Report: PS5-Themed Demo Kiosks and Play Areas Going Up in UK Retail Locations

We’re around four months away from the launch of next-gen consoles, and to prepare people for PS5 preorders and let players finally get their hands on the innovative new DualSense controller for themselves, it looks like PS5 kiosks and play areas are starting to go up, at least at some retail locations in the UK.

The rumor comes via a photo posted by IRON CORE on Twitter, who says “retail stores in the UK are getting #PS5 themed kiosk/area.” The play area appears to follow the aesthetic of the PS5 and DualSense, largely white with black and blue accents. While the exact retail store isn’t mentioned, some replies think the interior design looks like Curry’s PC World, a UK big box electronics retailer. The play area itself doesn’t have a PS5 console of DualSense controller in it yet, and nothing on the kiosk says “PS5” specifically, so we’re still treating this with some hesitation for now.

Take a look at the image for yourself:

With events canceled this year due to the pandemic and players unlikely to be able to get their hands on the PS5 and DualSense controller at consumer expos and other gaming events, it looks like Sony is settling for big in-store kiosks that will encourage people to play. We’ve previously intimated that the DualSense will be a huge next-gen upgrade, but also must be felt in order to truly understand how it feels to play a game using the new PS5 controller. These play areas will give people the opportunity to go hands on.

Just a few short months out from the PS5 release date, it’s not surprising to see signage and kiosks start to go up in stores. Amazon has a PS5 landing page, Sony is preparing its direct sales site for PS5 orders, and we’re already more than a month past when PS4 preorders went live relative to its launch in 2013. So far this is the only photo or evidence that these kiosks are starting to go up, but with the materials to build the play areas likely arriving at stores, we can expect to see more reports of similar constructs going up around the world as we wait for Sony to finally announce when PS5 preorders will be live.