Sony’s new PlayStation Application

With the PS5 launch roughly two weeks away, Sony has unveiled a redesign for its PlayStation App on iOS and Android, and it makes me very excited to try it out when the new console launches. Early adopters of the console will have the ability to remotely launch games, sign in to their PS5 directly from the app, and the app will even allow you to remotely manage storage on your console in case you need to make room for a new game to install.

Previously, the PlayStation App would let you download games on the PS4, but the app now allows me to download and launch games, plus manage the storage on my PS5. Based on Sony’s blog post, it looks like PS5 owners will have a lot more freedom to manage their consoles without directly interacting with it. It was such a pain having to shuffle around between multiple PlayStation apps and my PS4 just to take full advantage of all the features Sony provided. Theoretically, the new PlayStation App could allow me to buy a game (digitally), free up some storage space, download it, launch it, and check to make sure the software is up to date, all before I actually grab my DualSense controller and start playing. Even better? The new update allows me to message friends, voice chat, and create party groups directly from the app. So if I were preparing to play Call of Duty or Dead by Daylight with friends, I could set everything up through my phone. The app also adds a new UI that completely overhauls the home screen, and, as you can tell from the images, it looks a lot cleaner now. I think the update makes the app a lot more organized than before Since Sony is integrating its messaging system, you no longer need the separate PS Messages app. In fact, PS Messages will no longer be available, but any existing messages and threads from the discontinued app will be carried over into the new PS App update.

Sony confirms Disney Plus, Netflix, and Twitch will be on the PS5 at Launch

If you are planning to use your PlayStation 5 for more than just gaming whether that’s to stream movies and TV shows on Netflix or play music on Spotify you’ll be happy to know that Sony’s next-gen console will support some of the more popular entertainment apps at launch. Sony confirmed in a blog post on Thursday that several popular streaming apps, including Apple TV Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, Hulu, Netflix, Peacock, Spotify, Twitch, and YouTube would be available when the PS5 launches on November 12th. Notably absent from the list is HBO Max, which is currently in contract disputes with Amazon and Roku over the inclusion of the new streaming app on their platforms, and pay-TV options like Sling.

 

Sony shut down its own pay-TV Sling competitor, PlayStation Vue, last year. Interestingly, the anime streaming service Crunchyroll, owned by the same parent company as HBO, will be available at launch, a spokesperson confirmed to The Verge today. Additionally, Sony confirmed that the four previously unmarked buttons located on the dedicated PS5 Media Remote would serve as dedicated launch buttons for Disney Plus, Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube, as you can see pictured above. The remote will launch alongside the PS5 on November 12th, but it is not included with the console. It’s currently available as a separate $30 purchase at Target. Other retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop are also selling it, but they’re currently out of stock. With next-gen consoles set to arrive in just a few weeks, Sony is showing that its upcoming console is much more than just a system to play video games. The inclusion of four dedicated launch buttons to some of the more popular streaming apps and the recently unveiled system interface, including a separate home screen for entertainment apps gives us a better glimpse of how PS5 owners will be able to use the hardware come launch day.