First PS5 hands-on videos show off hardware and games, but no UI

Sony has invited a number of Japanese publications and YouTubers to get a closer look at the PlayStation 5. It’s the first time we’ve seen the PS5 hardware outside of leaked images from Taiwan’s National Communications Commission. A variety of publications have now published detailed hands-on images and videos of the PS5, providing a more realistic look at how big the console is and gameplay of titles like Astro’s Playroom and Godfall. 4gamer has published photos of the PS5 standing both vertically and horizontally, demonstrating how the stand works in either position to hold the console in place. Some photos also show how the PS5 will cool itself, and 4gamer notes that it wasn’t able to hear the fan inside the console or feel much heat exhausting from it during its limited time with the hardware.

Although these PS5 previews are clearly in a very limited environment, one of 4gamer’s photos does reveal a mysterious silver latch or bolt hidden inside the top-right section of the PS5. Sony has said PS5 owners will be able to expand storage with regular SSD drives in this new console, but we’ve yet to see how this will work in reality. This latch could be how you access the ability to expand PS5 storage, with it presumably allowing the side to be removed. There’s no other obvious way to slot an SSD into the PS5, but we’re still waiting on Sony to confirm how it will handle expandable storage. We’ve known for weeks that the PS5 is the biggest console in modern history, and Dengeki Online helps put that into perspective with a shot of the PS5 next to a large TV. It’s clear if you want the PS5 to sit vertically in a TV stand then you might need to clear some room, or use the console horizontally. The PS5 laying flat looks like it should fit into most TV stands. Most of the videos don’t show the PS5 in too much detail, as they’re largely focused on gameplay. One from Famitsu’s YouTube channel does offer a brief look at the hardware up close. Alongside the console itself, these Japanese publications and YouTubers also got a closer look at the new DualSense controller.

This new design includes haptic feedback (replacing the old rumble technology) and adaptive triggers that can adjust the resistance of the triggers for different gameplay effects. Sony has even included a microphone, alongside a USB-C. We’ve seen Sony demonstrate the PS5’s pack-in game, Astro’s Playroom, a number of times before, and the company has used it again during these hands-on videos to highlight the DualSense controller features. AV watch also reports that the confirm button on the PS5 will be X instead of O going forward, which means Japanese players are going to have to retrain their body’s muscle memory to get used to that significant change. There’s little else to report on the controller just yet, but 4gamer does provide a good look at the different colorful LEDs on the DualSense. None of the videos of publications were able to show the PlayStation 5 dashboard or UI elements, unfortunately. These remain a mystery, despite Sony teasing what appeared to be the boot experience or main PS5 dashboard all the way back in June. Sony has also promised a fully redesigned PS5 dashboard with “no pixel untouched.” We’re still waiting to see exactly what Sony does with the new PS5 UI, and hopefully we’ll get a glimpse at it before the November 12th launch date. Elsewhere there’s also a lot of gameplay of Astro’s Playroom, Godfall, and even Balan Wonderworld. We’ve also seen plenty of this game footage before, and none of the previews seem to dig too deep on SSD performance or load times for games. All three games look as smooth as you’d expect on the PS5, but it’s disappointing not to see more Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart gameplay given that title looks like the perfect demonstration for the PS5’s speedy SSD. Either way, you can find the latest PS5 gameplay in the video below. These limited PS5 previews don’t answer all the questions we still have around the PS5, and we’re hoping Sony will start providing some answers soon. We’re still waiting to hear about the PS5 dashboard, how you use expandable storage in the console, and just how well Sony’s backward compatibility for PS4 games works on the new PS5. There’s still more than a month to go until the PS5 launch on November 12th, so Sony has plenty of time to reveal a lot more about its next-gen console. For now, these early previews have provided a closer much-needed look at the PS5.