As November 12 nears, many fans are excited for the upcoming release of the PlayStation 5. While games are the priority for most early adopters of the PlayStation 5, the continued ability to stream apps is something some players make use of when they aren't actively playing a game.

While popular apps like Netflix, Spotify, Twitch, YouTube, Disney+, and Apple TV+ will be available to connect and stream day one, there are a few streaming apps that have an undetermined release schedule on the new console. PlayStation Blog announced that Amazon Prime Video, MyCanal, Hulu, and NBC's Peacock will be absent from the PlayStation 5's media services until their respective companies finish fine-tuning their PlayStation 5 versions.

Last week, Sony fans got a first look at the PlayStation 5's User Interface. Part of that interface is an app dedicated to media, which will contain various apps with no need to download them separately from the PlayStation Store. This makes it easier for users to quickly switch from one app to the other, and even offers background use so fans can stream music via Spotify during their gaming sessions. A PlayStation 5 media remote will allow users to control their media with quick navigation and volume control, complete with launch buttons for Netflix, Spotify, YouTube, and Disney+.


While the omission of Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, MyCanal, and Peacock are glaring, this is not the first time a major console has launched without these kind of apps. The Nintendo Switch launched with no streaming apps at all, and as of this writing only Hulu and YouTube are available to download via the eShop, with no Netflix app planned. So, despite not being available right out of the box, at least the PlayStation 5's missing apps are planned.

It is upsetting to see the absence of these high-profile streaming services on the PlayStation 5's launch. Hulu and Amazon have millions of subscribers, and certainly enough time and money to invest in ensuring their apps could be available on a major console like the PlayStation 5 day one, but outside forces may have prevented this from happening in the same vein as Amazon's shipping issues with the PlayStation 5.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entertainment world in numerous ways, and perhaps it is affecting the development of these streaming apps as well. These companies are still focusing on current versions of their apps, since not everyone is going to immediately invest in a new console, and the current versions likely take precedent. In any case, the missing apps will arrive at some point, fans will just have to be patient.

The PlayStation 5 launches on November 12, 2020.