The PlayStation 5 is very good – it’s excellent, in fact, as we explained in our PS5 review. Sony’s next-gen console is not perfect, however, and there’s a fair amount that the organisation could address in the short term to make the experience even better. In this article, we’ve compiled 10 improvements that we believe the organisation could introduce to give its new system an extra boost.
1440p Monitor Support
For the overwhelming majority of people, the PS5’s display output settings are perfectly fine. Whether you’ve got a 1080p television or a 4K screen, you’re going to have a good experience. There are a small number of people who prefer to game on 1440p monitors, however, and there’s really no reason why Sony’s new system can’t support them natively. Let’s hope a future firmware update patches the feature in.
Identifying PS5 and PS4 More Clearly
There are a significant number of next-gen early adopters who mistakenly gave their supercharged system a workout with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on PS4 this weekend, purely because of how poorly the PS5 differentiates between next-gen and last-gen software. In some cases the console even defaults to the PS4 version, and there’s an overall lack of feedback to show you which version of a game you’re playing. This will need to be tidied up in the next few weeks.
Managing Storage Space
Activision’s done a great job with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, allowing you to manage the game’s overall install, and remove parts you’re not playing. However, not many games are supporting this feature. With so little PS5 storage space available, we’d appreciate it if more titles enabled you to pick and choose which parts you actually want installed, so that you can eke more room out of your SSD.
Cold Storage for PS5 Games
Speaking of better storage space solutions, Sony needs to include the ability to offload next-gen games onto an external HDD. We understand the console is designed around its SSD, and that’s fine – but re-downloading enormous game files each and every time you run out of space is just not feasible, especially for those with data caps. A better solution would be the ability to temporarily store titles on an external HDD, then you could transfer them back when you’re ready to play.
Folders
We can’t believe it’s a new generation and we’re already asking for it, but here we go again: the PS5 needs folders. In fact the organisation of the overall Game Library is messy to say the least, with it defaulting to all of your PS Store purchases, rather than what you’ve actually got installed on your system. We’d like to be able to categorise our software neatly, and perhaps even pin certain apps and folders to the home screen. Don’t keep us waiting an eternity, Sony!
VRR Support
VRR, or Variable Refresh Rate, is a feature that allows supported televisions to dynamically adjust their refresh rate based on the output they’re receiving. In layman’s terms, what this means is that even when a game drops frames – as is common depending on what’s happening on the screen – the judder that’s typically associated with this happening will be smoothed out. This is particularly important for games running at 120 frames-per-second, but can also improve titles at lower framerates, too. Sony did initially say PS5 will support this, so hopefully it’s patched in soon.
Transfer PS5 Saves to USB
For whatever reason, it’s not currently possible to transfer PS5 saves to a USB stick. Sony will point to the PS Plus cloud, which is no doubt more convenient, but you have to pay for the privilege to use that. Hopefully the platform holder makes it possible to copy data to a portable drive soon to avoid this needless headache.
Auto-Download PS Plus Saves
A nice quality of life improvement we’d like to see on the PS5 is if it automatically pulled game saves off the PS Plus cloud each time you download a game. Right now, you have to manually find the data for the title you want to play, and while it doesn’t take a huge amount of effort, we can’t but feel the whole process could be streamlined.
Squash the Bugs
PS5 is generally launching in a stable state, but it’s not without its issues. Some users have experienced crashing in a number of launch titles, while connected external hard drives can lead to rebuild database issues. Sony needs to tidy all of this up, and quickly.
Activity Card Organisation
We absolutely love PS5’s Activity Cards, but they can get a bit cluttered in some games. It’d be nice if there was a way to organise this a bit more, perhaps by putting them into “stacks”. For example, you could have a Trophies stack, a multiplayer stack, and a leaderboards stack. This would give the Control Centre a little more organisation, in our opinion.
Which aspects of the PS5 experience do you think Sony should improve first? What's frustrated you about the next-gen format so far? Share your feedback in the comments section below.
Comments 67
It should have an oven inside. Stuff cookie dough in the disc drive and cookies come out.
