There’s a lot of things to love about the PlayStation 4. The home screen and settings user interface isn’t one of them. Sony used an entire blog post and an 11-minute video to outline the interface on the upcoming PlayStation 5, highlighting the improvements and integrations with games and media.
The interface appears to have taken a few cues from smart TV menus, but with a focus on advanced features that can integrated in and out of the games you play. The home screen splits everything up into just two sections, Games and Media.
While playing a game, the main menu switches to “Control Center” mode. At any time you can bring up the main menu and see suggested quests or activities in your current game, along with time estimates for completion based on your personal play style.
Supported games even include hints and videos to get you through them, which you can pin to the side of the screen as you’re playing…but that’s only for active PlayStation Plus subscribers. The PS5’s social features are on full display, with party chat available at any time and deep links into joinable parties from the home screen’s cards.
Voice dictation is a highlight, keeping you from needing to use a keyboard or the awkward on-screen keyboard interface. But the home screen appears to change dynamically based on the last game you played, so unified themes are a thing of the past.
The PlayStation 5 is releasing November 12th…if you can find one.
Source: PlayStation Blog