Comparing The PS5 And Xbox Series X UI

Anyka Pettigrew writes, "Let's compare the PS5 and Xbox Series X UI elements. After the PS5 UI was revealed in a first look video by Sony, we now know what both consoles' home menus and user experience will look and feel like. There are many interesting elements, from customization, community, and style. Here are the pros and cons of each console's UI."

[zsquaresoff]

Here is something I don't get with these websites, they're making a comparison, why don't they just say which one is better? why is it always, regardless of whatever system you buy you'll win either ways. Just give a direct answer as to what you prefer.

And the comparison is really incomplete as Sony has still a lot of updates and features yet to reveal.

[Pekolio]

It's almost as if a 'comparison' isn't the same as a 'VS' article...

[DragonWarrior19]

Nah, let's leave the console wars to the children on twitter who rage over which console is better.

[SullysCigar]

Yes, as adults, we must protect each others feelings. /s

[GamerRN]

because choosing which is better is subjective

[S2Killinit]

Not always the case. Sometimes one can objectively make a decision.

[nickanasty206]

Not to mention, Microsoft said their preview Series X units still had a preview build of their dashboard running which will have an update for production units. Definitely an incomplete review.

[Software_Lover]

Because when it comes to stuff like this (UI) it is subjective to the individual.

[BLAKHOODe]

I leave my Xbox One X on all day, so I'm staring at it's UI quite a bit. It's great, but it doesn't excite me. The Xbox Series S/X is going to be using that same UI. I have a problem with that. If I'm spending $500 on a new console, I want that console to offer me a NEW experience. Staring at the same UI I'm use to seeing does nothing for me. That PS5, tho.. now that's something NEW. The PS4 has been my secondary console the last few years - it was my primary till I got my X and adapted 4K, and I liked it's UI, but Sony looks to have really nailed a cosmetically pleasing, interactive, informative UI with the PS5 worth looking at. I'm super excited for it.

[GamerRN]

im excited for both systems but honestly UI isnt a thought

[SullysCigar]

That's great. It's a fortunate position for you, given the circumstances.

[morganfell]

@Sully,

We do not have to take that position. The PS5 UI isn’t just a thought, or rather an after thought by Sony. Here is a UI designed from the ground up to actually impact gaming directly. It will enhance and augment your gaming. What Sony has done is create a Smart HUD for the PS5 and I am amped to see where they take this.

[SullysCigar]

^ Agreed @Morganfell, my comment wasn't clear. I meant it's fortunate he's not interested in the UI given his that he has a strong preference for Xbox...

[GamerRN]

@Sully and @Morgan

Actually, I don't prefer either one. I primarily game 3rd party on Xbox and LOVE PlayStation 1st party games. Anyway, last year their UI was crap, this year everyobe rants and raves after saying Xbox UI was bloated etc. Honestly, it's about the games. Always has been.

The fanboy stuff has to stop.

And yes, I'm in a position to buy everything and not care. I make 100k as an RN and 150k with a side business. I'm also an adult in my 40s, and at that point we should ask be able to buy both and quit the shit talking.

[SullysCigar]

^ That's great and I hope you achieve that goal someday.

[Atom666]

@ GamerRN

I'm in the same boat. My only concern is: "Is it broken?" The security system UI in my house is more advanced than the Switch UI, but it functions just fine. I haven't seen a digital foundry review of it, though, so I'm not sure of its resolution...

It's the start of a new gen, so you'll have to excuse the fanboys for a while.

[SamPao]

I get that. Everytime I build a new pc I expect this new thing and... its just the same old thing. But at least ypu will see it in the games :)
But the UI in consoles always excites me, especially if its something new. Every update I long for new features that I havent thought of. I mean its their job to create such things, its great when they actually innovate.

[thesoftware730]

Sam, I get what you re saying, but there are tons of ways to customize your PC.

Widgets, Wallpapers, Live feeds, Different Icons, resolutions, Fonts ect.

I have multiple PC and they all got different looks and feel.

[SamPao]

That is also true to an extent. But just to a point. Console UIs very specilized for gaming and I guess I enjoy that a lot.

[Ausbo]

While I agree to an extent, it is nice to know that we don’t have to start all over again like with the Xbox one. The launch UI for that was garbage and lacked many basic features.

