Weekly roundup: PS5 UI, Steam framerate, ROG price

Sony, Valve, ASUS and Microsoft all surfaced new gaming platform changes in May, with each update aimed at a different part of the player experience. Sony is still recruiting users for its PlayStation beta program, which covers PS5 console features and system software in development. Valve has already rolled out an expanded Steam performance monitor in the Steam Client Beta. ASUS, meanwhile, listed the ROG Xbox Ally handheld at $499.99 on its U.S. storefront, while Microsoft pushed updated achievement features to Xbox Insiders. ### Is Sony actually testing a new PS5 interface right now? PlayStation’s beta program page says Sony is inviting users to test “new on-console functionality, system software and innovations” on PS5, along with app features and website changes. The company’s public sign-up pages do not spell out a specific redesigned PS5 home screen or menu layout, but they do confirm that Sony is actively recruiting testers for unfinished PS5 software features. (playstation.com) Sony’s support page says selected users can get early access to PS5 console features and provide feedback before wider release. That means reports of a PS5 UI beta are best understood, from Sony’s own public materials, as part of its standing beta pipeline rather than as a formally announced full interface overhaul. That is an inference based on Sony’s program description, not a separate Sony announcement naming a UI redesign. (playstation.com) ### What did Steam add to its client? Valve said in the Steam Client Beta that the longtime in-game FPS counter was expanded into an “In-Game Overlay Performance Monitor.” The company said the tool can show more detailed frame-rate information as well as CPU and GPU performance data, with some features limited to Windows or certain hardware. (playstation.com) Steam’s post says users can still keep a simple FPS counter at the lowest detail level, but can also adjust the amount of information and the overlay’s appearance in Steam’s in-game settings. For players, that moves Steam’s built-in overlay closer to the kind of performance readouts that often required third-party tools. ### What is the $499.99 ASUS device? (steamcommunity.com) ASUS’s U.S. store lists the ROG Xbox Ally at $499.99. The product page describes it as a handheld built around an Xbox-style experience, with support for games from Xbox, Steam, Epic Games and Windows. Xbox’s handheld page says the device can boot directly into an Xbox mode optimized for handheld play and includes Game Bar access through the Xbox button. (steamcommunity.com) ASUS’s listing confirms the price point cited in the roundup, while Xbox’s own product page frames the device as part of Microsoft’s broader push to make its PC and Xbox libraries more accessible across portable hardware. (shop.asus.com) ### What changed for Xbox Insiders? Microsoft said on April 8 that Xbox Insiders were getting “New Improvements to Achievements.” The company later said on May 13 that Insider console updates were bringing an updated boot-up experience, refreshed Gamerscore badges and other changes. Xbox’s Insider posts show that the achievement-related refresh is not a rumor or a social-media-only claim. (shop.asus.com) It is part of Microsoft’s public Insider rollout, which remains limited to test channels before any broader release. ### Where can players actually try these changes? Sony’s next step is its beta sign-up flow on PlayStation’s official beta pages, where users can register interest in testing PS5 features. (news.xbox.com) Valve’s feature is tied to the Steam Client Beta, where the expanded overlay monitor is already documented. Microsoft’s changes are available through Xbox Insider channels, and ASUS’s $499.99 handheld listing is live on its U.S. store. (playstation.com)