PlayStation 5’s New Menus, and PS Store Changes

Check out what it’s like to play games and group up with friends on PS5.

Oct 16, 2020

As the release date of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S draws closer, more and more details are coming out about the new consoles. PlayStation released a detailed video showing players exactly what they can expect when navigating the console’s menus, and how easy it is to jump into games and group up with friends. The look is not final, but it is more or less what we can expect the PlayStation 5’s look and feel to be.

Control Center

A large portion of the video was dedicated to the PS5’s Control Center feature. This is a place where you can interact with in-game challenges and rewards in one easy spot. In the game Sackboy’s Big Adventure, the Control Center tracks the progression of each level and even lets you to instantly warp to a level from the menu. There is an in-game hint system for some games too, where you can quickly pull up tips on how to beat a challenge or collect a hidden item you cannot find. Many of the Control Center’s modes can be placed right in front of your gameplay, so you can view the tips while you are playing. This feature is going to be great for Trophy hunters who want to tackle every challenge in a game, but we cannot know right now how many games will decide to include these bonus features. Expect them on most, if not all the PlayStation exclusive games, but time will have to tell if this catches on. From here you will also be able to capture and share screenshots and videos and easily share them with your friends and social media. Doing a simple edit on a video clip does take quite a while on PS4, so any speed toward sharing content and getting back to the game fast is welcome.

You can track Trophies and objectives while playing.

Games and Media Library

Accessing your library of games on PS5 is fairly similar to doing on PS4, just with fewer steps in the way of enjoying the games. The UI’s buttons are big and bold, everything is easy to see, and characters are front in center while hovering over games. In the video, everything seemed to be just a couple of button presses away, vs. the PS4’s often lengthy wading through menus to find what exactly you’re looking for. Your games and media are separate collections. If you want to play a game, they will all be in one place, and your other apps will be out of the way. Overall, a clean look at the system's menus. They showed off some party features as well, but it seems like those mostly follow the theme of the entire package, doing what you want faster. It will be hard to tell just how good the new layout is without getting hands-on. It seems at a glance that the PS5’s new feel is incredibly quick, and accessing what you want seems easy.

The PS5's game screen.

PlayStation Store Changes

There is going to be a new version of the PlayStation Store launching in your browser anywhere from the 21^st to the 26^th of this month. Mobile versions will hit on the 28^th, but with the change comes a few huge drawbacks. You won’t be able to buy PS3, PSP, or PS Vita games right through the store, you can only use the console. Apps, Themes, and Avatars will not be visible either. To top it all off, Wishlists are also being removed. If you have any games in there, better write them down before the update goes live later this month. Being able to go online and look up any game was great, especially for the PS Vita where the store on the system is far from ideal. Why PlayStation is removing these fairly basic and standard features hasn’t been confirmed, but it is confusing.