Road to NextGen 2020

The PS5 user interface in screenshots

You take a better look, we explain further

The PS5 user interface feels familiar but there’s more to it than a fresh coat of hi-res, HDR paint. New functions and a somewhat different approach in how existing ones work deserve a closer look. (Image credit: Road to NextGen 2020)

The Road to NextGen 2020 has already published a story about the user interface Sony has developed for the PlayStation5 — but some things about it might be better understood with specific examples. So here’s a number of screenshots pointing to what’s more important about the new UI, along with information not present in the original story.

This is what gamers will see immediately after logging in to a PS5 they’ve used. Just a row of their recent games or apps and a few icons. Clean, modern, elegant. (Image credit: Road to NextGen 2020)

With a game’s icon selected, though, if the player scrolls down then a “floating page” for that game appears: news, Trophies, Activities, clips and other information about that particular title are collected and updated there. (Image credit: Road to NextGen 2020)

The Control Center has been relocated to the bottom of the screen, it requires far less screen estate and can, of course, be called upon at any point in any game. (Image credit: Road to NextGen 2020)

The Game Switcher is only a list of the recently opened games or apps: it does not work like Quick Resume on the Xbox Series S|X. It is not known at this point whether an equivalent function could be added by Sony via a firmware update on a later date. (Image credit: Road to NextGen 2020)

The Game Library offers a catalog of all the titles linked to the player’s account: the PS5 ones along with the PS4 ones (which are tagged as such). There are separate tabs for titles offered via PlayStation Plus or PlayStation Now. (Image credit: Road to NextGen 2020)