The current UI is refined and finally fast so it’s nice to be able to know where stuff is right at the beginning with no learning curve. Even if it’s not a shiny new UI

[COS]

When I buy a new console, the thing that excites me most are the games, for me the UI, as long as its useable is an afterthought. It wouldn't even make my top 10 reasons to buy a new console. Right now Sony has both the better looking UI and games. That being said, I think that situation will be drastically more competitive 6-8 months from now when MS 1st party studios have had enough time for new game development.

What is a lot more important that UI to me. Number 1-4 (GAMES) 5) Online ecosystem 6) Being able to Transfer saves from pervious generation games to the new generation 7) Rewards/Achievements system 8) Quiet Console 9) Ability to cross play across multiple systems (i.e. PC/Xbox etc). 10) Longevity the system will have

I can't remember the last, or any time, where I bragged to my friends, this PS4 or Xbox has the best UI, its so awesome! LOL

[Elda]

I'm excited about this new UI on the PS5. 23 more days until some of us that are buying the PS5 on launch can tinker around with it.

[ClayRules2012]

Yeah, I’m excited about exploring the new UI further on launch day too. It’ll be here before we know it.

[Elda]

Time is going by pretty fast,the new year will be here before we know it.

[ClayRules2012]

Yeah, 2021 will be here sooner than we think. Fun fun haha.

[Elda]

You can tell some folks are really miserable downvoting our comments expressing our excitement over the UI on the PS5. LOL & smh.

[ClayRules2012]

LOL. You‘re correct there. I imagine some of those same people downvoting may find excitement with the PS5’s UI themselves (If/When) they get it as well. Just not on launch day. Which, for some, I get it, they weren’t able to get one, which sucks or they’d rather wait. But, regardless, some people, I tell ya haha.

Either way, I’m glad your excited for it!

[DJStotty]

Did i miss something?

Have they shown the launch Series X UI? I thought they have said the Series X UI will not be the same as the xbox one's?

[MoonConquistador]

They have indicated that it will be Duran update/refresh prior to the S/X launch yes.

[DJStotty]

Will most probably be similar to the xbox one dash, but to compare "home screens/UI" is a strange comparison.

After all, no one buys a console for the UI.

[badz149]

Sony goes all out with a forward looking and feature packed UI at 4K and HDR to boot andnis actually a stark evolution to their XMB they first introduced with the PSP while MS is hanging on to the past gen and doesn't look like they are trying too hard.

If it ain't broken, don't fix it, right? But doesn't mean you can't always try to make it better.

[DJStotty]

The xbox UI is always getting updates/refreshes, this includes layout changes, new features, you do not need a new console to do a UI overhaul.

Remember when they completely revamped the UI during the 360 lifetime?

[jwillj2k4]

buying a new console and expecting to see a new ui has precedence based on the history of ALL past consoles.

They are treating it like windows os, making xboxes no better than steam machines.

[DJStotty]

The xbox UI is derived from a Windows 10 kernel, of course they will treat it like windows, it is the same ecosystem. You need windows 10 to play the 1st party exclusives.

Xbox is that same family of devices, so they are going for a unified UI approach, nothing wrong with that just because it differs from the competition.

[DJStotty]

@Darkwingsoul

"An "update/refresh" is not what Sony did with the PS5 UI and you know it."

I might be mistaken, but i am pretty sure i never mentioned the PS5 UI and you know it.

[Gameseeker_Frampt]

"If it ain't broken, don't fix it, right? But doesn't mean you can't always try to make it better."

Spoken by someone who doesn't have an XBox One. I hardly ever use mine but almost every time I do something has changed with the UI. If you want to criticize someone for not trying to make their UI better, then that would go to Sony and the PS4 UI. Since launch, the only meaningful change has been the ability to limit how many games are shown on the gamebar. That's it.

[BehindTheRows]

That’s because the PS4’s UI was always fast and pinpoint. The X1’s UI has been cumbersome and cluttered and NEEDED those fixes!

[Gameseeker_Frampt]

Except that badz149, and now you, are trying to say that the PS4 UI is perfect - which it isn't - and claiming that it is perfect while abandoning it for the PS5 UI. People cannot say how great the PS5 improvements are and act like the PS4 couldn't of had those improvements or that it is ok that it will never have them even though PS4s will continue to be made and sold after the launch of the PS5.

I personally don't like XBox's UI but I can at least admit it that Microsoft has been working on it, something that the fanboys here are completely incapable of doing.