Identifying PS4/5 games is a big one for me. I was playing the PS4 version of Sackboy until I saw Push Square’s article about it. It still looked and played great, but I had to start from scratch by switching versions (at least from what I can tell). Seems like a misstep that should have never been on Sony’s end.
@Odium Ouch, that sucks.
For as much flak as they got for not launching the ps4 with folders its insane they did it again with the PS5! That's my main gripe along with the storage flexibility. Hopefully we don't have to wait years for those 2 in particular
@redd214 No lie, one of the very first things I did on my PS5 was to check if it has folders!
What they need to improve is the look of the main trophy list, It looks sloppy. From the compressed PS4 tiles to the clear box around them where you can see where the PS5s square tiles are suppose to go. I dont how they nailed it with the new PS app, but dropped the ball so hard on the PS5.
I think it could do a better job about displaying game sales that are currently happening in the store even for PS4 games. For example Planet of Discounts sales shows on PS4 store, but I can't see it on my PS5.
I pray for folders. I don't know why this has become such an issue. I'm pretty sure they were added to the PS4 after launch so here's hoping they do the same for the PS5.
@Slippship "Stop moaning" So don't even give them constructive criticism like on this article, just shut up and accept what's given to you with a smile. Okay dude 🤷
Folders, Folders, Folders!!!
@get2sammyb ey up, that 'stacks' idea is fantastic. Get that one in to Sony pronto.
Can i also just say a big thank you to you and the team. Last few weeks have been absolutely nuts with hardware to review (an outstanding piece of work) stacks of (huge) games to review, and everything else in between. The site has been a fantastic place to visit, and an awesome resource. You must all be knackered. Just know your efforts are appreciated. @shogunrok, @Liamcroft, @quintumply - and anyone else i've missed here
Can we add allm support? It was advertised as a 2.1 feature next to VRR, but not present.
@Rob_230 Hear hear.
The Switcher seems like kind of a useless feature when only two games are allowed at a time compared to like the 5 or 6 Xbox collects through Quick Resume
Also they can definitely improve its ability to be restocked, especially in Canada where scalpers are actually being robbed of their consoles or being held at gunpoint to fork them over in Toronto lmao
IM sorry the top 2 should have been avalible in stores and avalible online.
Showing all games on the main UI. I can’t even store that many, and not being able to display all of them is annoying. If this is an option, I haven’t found it.
Quick Resume
Ability to upload/download saves onto the console by clicking the options button on a game. I can do it on PS4 so I should be able to on PS5 too.
Hide game in my library - I don’t want betas showing up.
I don't have a PS5 but this looks like a nice list. Little shocked they don't have folders when the PS4 has them. Folders work well on PS4 and seems like a no brainer. The PS3 had folders too but it was limited and clunky to manage. Can we add in the wish list feature if that's gone from the console like it is from the web store?
Be good if they gave a selection of picture tiles with each game, so you could choose your favourite to display in your game library.
I'd also like folders, and also SUB folders within them!
@Slippship people can criticise if they want.
@Odium It says "PS4" right in the title of the game on the "Games" tab. Unless I'm missing something
So many things:
While this is certainly a bit of complaining, it is likely that all of these could be implemented in software.
@get2sammyb Luckily, I was only about four levels in, but I’d be livid if I had been several hours in.
#11: Availability
I'm starved for the souls of demons.
@Slippship So you don't even have the console yet but you don't think others should criticize and it is fine the way it is?
I personally will embrace the lack of storage. No more will I log in to a folder of 20 unplayed games in my back catalogue! Heavenly.
@Slippship I literally see no instance of them moaning about anything but go off I guess
The author of said article was probably just attempting to provide constructive criticism if anything because neither console will be flawless at launch. Maybe drop the abrasive attitude and don't jump the gun next time? That's not to say these won't be implemented but it's always nice to highlight what can be remedied anyway.
Someone saying "this is what I think can make the experience better" =/= "PS5 bad"
It should be able to play ps2 games, obviously. If not, I'll settle with a ps2 mini.
@Jeevz if it did I definitely didn’t catch that. I also jumped on it late just to give it a try, so it’s very possible I just looked right past it, which is obviously my own fault.
