With the next generation of consoles now under a month away for most people, fans have been clamoring to learn as much as they can about these machines. One area that Sony was seemingly keeping very hidden about the PlayStation 5 was its UI. While many thought it was a bit strange that the company prevented Japanese journalists from using it during a recent hands-on event, it seems that was due to the fact that Sony was planning a deep dive video of its own. While many of the bigger features like the Control Center and Activity Cards were a big focus, there were also a few technical improvements which aim to give players a smoother experience.
Towards the end of the PlayStation 5 UI reveal trailer, players got to see some of the more general improvements Sony has made to the entire user experience. While the entire user interface has been designed for a 4K display, the speed of everything was also clearly visible. The demo showed how quickly players can switch games, join a party, as well as utilize picture-in-picture mode for uninterrupted gameplay.
However, for many, the biggest background improvements with the PS5 is with the PlayStation Store. Sony has actually completely integrated the store into the system, which means the store will open instantly. This should be a welcome change for users coming from the PS3 and PS4 as the store was a separate app, which needed to load before it could open. One thing to note is that even though the store now opens instantly, accessing content and download speeds still depend on the user's internet connection speed.
In addition to the faster speeds, the demo indicated that search games will be easier due to the increased speeds and the store itself will be more personalized to the user. While the demo didn't actually show off the store, fans will not only be able to browse PS5 content, but all backward compatible PS4 games as well. The list promises to be quite extensive as Sony previously confirmed that the overwhelming majority of PS4 games will work on the PS5.
While the console itself as well as this new UI isn't arriving until November, fans got a bit of a surprise this week as many PlayStation 5 accessories are shipping much earlier than anticipated. Several players who pre-ordered things like the DualSense controller or Pulse headset received an email indicating that orders were being shipped early on October 30. While the players won't be able to take advantage of the accessories without the console, getting the items a bit early may help build anticipation and make the new generation feel a bit more real.
The PlayStation 5 launches on November 12.