[badz149]

so, just because I don't have an xbone myself (not interested), there is no possible way for me to witness the UI with my own eyes?

and did I say that the PS4's UI is perfect? I didn't but it was good enough to stay the whole gen with minor changes and yes I do think there are rooms for improvement for it. So with the PS5, Sony has shown the massive step forward with the UI while the Xbone stay the same (even the boot sound is the same according to YTers), that's all I was saying.

[Gameseeker_Frampt]

"so, just because I don't have an xbone myself (not interested), there is no possible way for me to witness the UI with my own eyes?"

Apparently yes because you posted that Microsoft hasn't been doing anything with their UI and they are not trying to improve it. You literally posted that MS "doesn't look like they are trying too hard" and then get upset when people point out that they have constantly been improving the XBox's UI. Commenting on things you know nothing about just makes you look like a fanboy.

[badz149]

@Gameseeker_Frampt

you are always assuming EVERYTHING, aren't you? I don't have the xbone myself but what makes you think I have not used one myself? it has been out since 2013 and as a gamer and a longtime member of this site, you really think I have not even touched a real xbone for all the 7 years it has been available? like because I'm a PS4 fanboy and I'm not allowed to use other people's xbone too?? you do know game stores and gaming outlets have demo units too, right? and I have been playing their games on PC with the xbox app too and seeing their latest update, it's pretty similar to what's already on PC. so...I know nothing about what now?

[Gameseeker_Frampt]

So you write all that in defense of you saying that MS hasn't been "trying too hard" with their UI. According to you, you have been playing on XBox and know full well all the work that Microsoft has been putting into the UI for the last 7 years and just chose to say that they haven't been "trying too hard" with their UI just because??? Could you be any more of a fanboy?

[badz149]

so you have issues with me saying "not trying too hard"? care to provide proof that they are indeed trying hard with their next gen UI? do you also go to Digital Foundry bashing them as well when they are saying "pretty much xbox one like in nature..." in this video:

https://youtu.be/aQ22I9WGIv...

look how unimpressed he is about the UI, and that's from Digital Foundry - their go to guys since the xbone X!

so you want me to say what? despite their UI staying almost 100% the same currently with the xbone, you want me to praise their effort? who's the fanboy now?

[Gameseeker_Frampt]

Microsoft just updated the XBox's UI this year, as well as having previously made major updates in 2017 and 2015. Sony hasn't updated the PS4 at all in 7 years so I am sure they had plenty of time to work on the PS5 UI. Meanwhile, PS4 users are still stuck with the old UI with its faults and will never see them fixed.

It does say something when fanboys like you are getting so worked up over the UI ahead of console launches. I'm sure that if Sony had kept the same UI you would be there saying how great that was because the PS4 UI was perfect (just like the fanboy defense to crossplay and backwards compatibility). one can level a lot of criticism against Microsoft but the one fact only a fanboy would deny is work the engineers have been putting into the XBox operating software.

[gold_drake]

i feel like, given that we spend our well earned money on it, despite being in the middle of a situation, i think the PS5 UI screams more "next gen" than the reused Xseriesx one.

[Acecalibur]

There's no comparison to be had here.

[Killer73nova]

Unlike Sony, Microsoft will keep updating the UI. They have for the whole generation of the Xbox one and they will continue on doing so for next gen. If they didn’t keep updating from what they had originally to now then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Microsoft made it a norm to keep the UI updated and add useful features and take away features no one asked for. I don’t understand what the big deal is on UI? I would appreciate if Sony updated as much as Microsoft but Sony wanted the UI they have been working on on the PS5 and not the ps4. They are both taking different approach’s and they are both great.

[Christopher]

I mean, to be honest, Sony came in this generation with so much stuff that was good and Microsoft spent the generation updating their UI to feel more like the XMB (just vertical) as well as solve major lag issues. So, the big deal is how long it took MS to match what was on the PS4 from the get-go, let alone after two years.

I like both now, but MS took forever to get there.

[Miacosa]

Need to wait until the official releases come out but the newest dashboard on the Xbox One X is a little blurry now when compared to the older one on an OLED TV.

[Destiny1080]

tired old 1080p ui vs 4K + HDR and all new ui

[jcole97]

Getting both consoles but im disappointed in microsoft’s ui decision.