Since its launch last November, Sony's PS5 has closely followed in its forebearer's footsteps. Between setting early sales records in several global territories, and the release of a raft of first-party exclusive hits like Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Returnal, the fledgling console has picked up where the PS4 left off in all of the most significant ways. Having launched in the middle of a global pandemic that's exacerbated continued console shortages and manufacturing setbacks, it's perhaps unsurprising that despite this success, the PS5's software has some noticeable gaps in its feature list when compared to the outgoing PlayStation.
Over the course of the last 11 months, the publisher has slowly drip-fed updates to the still difficult to acquire PS5, bringing it a little bit closer to feature parity with the PS4. Much requested changes and additions like easier to read trophy lists, the ability to upgrade the system's internal SSD, and Sony's infamous stability patches, are just some of the examples that have come about that show things are heading in the right direction. Having developed the PS4 over the course of eight years there's still plenty of overlooked features from that journey that haven't transitioned over yet, which would go a long way to improving the PS5 as well.
Folders
Over the course of the last few console generations, since gaming truly embraced the age of the internet, it seems like the ability to group games together into neat and handy folders has become of even greater importance to players. However, the PS5 is missing this much-requested feature, despite the fact that owners of the machine now have the option to expand their hard drives and subsequently download more games easier than ever before. Currently, only a set number of applications can be displayed on the console's home screen at any given time, which can lead to some frantic digging around in menus if something has become buried by the passage of time.
Considering the PS3 gave users the option to create albums for a variety of different supported media, and the PS4 received a similar feature via an update partway into its lifecycle, it's a little odd that Sony has seemingly decided to overlook the option so far on its latest console. Right now, the PS5's user interface breaks from tradition by separating games and other media applications into different menu tabs, before showing players a stylish preview screen as they hover over individual applications. Adding an ability to group games and apps together wouldn't necessarily mean that this design philosophy would have to change too dramatically though. Instead of removing game wallpapers all together, and the unique audio they are often accompanied with, only the first piece of software placed within the album could be given this treatment as an alternative.
Themes
For a long time, themes were a consistent part of the PlayStation ecosystem, having featured on every Sony-branded console since the PS3 and PSP days. Right now the newest heir to the PlayStation lineage is bucking this trend, with players currently having no way to put a small stamp of individuality onto their system's UI. Instead, the slick wallpapers that come packaged with each new release are what greets owners of the console each time they boot it up.
The ability to customize and change a console's background, icons, and even sound effects, was often undermined and subsequently taken for granted due to the long list of clipart-esque themes that eventually overwhelmed the PS3 and PS4's respective storefronts. However, amongst all of the rough-looking themes, there were more than a few diamonds as well, that allowed players to enhance their consoles in some special ways. One memorable theme, in particular, that was released to commemorate the original PlayStation's 20th anniversary gave the PS4's UI a retro makeover that came complete with the iconic original Sony Computer Entertainment boot-up sound effect.
Giving players this feature back would therefore add some welcome visual options whilst opening the door for Sony to create more exciting tie-in media for game releases and events. For a long time, themes formed a part of the publisher's pre-order campaigns as well, when it marketed its first-party developed software. Adding them back into the mix would also give players an extra incentive to pre-order those games, following Sony's decision to increase the price of admission for internally developed titles.
Social Features
One of the topics of discussion that has come up repeatedly since the PS5 launched is the way in which players currently interact with their friends. In recent updates, Sony has addressed some of the complaints PS5 owners have had when it comes to sending messages to friends and parties. However, there's still plenty of missing features that relate to this subject from the PS4 era that could be resurrected to make the overall experience of using the PS5 a little bit more enjoyable and sociable.
On the PS4, players can still to this day interact with their friends in a number of ways via the What's New section of the console's user interface. Here friends can share photos, video clips, trophy unlocks, and general story progression with each other, whilst sending likes and commenting on posts. Over on the PS5, these interactions have been buried within each user's PlayStation profile and dialed back significantly. Previously, Sony also promoted the Communities network within the PS4 itself before it was shut down in April, where players could meet like-minded individuals, join gaming sessions, and discuss their favorite games.
In an age where social media usage and apps like Discord are dominant, an argument can be made that these old social features aren't necessarily needed within a PlayStation console as well. However, having them readily available would help keep players tied to the console itself and focused on their PS5 games. Considering the publisher's latest console loads everything far quicker than its predecessor, the ability to check in on friends and communities could work remarkably well. Presently, hitting the PS button on the DualSense during gameplay brings up a bunch of Activity Cards relating to that game. Adding more general social options and features to this space, for example, would make a lot of sense.