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The PS5 is getting an update to the UI on the Explore Tab. You know the Explore Tab, it’s the first icon in your list up top where you scroll through games. It’s also always going to be the first icon in that list no matter what you do.
At launch, this icon was mostly just a way for Sony to advertise games. But it has since been given some more usefulness that focuses more on the experience of the player. This latest update (part of the most recent beta) takes things further by adding a bunch of details and access to features. Things are more or less front and center. So you won’t have to dig for details that you might be looking for.
Some of these things are accessible via new widgets that are right at the top of the UI overhaul. This includes widgets that show you the battery life of currently connected accessories. Such as your controller or headset. There’s also a widget just below that for console storage. These widgets are interactive as well.
The storage widget, for instance, will only show you the storage details for the main drive on the console. Not the expandable SSD (if you have one installed). You can also can’t change this, at this time at least. However, you can click on the widget and it takes you right to the storage menu in settings. And you can check your storage details for the expanded drive there if you want. For the battery widget, accessories show up in real-time. So if you only have a controller connected and decide to hook up a headset, it should pop up a few seconds after you connect it.
PS5 Explore Tab UI update now shows game captures, wishlist info, and friend activity
The widgets that are part of the UI update (via Insider Gaming) are just the tip of the iceberg. Sony has added even more info panels with access to various other features that PS5 offers. You can access a lot of these new panels to the right of the widgets. Starting with the game captures panel. The way you typically access your game captures is by hitting the PS button and your captures are in that list of panels that show up. If you hit this button just after you save a capture, then it’ll be the first panel in the list. If not, then you scroll a bit and the game captures are there.
Now, you won’t have to do that. At least if you’re already on the home screen. You can see the most recent capture on the Explore Tab and clicking it takes you to the capture menu. It’s still quicker to access captures by hitting the PS button if you’re currently in a game though. In addition to the game captures panel, the Explore Tab also now shows your wishlist and friend activity. This includes what games friends are currently playing, and even what trophies they’ve recently acquired.
This should be a nice little boost to the social aspect of the console. Making it easier to see what your friends are playing if you were hoping to jump into something with them.
Sony brings back customizable backgrounds
Before you get too excited, this is just for the Explore Tab. Sony isn’t bringing the fan-favorite themes feature that was so beloved on the PS4. And that’s unlikely to ever change since the background on PS5 is tied to what game you’re currently highlighting. For some, this even includes themed music, like when you highlight Helldivers II and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
You can however now change the background for the Explore Tab. And it doesn’t seem too limiting either. There’s a handful of pre-installed options Sony gives you, with some being live animated backgrounds, but you can also set your own from media you’ve saved to the gallery. Say you take a particularly cool screenshot that you love. You can set it as your background on the Explore Tab. It’s not the console themes that many are probably still hoping return one day. But it is neat and it’s better than nothing at all.
These changes to the UI were shared on YouTube by user ‘Mystic,’ and you can view the full suite of UI changes in the video below. It’s worth reiterating that this is only for users who are part of the most recent PS5 System Software Beta. Furthermore, only for users in the US at the moment. There’s no word on when this will roll out fully. But given Sony just rolled out the 9.0 update on March 13, it might not be available a little bit yet.