PS5 ‘Retail’ Update Could Force Sony to Reveal Next-Gen Interface

• A new rumor suggests a PS5 dev kit update is on the way that introduces the full retail UI.
• To preempt potential leaks, Sony will allegedly reveal the PS5 UI before long.
• Sony may adopt a similar format as the PS4 UI reveal.

It’s been nearly two months since Sony’s ‘Future of Gaming’ PS5 event. Since then, we’ve heard virtually nothing about the next-gen console, other than a DualSense controller session with Geoff Keighley.

Naturally, would-be owners are once again getting impatient. With fans eager for news, rumors of what Sony might reveal next pop up almost daily.

The latest suggests that Sony will showcase the PS5’s so far elusive UI before long. An update to the PS5 dev kit, planned in the next few weeks, will reportedly introduce a ‘retail mode,’ allowing developers to navigate the PS5 in much the same way players will when the console launches later this year.

According to the rumor, studios only have access to a debug mode, and the PS4 UI as the dev kit exists today. As a means to preempt potential leaks laying bare the new UI, Sony allegedly plans to showcase it before long.

The rumor originates from Twitter user Tidux. We’d be generous describing Tidux as an industry insider due to a patchy track record, but with Sony tight-lipped about the next step in the drip-fed PS5 reveal, any rumor is as good as the next.

PS5 UI Reveal

There’s no way to substantiate and confirm the rumor currently. Nevertheless, the timing seems apt given that ‘Holiday 2020’ is a mere four months away.

During the lead up the PS4 launch, Sony began the PlayStation Aug. 13 Gamescom press conference by having the former president of SIE Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, reveal the PS4 UI while perched on an antique leather armchair atop a stage in front of hundreds of attendees.

It’s unlikely Sony will opt for a similar spectacle this time around due to the on-going pandemic, but a similar laid back, ‘let the console do the talking,’ reveal may be on the cards.

As always, take this one with a pinch of salt.