To better familiarize myself with the modern user interface and how it came to be, I decided to examine the evolution of Sony’s PlayStation. As someone who grew up with the PlayStation console throughout each generation, now a privileged PS5 owner, it was a nostalgia-riddled research project.
PlayStation — December 3, 1994
I grew up with PlayStation instead of Nintendo or Xbox. My first console was the PS One — a slimmed and improved version of the original 1994 “PlayStation.” The UI was bare, and the visual and audio capabilities were naturally much more limited than they are now.
The original PlayStation UI was extremely basic, touting two options in its main menu: Memory Card and CD Player. The two options are separated from the purple background by a ’90s rainbow paint splash. While the visuals could be described as odd even for the times, the memory card and CD player’s capabilities were unmatched. One could delete unneeded game files from memory cards or duplicate files from one card to another. The CD player allowed users to not only play CDs but also view the number of tracks and observe what time interval the song playing was currently at — not yet a common feature of even dedicated CD players.
PlayStation 2 — March 4, 2000
Despite owning a PS4 and a PS5, and while fully acknowledging their superior processing power and graphics, the PS2 was Sony’s couch co-op game peak. I occasionally revisit my PS2 with my brother to replay games from our old collection. And not only for nostalgia but because the multiplayer games on the PS2 are genuinely excellent. Shrek 2, anyone? I will digress back into UI now.
The PS2 system is infamous for its unique flying-style zoom-in upon boot-up. From here, you will instantly load into your game, or you can enter the main menu with a comprehensive suite of settings one could fiddle with — including the internal clock, language, and video output. By 2000, the market demanded more unique visuals, and Sony answered the call by adding animations to its menu navigation. Mostly, the UI is black and cloudy, with shapes that move around and reflect light as though they are glass objects. Additionally, because DVDs were rising in popularity at the time and dedicated DVD players were expensive, Sony could sell to audiences that weren’t even interested in playing games.
PS3 — November 11, 2006
The PS3’s user interface provides a dramatic change from its predecessors. While including an animated “wave” in its background, it displays many categories the user can navigate to within a horizontal bar. Each icon in the horizontal navigation acts as a main category, with the related content or sub-categories displayed below it in a vertical menu.
While the options are significantly vaster than Sony’s earlier models, the UI manages to organize its features within an intuitive information architecture. The machine’s capabilities vastly outweigh the user’s average needs, and again (with the addition of blue-ray functionality) beat out simple DVD players of its day.
PS4 — November 15, 2013
While the PS3’s functional layout was clean, many users thought it was not very interesting. Sony decided to pivot its design to create something that wowed, and in that, it succeeded — arguably somewhat at the cost of intuitive navigation. However, it did come with some impressive visual features, as it increased the size of the menu icons and offered a customizable interface and background. The most significant change in the UI is the re-organized features into two horizontal menus: one primarily for media and one for system operations, settings, and customizations.
PS5 — November 12, 2020
The PS5 provided another dramatic jump in its information architecture and navigational hierarchy. I believe Sony doubled down on its path to pursuing visual excellence in its user interface. While I do think this is ultimately the best business decision — that is, to prioritize the user’s visual experience — it does not come without a cost. Unlike the PS3, which heralded simplicity, the PS5 has vastly increased organizational complexity. This comes at the expense of intuitive navigation. Like previous generations, the PS5 UI has a series of “main menu” items with many submenus and options to be found within.
Upon hovering over a game icon, the UI portrays an animated splash image of said game and is usually accompanied by game audio. Of course, these features depend primarily on the game developer to take advantage of — but Sony provided in its UI the robust architecture to allow for that experience. Additionally, the “games” and “media” (assumed to be all besides games) are divided into two distinct tabs. One could hypothesize this is likely to accommodate the rise of streaming services. While the PS5 may hold more complexity that can be hard to navigate, it provides users with a pleasurable, even delightful, experience. For this reason, I believe the newer generation consoles will continue to set higher standards for users to enjoy.