M: I'm thinking about trying to use Plex to run streaming onto my PS5 from my collection. I have concerns about... the interference of legality. Like I just ripped a copy of Spaceballs on my drive from a Blu-ray I own. Am I going to have to, like, provide UPCs and proof in order to keep the PlayStation and Plex people from dropping down on me, or what? I know this isn't one of those legal gray areas, so I'm not trying to pin you down, but if you can't answer directly, can you at least point me towards some good conversations about it?

G: You're asking a smart question, and it’s totally valid to make sure you're on solid ground when using Plex and a PS5 to stream copies of movies you own. Here's how things look from both a legal and practical standpoint:

1. Ripping Your Own Blu-Ray — Is It Legal?

2. Streaming Through Plex

3. Plex’s Policy & Enforcement

4. Key Takeaway

What Real Users Say

On Reddit, several users had useful takeaways:

These community perspectives underscore that while the risks are real, enforcement against home users hasn't been prominent—yet the legal foundation remains uncertain.

Summary Table

Aspect Legal Status
Ripping your legally owned disc Technically violates DMCA (anti-circumvention)
Streaming for personal/home use Common practice; typically not enforced
Plex or PS5 requiring proof Not required and unlikely to happen
Plex tracking your media sources Plex doesn’t check or care how you obtained them

If You’d Like to Go Deeper

Final Thoughts

Happy to point you toward more threads or resources if you’d like!

M: Delving a little deeper, can you please look and see if you can get anything about Sony using Plex in any way that could be considered a pain in the ass? That's my primary concern. Particularly even large program groups that make software that isn't... I'm not worried about Plex, is what I'm saying. They're in that group of people like, I don't know, what was it back in the day, Napster, in that they are aware of how things can be used, but distance themselves legally without trying to get involved on anyone's behalf. Sony, on the other hand, is very protective of their shit. So can you do a sweep and tell me if there's any indication that using it through the PS5 would cause a problem that any other item of streaming capacity wouldn't? Sorry I lost the train of that, but I think you understand what I'm asking.

G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]

G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]

G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]

G: TL;DR: There’s no sign that Sony/PS5 polices or punishes normal Plex use, and you won’t be asked to prove disc ownership. The “gotchas” with PS5 are about the client experience (HDR handling, power draw, flaky playback), not legal enforcement. Remote streaming has new Plex-side requirements (Plex Pass/Remote Watch Pass), but that’s Plex policy, not Sony. citeturn0search2turn0search9turn0search13turn0news50

What Sony does (and doesn’t) do

Real-world PS5 + Plex pain points (technical, not legal)

Plex policy changes you will feel (but they aren’t Sony)

Safety + sanity checklist (practical steps)

Bottom line

Sony isn’t out here demanding UPCs or proof for Plex on PS5, and there’s no credible pattern of enforcement against ordinary personal streaming through Plex. Your friction on PS5 is UX/performance, not legal scrutiny, and Plex’s newer remote-stream rules are the only meaningful recent change you’ll notice. citeturn0search2turn0search9turn0search13turn0news50

Third option (if you want zero PS5 headaches)

Skip the PS5 client entirely for Plex and run a small, quiet streamer on your TV’s HDMI; keep PS5 for games only. It dodges the PS5 media quirks and lowers power consumption during movie nights. citeturn0search0

M: I was coming to that last conclusion as well, but I am wondering if you can come up with any way of quickly and reliably using the web on a PS5 that doesn't involve things like going into the YouTube Google search or other workarounds that I've seen. And if it doesn't exist, why did they take that off? Because I'm pretty sure that... well, I don't think I ever saw a PS4, but the PS3 was all hyped up about web capacity, I think.

G: You're absolutely right to be curious about this—there’s no straightforward, full-featured web browser on the PS5 like there was on the PS3 or PS4. Let's break down the current state, the workarounds, and why Sony chose to hide web access.

Current State: Is There a PS5 Web Browser?