For me, folders and VRR top my list. But my delivery is not here yet, so I guess that comes first..
@Slippship I don't think this article is moaning! We love the console and have praised many of its features over the past few weeks. Just figured it was also worth following up with an article of some things we think it could do better, too.
Even if they never fixed any of these things, it'd still be a great console, but I'm sure Sony wants it to be the best it possibly can be just as much as consumers!
Good to see 1440p support included! Now Sony have actually acknowledged it, I have some hope they’ll implement it.
@nessisonett id feel sorry for the suckers that got 'digital only' consoles
Yes folders should be there but the amount of people who shared pictures of their PS4 UI that didn't have their games in folders was baffling. Maybe Sony saw the data that not enough people were using it.
@Slippship Well, I think once you do get it you will find you have a console with a ton of potential and cool features but also a console in which the UI severely lacks polish and has some obvious missing features.
It is not something I would describe as a failure, it just feels.....unfinished.
Folders were my big one. The first thing I did upon booting up was I tried to find where the folder creation tool was, only to discover that it didn't exist. Kinda flabbergasted by that one. I guess it wasn't day on the PS4 either, but it's too useful to not expect hopefully soon.
Where are the folders? It's 2020
Nintendo!Sony!In addition to all this, 3D audio needs to be passed through HDMI. I forgot all about that little issue, where it only seems to work with USB headphones (who other than gamers use USB headphones?!) or plugging into the controller and dealing with BT compression. Anyone who plugs headphones into an amp on the HDMI chain......just doesn't get 3D audio right now. That's criminal since it's a super simple fix, and one of their advertised big deal features. Patch that in, please!
Jesus, enough with that 1440p nonsense already. Just look at Steam's hardware survey, 1440p is 6.7% of users use it. NOBODY cares about 1440p for PS5.
@GamingVeteran 6.7% is more than nobody. If that 6.7% was out of every PS4 owner, that would be roughly 7 million, 617 thousand people.
@nessisonett That is true but 6.7% of steam users using 1440p doesn't mean 6.7% of Playstation users do.
1440p is a great resolution for a gaming monitor. But most PS5's are hooked up to a TV so we are talking about a small fraction of that 6.7%.
@evan23 When I was pretty into MLB The Show a few months back, a large percentage of the community used a gaming monitor because it cuts down on input lag. Also, people playing Warzone or really any game to a certain standard would use a gaming monitor. There’s definitely an audience and if there’s an audience, why not add the support?
In the Game Library, Installed should be the first category, then Your Collection.
@nessisonett To be clear, I am not saying that Sony should not add support or that nobody uses 1440p.
I was just clarifying that the number is probably quite a lot smaller than 6.7% of users. I would be shocked if it wasn't less than 1%.
That being said, it is probably still a lot of people in absolute terms.
Just a minor gripe but there should be a confirmation prompt when clicking onto a new game (different from the one you are currently running)...made the mistake of accidentally clicking onto another game when i wanted to check the media app and it was a little annoying having to go back into the game I wanted
Also themes! Its weird that there are no themes available. I always have a Christmas theme this time of year to get me in the holiday mood but there will be nothing this year. The store also needs work. Finding sales is tough and it is really all over the place.
Folders and the double tap home button to return to game thing feature back.
Themes/Folders is all I want...Other than that, give me some more of that stability baby!
@Juanalf When someone doesn't agree with your opinion, they like to take the stance that you are just complaining (but when they have an opinion, it should be considered seriously).
This list, hits the nail on the head. Its the exact list I would have made if asked. Please improve these things Sony!
I know I'm gonna get sh*t for this, because "gamers" are an easily irritable, impatient, and reactionary bunch, but...this gen should have been delayed into next summer. Between the technical issues and all all the basic quality of life stuff that's lacking from PS5, the hardware clearly wasn't 100% ready to go. Same for MS, without a single 1st party exclusive to launch alongside the Series X|S, they should have just waited. Both would have benefitted from taking another 6 months to refine their hardware/software and make sure they had the best launch lineups they possibly could.
I'm sure Miles and Astrobot are excellent, but we didn't NEED the PS5 to play Assassin's Creed, or CoD, or Cyberpunk...all of them are coming to PS4/1X, we would have been just fine for a few more months to avoid the issues people are having.
