Tips and Tricks for Mastering the PlayStation 4 Dashboard

If you're feeling overwhelmed with the PS4 dashboard, hang in there. It's really quite simple.

In case you recently set up your PlayStation 4 and are wondering what the whole dashboard setup is all about, this guide is here to help. From navigating the menu screens to setting up a live stream on Twitch, you’ll soon be operating your PS4 like a pro.

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User Interface

One of the first things you’ll notice about the PS4’s UI, especially if you’re used to the PS3’s setup, is that things are much more compact. Gone are the days of scrolling across what seems like an endless XMB to get from your instant messages to your games to the settings. All of that is still here, it’s just much more compact now.

Along the top of the display are icons that allow you to access:

  • The PlayStation Store
  • Notifications (things like game invitations, new download notifications, new trophies, etc.)
  • Friends
  • Messages
  • Party (which is where you can set up cross-channel chat with your friends)
  • Profile
  • Trophies
  • Settings
  • Power (where you  can log out, put the system in Standby Mode, or shut it off)

Within each of these menus are some additional features and functions that allow you to communicate with friends or your social networks, check out yours and your friends’ profiles, and much more. It no longer stretches across the screen in such a way that you can’t see some of the icons, they are all right there in front of you.

Below that is the bar that is full of your games, apps, live broadcasts, and more. This is also where you can see “What’s New”, and get a Facebook-style layout for what you and your friends have been up to lately. You can also access Music Unlimited, the Internet Browser, and your media apps such as Netflix from here. This bar does represent one of the negatives of the UI, as it stretches across the screen in such a way that you can’t see everything. After owning the system for a few months and downloading a regular stream of games and apps, you may see this bar grow to be unbearably long.

Sharing the Fun

Once you are in a game, sharing the experience with your friends on Twitch or Twitter is insanely simple. Simply click the Share button on the DualShock 4 controller and a window pops up. You can click to upload a video clip (taken from the last 15 minutes of gameplay), upload a screenshot you’ve taken, or broadcast your gameplay entirely on Twitch or Ustream. You can only upload your video to Facebook currently (but expect YouTube and Twitter availability to be added in here later), and screenshots may be uploaded to either Facebook or Twitter.

Streaming is as simple as logging into your account, naming your stream, and clicking to begin. Once in a stream, your display changes to accommodate the stream, bringing the last couple chat room messages from your stream channel on your screen, allowing you to interact with your viewers.

In-Game Functionality

Pressing the PS button during a game instantly switches you back to the main dashboard, allowing you to check messages, view trophies (and their rarity), set up a party, and more. Once you’re done you can quickly get right back into your game without missing a beat. It’s an incredibly simple and smart way to run a console, and is similar to the Alt+Tab function on a PC, only arguably quicker and more precise.

The PlayStation 4 user interface is incredibly well designed, fast, fun to use, and a massive improvement over what was available on the PS3. While we can’t compare it extensively to the Xbox One dashboard yet, it’s safe to say the bar has been set quite high. Microsoft’s Windows-esque dashboard will have to be pretty rock solid in order to best Sony’s.

If you have had a chance to explore the PS4 dashboard, what are your thoughts? Does it feel next-gen enough to you? Do you feel like Sony has given Microsoft a run for its money? Let us know in the comments below.


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Author
Brian Armstrong
Proud gamer parent and freelance journalist (and fundraiser). I cover anything and everything that's interesting about the gaming industry, and even some stuff that isn't so interesting.