Sexy and exotic.
It’s the best way to describe the new user interface of the PlayStation 5. A few nights ago, Sony displayed the upcoming console’s UI and it’s actually quite impressive. What seems to be a good balance of function and style, this next generation piece of Sony hardware will most certainly be easy on the eyes.
So What’s New?
Those who own PlayStation 4’s will certainly find the design to be refreshing yet familiar. But unlike its predecessor, the PS5’s selection of options is neatly placed on the upper left corner of the screen. What really stands out, however, is the PS Store no longer being an application of its own. Instead, it has been neatly incorporated as a part of this new generation console’s UI. No doubt this would definitely help for a more convenient online shopping experience, as the PS4’s game store could somewhat be a hassle.
It also seems that there is more functionality to the design than just being pretty and convenient. Back in the PS4, you’d have to leave the game for a bit in order to get into a party chat with your friends. But in Sony’s presentation of the PS5, this no longer seems necessary. Hop in and chat with your friends without ever having to leave your game.
Thanks to the PS5’s Control Center, you’ll be able to do a lot more things without leaving the game. You can access this with a single click. From there you can check who’s online, the status of your downloads, manage your controller and many more. The Control Center also gives you access to cards, these provide extra interaction with the game such as keeping you up to date with new stories from publishers you are following, check the screenshots you took, and monitor your progress with the game.
But among the cards, activity seems to be the most interesting. Not only will it help you see just how much you’ve progressed in the game, but you will also be informed about objectives you have yet to accomplish. It will also provide an estimate of how much time it will take you to complete those activities.
This makes sense, since as from the start of the presentation they have mentioned that one of their primary goals is to give players a valuable and meaningful experience. For those on a tight schedule, this will help them carefully prioritize their play time as to not lose any progress if a certain objective will take too long. These cards can sometimes even help you by providing you with an option to immediately transport yourself to the location of the objective. Though this will most likely have its limitations depending on the game
For PS Plus Members
There’s also new benefits to becoming a PS Plus member if you have a PS5. Besides the multiplayer access and free games, PS Plus now offers a brand new assist feature in select games for this console. Stuck on a certain level? Check out activities and you might just find a tutorial that helps you get through a level without resorting to a web search.
What’s even more convenient about it, is that you don’t have to leave the game as the video plays. You have the option to either expand it to get a better view or play along side the video as it plays. From the presentation, it also seems that a benefit of this feature is to save players from possible spoilers they might be exposed to should they opt for a third party help. Meaning that important events or cutscenes will most likely be edited out of the video in some way.
Freedom of Communication
If you’re unaware, your new controller now has a built-in microphone. Like mentioned before, you can accept party invites and chat with your friends seamlessly. Now you don’t even have to reach out for your headset in order to communicate with your friends. But if you don’t like that, you can always mute your microphone anytime you wish with the Control Access.
In fact, you can also view what your friends are doing all in real time while you play. If one of your friends starts sharing his screen, you have the option to go ahead and play along side him. This might have a competitive advantage even, as if you’re playing multiplayer games you can view your friend’s screen for a better idea of what they’re looking at.
Thanks to the PS5 high speeds, you can now join your friends as fast as possible in multiplayer games. Simply check with the Control Center to see if any of your friends are playing. This feels like a great way to take advantage of the PS5 UI as playing and having fun with friends is now faster than ever.
With all this in mind, are you considering purchasing the PS5 when it releases worldwide on November 19th? Or if you’re one of those living in select countries, 12th? This new generation of PlayStation is already a force to reckon with even when compared to modern gaming PCs with its ray tracing support, backwards compatibility, and its convenient user friendly UI.