The PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles are shipping with a variety of entertainment apps at launch next week, but not all of your usual favourites will be available day one.
For many players, a console is a source of entertainment beyond just playing games, which is why streaming companies are diversifying to include app support on gaming consoles. Seeing as next-gen consoles will require a new build of many of the existing streaming apps, not all of them will be available at launch. But don’t stress, they will be available eventually.
PS5 TV Apps
Sony has released a list of apps available on Australian PS5 consoles from November 12:
- Apple TV
- Disney+
- Netflix
- Stan
- Spotify
- Twitch
- YouTube
- 7plus
Sony has promised that more apps will be coming to the PS5 in the future so, hopefully, likes of Amazon Prime Video and Foxtel Binge will be on the way. Seeing as 7plus is included it’s likely that other local catch up apps like 9Now, SBS on Demand and 10 Play will be available at some point as well.
Crunchyroll also confirmed separately that Australians would have access to their PS5 app at launch. “We’re grateful to our friends at Sony for this opportunity to join games like Demon’s Souls and Spider-Man: Miles Morales on the console’s launch days: November 12th (for the United States, Canada, New Zealand/Australia, Japan, Mexico, and Korea),” the anime streaming service said.
It’s not known yet whether AnimeLab, Madman’s local anime streaming service, will be available day one.
Sony is integrating its entertainment hub slightly differently on the PS5. As shown in the PS5’s UI, entertainment will be housed in its own media space, saving you from downloading apps individually from the PlayStation Store. The PS5’s control centre is also a new addition that is designed to make it easier to switch between gaming and media apps.
If you’re sick of using your DualShock controller for everything the PS5 is launching with a separate media remote, which essentially functions as a TV remote for your console. The media remote has dedicated buttons for Disney+, Netflix, Spotify and YouTube, along with the usual pause and rewind buttons to make skipping through content a breeze.
Xbox Series X/S TV Apps
Microsoft has also announced a list of apps coming to the Xbox Series X/S locally on November 10:
- Apple TV
- Netflix
- Spotify
- Disney+
- YouTube
- Amazon Prime Video
- Twitch
- Stan
- Optus Sport
- ABC iView
- TVNZ OnDemand
Microsoft’s focus is on making the transition between current and next-gen consoles as seamless as possible, meaning that all of the popular entertainment apps from the Xbox One will be available on the Xbox Series X/S.
The Xbox Series X will support Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for apps such as Netflix and Disney+, which will bring upgraded dynamic picture and spatial sound to the console. The Microsoft Store has been rebuilt to be twice as fast and all your entertainment apps can be found on the new and improved Xbox dashboard. Plus the new entertainment block for Xbox Series X and Xbox One will keep you up to date on great content choices across movies, TV and music.
The Xbox Series X/S will be released next week on November 10 followed by the PS5 on November 12.
This article has been updated with additional information.
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