The Browser Is Hidden, Not Gone

Sony did not include a visible web browser app on the PS5 home screen. However, that doesn’t mean the system is technically incapable—it still has a rudimentary browser accessible via workarounds.

How You Can Access It Right Now:

Method 1: Through YouTube / Google Sign-In

These are more like “hidden exploits” than designed features—and you’ll need to repeat the steps every time you want to browse.citeturn0search12turn0search20

Why Did Sony Hide It?

Security and Anti-Piracy

Sony removed the full-fledged browser likely because it's been a major vector for exploits in previous consoles (PS3 & PS4). Consoles with open web browsers have historically been easier to jailbreak or modify.citeturn0search16turn0search0
A comment from the community neatly explains the logic:

"The web browser was the biggest vector for … exploits to crack the PS3 and PS4, so it's fully understandable that Sony removed the browser in the PS5 to … prevent that."citeturn0search16

Minimal Demand

Modern setups—smart TVs, smartphones—handle browsing better than clunky console interfaces. Sony likely figured browser use on consoles is rare enough to not justify the risks.citeturn0search16turn0search18turn0search3

In essence: risk vs. payoff didn’t favor keeping a browser front and center.

Summary—Is There Any Reliable Browser Access?

What Users Say (with a little community flavor):

What This Means for You

If you're looking for a quick, reliable way to browse the web on PS5, unfortunately there isn’t one—beyond the hidden hacks, which are far from user-friendly.
If browsing is a regular need—especially for hotel logins, researching while gaming, or easily accessing websites—you’re better served by:

TL;DR

Question Answer
Does the PS5 have a web browser? No official app, but a hidden one can be accessed via workarounds.
Why was it removed? Sony removed it for security (exploit risks) and low user demand.
Are the workarounds practical? They exist, but they're clunky and unreliable as permanent solutions.

Let me know if you'd like video walkthroughs on how to access this hidden browser—or help finding a more practical alternative!

M: Without getting into too much detail, how is the web browser such a vulnerability, and was it a necessary vulnerability, or was it just people being idiots in programming? Because I don't know what they were thinking then, but from now I would definitely isolate anything web-based in any kind of hardware I was designing simply because of the capacity of various, I don't know, programming engines and things like that. Basically, it doesn't seem like it was unavoidable, but I could be wrong. If I am wrong, I'd like to know how.

G: That’s a sharp way to look at it. You’re right that, in hindsight, it feels obvious that “just don’t bolt a full web engine into a locked-down box” would avoid a lot of headaches. But the reason browsers were such a ripe attack vector on the PS3/PS4 (and other consoles/phones of that era) is a mix of both inevitable complexity and design choices of the time.

Why browsers were (and are) juicy targets

Why consoles got burned

Was it a necessary vulnerability?

Why Sony changed course

By the time of the PS5, the calculation flipped:

So instead of building a hardened browser, Sony just hid a minimal one for login screens and account linking, cutting the attack surface dramatically.

👉 So you weren’t wrong—Sony could have avoided the issue by never offering a general browser in the first place. But once they did promise that feature in the PS3/PS4 days, it was basically unavoidable that it would become a playground for hackers.

Would you like me to walk through one concrete example of a real exploit (like the font engine one on PS4) so you can see how attackers chained a browser bug into a jailbreak?

M: Please go online and try to get me a canonical list, in bullet form if you can, of the games on the PS5 that are able to use a USB mouse and keyboard combination, please.

G: Here’s a refined, consolidated bullet list of PS5 games that natively support a USB (or Bluetooth) mouse and keyboard, compiled from multiple trusted sources—ideal for quick reference.

Consolidated List of PS5 Games with Native Mouse & Keyboard Support

Notes & Caveats

Summary

These are the games confirmed—via reputable guides and community/edit-vetted sources—to support keyboard and mouse on PS5. If you're exploring a particular title not listed here, checking its official documentation, patch notes, or community forums may help verify.