Sony has finally shown off the menus and UI for the PlayStation 5.
Just a month before the console releases, Sony has finally relented to the many calls online and given us a lengthy look at the PS5 UI in action. A new 10-minute breakdown of the PS5 user experience takes us through what the home menu looks like, how we’ll be jumping between games, and plenty of other slick new features the console offers.
© Sony
One of the biggest changes to the interface is the Control Center, which allows you to access the PS5’s menus and features all without leaving the game you’re playing. You might need to be careful though, because just like Dark Souls, it appears this won’t automatically pause, either. Don’t go hitting that PlayStation button in the middle of a fraught boss battle, basically!
“We believe your play time is valuable and should be meaningful, and all the new features we’re delivering are inspired by that concept and vision,” Sony says in the Playstation blog post revealing the interface. “The new UX introduces several new features designed to make your gaming experiences more fun, engaging, personalized and social.”
Those new features include the Activities feature which, along with news updates for games that you follow, can be used to see helpful tips towards completing achievements or finding collectables that you may have missed. There’s also as a timer estimate for how long it’ll take you to wrap up the rest of your current challenge. If you’re diving through these menus for a specific hint, you can then pin it to the Control Center, allowing you to access it easily without hopping out of the game.
“We believe the less time you spend waiting to interact with the system, the more time you will have to spend playing games,” Sony continues.
That concept now means it's easier than ever to respond to notifications and invites from friends. If someone invites you to a group chat or wants to share their screen, a tap of the PlayStation button will let you respond to the notification without ever leaving the game you’re playing. You can even pin a share play screen to a picture-in-picture mode, letting you keep up with what your friends are up to while also gaming yourself. For more PS5 details head over to our PS5 hub page! The PlayStation 5 is due to release November 12 in the US and Canada, or November 19 in Europe.
