing substitutes a moving image, Sony has put together a little 3-minute video, starring Grace Chen, Senior Manager of the PLAYSTATION Store, that walks us through the new design and some of its functionalities.

What we see here indeed shows that Sony hasn’t been messing around but working hard on the new Store. It looks significantly better than the current one on all fronts, seems well thought-out, and is running super smooth with fancy fade animations and what … *new email sound* Oh, what’s this? A press release from Sony about the launch dates of the revamped PS Store and an open Metal Gear Online beta? Coming up next..

[See also: PLAYSTATION Store gallery]