Sony officially reveals PlayStation 5 user interface

A month ahead of its launch, Sony has revealed what to expect from the PlayStation 5 user interface. 

In a surprise State of Play presentation, the PS5’s UI was put under the spotlight via Sackboy Adventure - emphasising the addition of a Control Centre which is accessible at any point during gameplay. 

The Control Centre allows you to perform a number of tasks, including Official Game Help which points you in the direction of certain context-sensitive streaming videos to assist you parts of a title if you become stuck. This service is touted as an exclusive to PS Plus subscribers too. 

The Control Center for the PS5 (Picture: Sony)

There’s also the ability to watch these videos, along with a friend’s gameplay, in a small window to the side while you play a game yourself. It’s designed so you don’t have to interrupt your own gameplay to perform tasks, allowing you to easily chat with friends too.  

Interestingly, there’s also a log of an estimated time to complete levels - although it’s emphasised that this functionality might not be compatible with all titles and may be up to the specific developers.

There’s also Activities which “enables you to discover new gameplay opportunities, go back to things you missed, jump directly into levels or challenges you want to play” and more. This is all done at the touch of a button, while these activity cards can also pop-up organically if you don’t want to leave the game to access it from the Control Centre.

The PS5 will tailor shop recommendations to your tastes (Picture: Sony)

The actual aesthetic of the UI is similar to the PS4’s in design, although the fast speeds and fluidity between menus is certainly a noticeable improvement. 

Sony affirmed this is only the beginning of the interface too, with more features set to be rolled out following the console’s launch next month. 

The PlayStation 5 is set to launch on 19th November in the UK, and on 12th November for USA, Asia and Australia.