Ps5 console downloading ps4 games is absurd, ps5 should automatically download the ps5 version and the console should have big warning "This Game is Ps4 Version, Not Ps5 Version" text everytime you play ps4 games on ps5 (if you have ps5 version).
@GeneJacket No, the machine already done, it's crazy to delay it until next summer. Xbox should have delay their machine because they don't have games, but ps5? Nah, I want to play the best version of all sony 1st party games on ps5, not on ps4.
@Slippship He wasn't telling you to shut up, he was describing the behaviour you were advocating in your first post. You have your opinion, he gave his, you then slammed him for having an opinion. It's perfectly valid to criticise a product. Especially when it comes with some rather gapping oversights. I believe the criticism in the article comes from a place of love.
@GeneJacket 100% agreed. They goaded each other into releasing too early.
@JapaneseSonic the game was so smooth and gorgeous as the PS4 version that the only place I really noticed a difference was load times. It already loaded pretty quick, but it seemed quicker after I switched.
@Odium so how exactly fo you tell the difference and switch? My console arrives tomorrow. I don’t want do play the wrong version lol.
Wow, 1211 games in your library!
Forget PS5 improvements, I need to improved my library collection 😂
@Cheems like Jeevz had said, though I didn’t notice it when I had started, Sackboy states that it’s the PS4 version in the title. If you go to the game card on the Home Screen, you can hit the options button and scroll down to the bottom, I believe it was labeled “Game Version,” from there you can select which version you want to make sure you’re playing the PS5 version. Sackboy I had to change and start from the beginning (luckily, I wasn’t too far). Miles Morales, at least on mine, had defaulted to the PS5 version, so it’s worth checking any cross gen game just in case. Hope that helps!
Wow...the system just came out, so of course there will be some bugs to fix. Let's not also forget how long it took for everything to arrive on the previous systems too...granted all of this should be done and available right away instead of waiting, it still takes them awhile...PS3 took forever to finally be able to add folders, PS4 took a while to be able to add an external hard drive. As for PS5, before I get it, I really hope they improve on the memory. I'm not one that enjoys having to move games and files constantly to be able to play them, especially for someone who usually has a large library of retail and downloadable games (like myself). Trust me, if I can fill a 2TB internal on the PS3 with games (also have plenty of TV episodes and movies on it too) and fill up the console and an 8TB external on the PS4, I'm going to be one that has enough storage.
Definitely agree with most of these, especially:
I can't believe that these weren't thought of as being necessary Day 1 especially given the consoles limited storage and extended storage disabled.
Locking PS5 saves behind the PS+ Paywall is definitely not good Sony!
Adding VRR - doesn't that disable HDR att 4K resolution?
@Zeke68 I suppose a TV could make a decision to do that but VRR shouldn't disable HDR if the TV has full bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports.
@evan23
I was under the impression (at least on LED/LCD screens) that if you use VRR you disrupt the voltages you need to have a fluid HDR at the same time so in reality HDR will suffer greatly from VVR enabled.
I'm probably wrong, but I saw some TV-geek on youtube explaining it like that. He was probably wrong too then.
@Slippship Fair play, chap. We all have bad days.
@Zeke68 I was curious so I did a little more research and it seems like you are right, some TVs do have issues with VRR+HDR. Yet one more difficult to find information on spec about modern TVs. sigh
From Amazon - dispatched.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssss
@hypnotoad Congrats!
My amazon order was in limbo all day until delivered. Glad to hear yours shipped the day before.
@get2sammyb random question, my work informed me that I will be working in China for a few year starting sometime in the new year. Does the PS5 and PS4 have any Geo restrictions, like playing certain games and having access to the PS store. Also, will I still be able to buy and play digital and disk games bought from and within China? Thank you
Shouldn't it also be possible to support 120hz on a Zowie XL2546 Gaming monitor even though it's HDMI 2.0?
It's only 1080p... /:
@get2sammyb Something else to add to the list of items Sony need to address. HDMI bandwidth capped at 32Gbps at 120.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpA4HfikU4w
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