- Sony hasn’t scheduled any PlayStation 5 announcement event, nor has it released any new PS5 details this year — comparatively, Microsoft a few days ago unveiled the Xbox Series X’s main specs and features.
- The PS5 design and full specs sheet aren’t the only things gamers might be waiting for anxiously. The console’s new user interface should also be an exciting PS5 feature.
- A few gamers have created PS5 UI concepts based on some of Sony’s existing PS5 announcements, as well as other apps that offer user quick access to content.
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You might be wondering whether Sony has announced anything about any plans to unveil the PlayStation 5, but the answer is the same. Sony isn’t ready to tell us anything new about the console, and Microsoft is the huge winner of this set. Sony may have been the first to unveil its next-gen console’s name — it wasn’t going to be anything but PS5 — and some of its specs. But Microsoft came out on top when it comes to showing the actual design of the new Xbox Series X and revealing most of its specs. Microsoft hasn’t told us everything about the Xbox Series X though, and it hasn’t shown us everything either. We still need to know how much storage is on board on the new Xbox and what the rear ports can do. Not to mention that the new Xbox user interface is missing in action as well.
While Sony might be taking its time with the PS5 reveal, we’ve seen plenty of specs leaks so far, as well as a slew of Sony gaming patents that tell us Sony has great plans in mind for the future of gaming. We’ve also seen plenty of exciting PS5 design renders from PlayStation fans who have tried to imagine what the next-gen console might look like. With that in mind, it only makes sense to see PS5 UI concepts pop up. After all, the user interface of the PlayStation 5 is obviously more important and exciting than the console’s physical design.
A great PS5 user interface should provide as much information as possible about the console and the games you’re about to play while eliminating all the unnecessary clutter. It should also provide fast access to other entertainment apps that you might want to install on the PS5, such as video and music streaming services. And it should look beautiful, and more polished than before. After all, the PS5 has been seven years in the making, and it absolutely needs to wow fans with a brand new UI.
Two Redditors (via Inverse) attempted to create PS5 UI concepts that meet these needs, using features that are already in use in some apps, and taking into account some of the few details that Sony has provided about the PlayStation’s UI. First up is Archy_Fire, whose PS5 concept imagines a user interface similar to what you’d find on Netflix and other streaming apps. Users would be able to browse the games they’re currently playing and get useful information about each title at a glance.
In the example, the PS5 tells you that you’re playing Cyberpunk 2077, and you’ve completed 43% of the game in nearly 17 hours. The UI also reveals the game needs 80GB of storage in Play Store Mode, seemingly suggesting that you could ditch parts of games if you’re not interested in them. If this sounds like a familiar feature, that’s because Sony already confirmed it a few months ago. PS5 system architect Mark Cerny said in an interview in October that the PS5 will feature modular storage that will let you install only the content you’re looking to play. “Rather than treating games like a big block of data,” said Cerny. “We’re allowing finer-grained access to the data.”
TheRokieHD’s video concept of the PS5 UI is even better. As with the previous user interface mockup, the following one also features a Netflix-inspired home screen where gamers can select what to play next. Elements on the screen will display stats about their current gameplay sessions, their progress, and information about the game. The screen will also tell you how much storage you need for a title.
The UI is inspired by a different thing Cerny said about the console’s UI when it comes to games. “Multiplayer game servers will provide the console with the set of joinable activities in real-time,” he said. “Single-player games will provide information like what missions you could do and what rewards you might receive for completing them — and all of those choices will be visible in the UI. As a player, you just jump right into whatever you like.”
The concept also imagines what playing a game might look like, and shows additional apps that you might want to have installed on the PS5, aside from games. The list includes apps like YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, and Spotify, to name a few. This one really might be the PS5 UI of our dreams.
As great as these concepts might be, they’re not related in any way to Sony’s final PS5 software, which means we’re back to waiting for official PS5 news to drop.
