PS5: Sony gives first look at what new PlayStation will be like to use – and it is completely different

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Sony has revealed the first proper look at what the PlayStation 5 will actually be like to use.

A new official video shows the user interface that will greet players when they sign in, and how they will get to games and navigate around.

Some important parts of the menus are left off, including the PlayStation Store that players will use to buy games. For the first time, that will represent the only way that some consoles can actually get new titles, since Sony is releasing its first digital-only version of the console, without a disc.

But otherwise the video represents a deep-dive into the menus that have remained entirely secret until now.

Sony has held more back about its next-generation console than Microsoft, which has revealed in-depth information about its Xbox Series X and Series X, including the menus that will be used to navigate them.

But over time Sony has revealed more about the upcoming PlayStation 5. It recently posted a new teardown video that showed the inside of the console for the first time.

And now the new video – titled "First Look at the PlayStation 5 User Experience" – finally gives a look at the software that will power that console.

Sony had previously only referenced the design, showing indications during its hardware reveal event but never actually giving a look at the menu.

While it borrows some parts from the design of the PS4 – including a flowing design, and menus based around rectangular boxes for each game – it also introduces an entirely new design, including a black and gold colour scheme.

The PS5 arrives on 12 November in limited countries including the US, before being released more widely on 19 November in geographies including the UK.