The first PS5 how-to videos show hardware and games, but no user interface

Sony has invited several Japanese publications and YouTubers to take a closer look at the PlayStation 5. This is the first time we’ve seen the PS5 hardware outside of the leaked images from the Taiwan National Communications Commission. Several posts have posted detailed how-to images and videos of the PS5, providing a more realistic view of how great the console is and the playability of titles like Astro Game Room Y Godfall.

4gamer.net has posted photos of the PS5 standing up both vertically and horizontally, demonstrating how the stand works in any position to keep the console in place. Some photos also show how the PS5 will cool itself, and 4gamer.net notes that it was unable to hear the fan inside the console or feel too hot during its limited time with the hardware.

Although these PS5 previews are clearly in a very limited environment, one of the photos from 4gamer.net reveals a mysterious silver latch or bolt hidden within the upper right section of the PS5. Sony has said that PS5 owners will be able to expand storage with regular SSDs on this new console, but we have yet to see how it will actually perform.

4 player

This latch could be the way you access the PS5’s storage expansion ability, and presumably allows the side to be removed. There is no other obvious way to insert an SSD into the PS5, but we are still waiting for Sony to confirm how it will handle expandable storage.

We’ve known for weeks that the PS5 is the largest 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 that if you want the PS5 to stand vertically on a TV stand, you may need to clear some space or use the console horizontally. The flat PS5 looks like it should fit most TV stands.

Dengeki online

Most of the videos don’t show the PS5 in too much detail as they are mostly focused on the game. One of Famitsu’s YouTube channel offers a brief look at the hardware up close.

Along with the console itself, these Japanese posts and YouTubers also got a closer look at the new DualSense controller. This new design includes haptic feedback (which replaces old vibration technology) and adaptive triggers that can adjust the resistance of the triggers for different game effects. Sony has even included a microphone, along with a USB-C.

We’ve seen Sony demonstrate the PS5 bundle game, Astro Game Room, several times before, and the company has used it again during these how-to videos to highlight the features of the DualSense controller. Av watch also reports that the confirm button on the PS5 will be X instead of O in the future, which means it will retrain your body’s muscle memory to get used to that change. There is still little else or report on the controller, but 4gamer.net provides a good view of the different colored LEDs on the DualSense.

4 player

None of the post videos were able to display the PlayStation 5 dashboard or UI elements, unfortunately. These remain a mystery, despite Sony teasing what appeared to be the PS5 boot experience or main board in June. Sony has also promised a completely redesigned PS5 board with no “untouched pixels”.

We’re still waiting to see exactly what Sony does with the new PS5 UI, and hopefully we’ll be able to get a look at it before the November 12 release date.

In other places there is also a lot of gameplay of Astro game room, Godfall, and even Wonderworld balance. We’ve seen a lot of footage of this game before as well, and none of the previews seem to dig too deep into SSD performance or game load times.

All three games look as fluid as you’d expect on the PS5, but it’s disappointing not to see more. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart The game given that the title seems like the perfect demo for the PS5’s speedy SSD. Either way, you can find the latest PS5 game in the video below.

These limited PS5 previews don’t answer all of the questions we still have about the PS5, and we hope Sony will start providing some answers soon. We’re still waiting to hear about the PS5 board, how it uses expandable storage on the console, and how well Sony’s backward compatibility works for PS4 games on the new PS5.

There is still more than a month left until the launch of the PS5 on November 12, so Sony has plenty of time to reveal a lot more about its next-gen console. For now, these first previews have provided a closer look at the PS5.