Clearing up which media apps will be available on PS5 at launch [Updated]

Further Update (4:15 pm ET): Sony has responded to Ars' comment request to clarify that "All apps we announced on our blog today are available when PS5 launches, including Amazon Prime Video, MyCanal, Hulu, Peacock, and more."

That still leaves a handful of unmentioned PS4 video streaming apps whose day-one status on the PS5 is still up in the air, as noted in the original piece below. But it's an important clarification for an initial announcement that was far from clear, judging from the initial coverage across the Internet.

Update (1:47pm ET): Crunchyroll has reach out to Ars Technica to clarify that its app will be available on PS5 at launch. Ars has also confirmed from a source in a position to know that Hulu plans to have a PS5 app on launch day.

The headline has been updated to reflect this confusion over which apps exactly are and are not included in the launch lineup. We will continue to update this story if we hear more.

Original Story:

It seems that many of the video-streaming apps on the PS4 won't be available on the PlayStation 5 at launch. That's a marked contrast to the Xbox Series X, where media apps designed for the Xbox One work seamlessly on the new hardware.

In a blog post this morning, Sony listed "some of the entertainment apps scheduled to hit the PS5 console on day one." Those include:

• Apple TV (new to Sony consoles, and also coming to PS4)
• Disney+
• Netflix
• Spotify
• Twitch
• YouTube

The post also lists a few "additional streaming apps" that are simply "coming to PS5" with no mention of timing, including Amazon Prime Video, MyCanal, Hulu, Peacock "and more." While the wording is a little vague, the implication seems clear that these apps, and others not listed, are part of the promised "more apps to come in the future" and are not expected to be ready for the PS5's Nov. 12 launch. (Sony has yet to respond to a request for comment from Ars Technica.) (See update above)

The PS4 currently hosts versions of 21 different media-streaming apps. Among the ones not even mentioned in today's PS5 blog post: CBS All Access, CBS News, HBO Max, Crackle, Funimation, NBA, NFL, PlutoTV, Plex, VRV, and Vudu.

By contrast, existing Xbox One media apps just work on the Xbox Series X. According to pre-release testing from Ars' own Sam Machkovech, those apps even load faster on the upcoming console. And Microsoft has recently confirmed that all apps developed under the Universal Windows Platform system on Xbox should "run at parity" on the Series S and Series X without any work on the developer's part.

In the long run, this probably won't be a huge difference between the two consoles. If a media-streaming app was popular enough to attract an audience on the PS4, that app will likely be ported to the PS5 in relatively short order. But in the early days, people who use their PS4 in part as a video-streaming set-top box may find their new PS5 a little lacking.

Sony also used today's blog post to announce a specially designed Media Remote for the PS5, currently listed for $29.99 at Best Buy and Target. In addition to basic media and TV control and menu navigation functions, the remote includes quick-launch buttons for Disney+, Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube, as well as a microphone button for voice commands.