Sony has given the PlayStation 5 (and PlayStation 4) a major update today, which has been in beta testing for a few weeks. If you didn’t see the changelog last time, you can find it at the end of the post.
Sony PlayStation 5 is getting VRR soon
It’s a very big update that upgrades the console to version 5.0 (firmware 22.01-05.00). However, there is one thing missing that many would like from the PS5 since this feature is present on the Xbox Series X: VRR.
Variable refresh rate (VRR) is set to be “launched on the PS5 in the coming months,” according to Sony. The function was donated to their own Smart TVs a few weeks ago, but the console will have to wait a little longer.
As an additional option, there is the possibility of applying VRR to PS5 games that do not support it. This feature can improve video quality for some games. If this leads to unexpected visual effects, you can disable this option at any time. Both VRR and the second option can be turned on or off.
Sony hasn’t given a date yet, but to be honest, “months” doesn’t sound like the first half of the year. I suspect that this will come with version 6.0 in the fall.
PlayStation 4 and 5: Changelog for the update
New party chat options
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- Open and Closed Parties (PS5 and PS4 Betas)
- When you start a party, you can choose either an open party or a closed party.
- Note: If you select [Open Party] to start a party in Game Base on PS5 and Party on PS4, only players using the beta version of the PS5 or PS4 system software can join. To start a party that non-Beta users can join, select [Closed Party].
- Voice Chat Reporting Feature Update (PS5 Beta)
- If you want to report something someone said at a party, there are now icons to help you identify who is speaking. This will help PlayStation’s security team take appropriate action based on your report. You can learn more about this feature here.
- Open and Closed Parties (PS5 and PS4 Betas)
- Share Play Update (PS5 Beta)
- Starts “Share Play” directly from the voice chat card. You no longer have to start Screen Sharing first to use Share Play.
- Voice Chat Volume (PS4 Beta)
- You can now individually adjust each player’s voice chat volume at a party on PS4, just like on PS5.
Extensions to the Game Base on PS5
- Voice chats are now called parties. For easier access, we’ve divided the Game Base menu into three tabs: Friends, Parties, and Messages.
- From the Game Base Control Menu and Maps you can now:
- see all friends in the [Friends] tab in the control menu or access the player search function and friend requests from links on this tab.
- add a player to a group or create a new group directly from Game Base in Control Center. You can also use this card to send text messages, short messages, pictures, and video clips, and view a group’s shared media.
- When someone in a party is sharing their screen, the (On Air) icon is now displayed.
- We’ve made it easier to decline friend requests by adding a [Decline] button to your friend request list.
New features in the PS5 UI
- Filter by genre
- We’ve added an option to filter your game collection by genre to quickly find specific gaming experiences.
- Keep on the home screen
- You can now keep the selected game or app on the home screen by selecting “Pin to Home” with the OPTIONS button.
- With this feature, you can place a maximum of five games and apps on each home screen.
- More apps on the home screen
- You can now display a total of 14 games and apps on your home screen.
- Trophy UI update
- We’ve updated the visual design of the trophy cards and the trophy list. You can also see suggestions for trophies you can earn with the trophy tracker and access them from the Control Center when playing a game.
- Start “Share Screen” from the “Create” menu
- You can now start screen sharing and stream your gameplay to an open party from the Build menu.
New accessibility features
- More screen reader languages
- The screen reader, which reads on-screen text aloud and provides spoken instructions for operating the console, is now supported in six additional languages: Russian, Arabic, Dutch, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish and Korean.
- This extends screen reader support to 15 languages, including current languages (US English, UK English, Japanese, Italian, German, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, French, and Canadian French).
- Headphone mono audio
- You can now enable mono audio for headphones so that the same audio is played through both left and right headphones instead of getting a stereo or 3D audio mix. This feature provides an additional option to enhance the PS5 audio experience, especially for gamers with single-sided hearing loss.
- Checkmark for activated settings
- You can now show a tick next to enabled settings so you can easily see that they are enabled.