PS5 is now even more of a 4K TV essential thanks to Apple TV

The PS5 is confirmed to have the best digital movie store ready to go, along with Netflix and Disney+

PS5 Media Remote
(Image credit: Sony)
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Consoles aren't just consoles there days – as well has a big range of games, having services such as Netflix and Disney Plus are important selling points for both the Xbox Series X and PS5, so you can access all your entertainment in one place.

Sony, keenly aware of the need to provide both a satisfying gaming and media experience, has recently unveiled its new PS5 Media Remote accessory alongside news of an exciting new media streaming app: Apple TV, and the iTunes Store for movies. No, really, that is exciting. Allow us to explain…

Apple TV is the app for Apple's movie and TV streaming services. Inside it, you can watch content from Apple TV+, which is Apple's pay-monthly service that's a competitor to Netflix, and has some good stuff on, but not much overall.

No, what we're interested in is that Apple TV on PS5 will also include access to the iTunes Store's TV and movies, and that's the great part, because Apple actually offers the best range of 4K HDR movies to buy and rent. Not only is the selection huge, but top movies are also regularly on sale, and if you buy a movie that's not 4K yet and it gets upgraded later, you'll get the improved version for free. The quality is excellent too – if you got the disc-less PS5, it's pretty much the highest quality way to watch films.

This is the first time that the iPhone manufacturer’s video streaming service has been made available on video game consoles, and what's more, the app is also scheduled to arrive on PS4 in the near-future.

Even if you've never touched an Apple device, if you want to watch movies on your PS5, this is a seriously good option to have.

Phil Rosenberg, head of PlayStation global partner development and relations, shared an image of the PS5 Media Remote over on the PlayStation blog. The device will be able to power the PS5 console on and off, and features dedicated buttons for Disney Plus, Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube. 

In addition to the typical play/pause and forward/reverse functions we’ve come to expect from remotes, it also allow users with compatible TVs to adjust volume and power settings. There’s no specific information on which TVs this will include, but it's likely just referring to HDMI-CEC (which means: controlling a TV over its HDMI port), and support for this is widespread.

There's been no news from Microsoft as to whether Apple TV will make its way to Xbox consoles, however just last month, Window Central reported that the streaming service was being tested amongst a small group of Xbox users, so we may see it roll out after all. 

In addition to this, Xbox’s Larry ‘Major Nelson’ Hyrb took to Twitter to confirm that legacy Xbox One Media Remotes will be compatible with both Xbox Series X and Series S. There’s no word yet on whether a new media remote is in the works for the new consoles.

Samuel Willetts
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