I spend a lot of time laying around My PlayStation 5: delete the game here, download it there, search for old saves and try to talk to friends. It makes me appreciate every new firmware update, no matter how minor or minor the improvements it makes. And earlier this month, Sony delivered a satisfying array of tweaks.
The player has a preview of March’s major 7.0 firmware upgrade back in February, revealed Discord integration, new save data transfer options etc. It was recently released and it is far from the usual opacity.”improve system performanceupdate. It’s not as big of a deal as the PS5 finally get the folderand there are still plenty of other new features I’d love to see, but it’s another milestone in the platform’s continued improvement.
Use Discord to voice chat with friends on Xbox
Crossplay has been great at bringing people on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC together, but actually trying to communicate with them is still a drag. integrated discord fixes that and allows you to easily start a conversation with anyone and provide audio through your dashboard.
Also, it’s not even necessarily game-specific. Someone is playing Missile Federation? Someone else is watching Palestinians? Nothing! Discord is really great just chilling out together while everyone does their own thing.
Record gameplay with your voice
It sounds silly, but you can now use the microphone on the DualSense controller to ask the PS5 to record gameplay. Perfect for capturing gameplay in dense combat or an intense competition when you don’t want to lose control with manual switching. Now if only there was a text-to-speech feature to type my social media posts sharing highlights.
Wirelessly update your DualSense
There’s nothing worse than trying to play a game and finding that your controller needs a firmware update. Previously, this required plugging it into the PS5. Now, you can download and install it wirelessly. It was the slightest inconvenience, and thankfully, it’s gone.
Get variable refresh rates on 1440p monitors
Variable Refresh Rate support was available on PS5 last year. It helps the frame rate to flow more smoothly and makes the graphics look sharper. With the latest patch, it will also work with 1440p displays, a proper but realistic midpoint between 1080p and 4K. I don’t play my PS5 on one of these monitors, but I would be surprised if I did.
Receive notifications to save data in the cloud
Like many PS5 owners, I have a huge library of PS4 games and save data from all of them backed up in the cloud. However, unlike Xbox Series X/S, PS5 does not automatically retrieve that saved data. But now it does one thing almost as well: sends notification reminders when you install a game that supports your existing PS4 data (such as a PS5 game where you can transfer saves). Clicking on the prompt automatically starts the transfer, instead of having to rummage through a bunch of menus.
Join the game directly from the group chat
Another button prompt shortcut, you can now meet your in-game friends directly from the group chat menu. It’s a great time saver considering how often you can team up to play the same thing and your friends or teammates may have started before you.
See what your friends are playing more easily
This feature is not yet complete, but it is still a step in the right direction. Just like with Steam, it’s now easier to see which friends own the game you have or are actively playing. A small section of that information is located under each game tile on the PS5’s home screen. My only quibble is that you have to click through to see which friends own the game, and it only tells you someone is playing it if they’re online in the middle of a session. Baby footsteps.
Request to watch a friend’s match directly from their profile
I rarely use screen sharing, usually because if I’m online with my friends we’re probably already playing something together. Still, it’s another nice shortcut to being able to quickly see what someone is playing directly from their profile, bypassing another part of the PS5’s tedious and often esoteric menu scrolling.
Filter games when adding them to a folder
Okay, game folders have been my favorite new feature on PS5 since launch, and they’re getting easier and easier to create. When they first appear, you have to scroll through your entire library to add content as you visit. You can now filter it by various categories, making the whole organizing process a lot faster. Do I ever play 99 percent of the games I save in the PS5’s folders? Not an opportunity. But I like to do it all the same. It helps me relax and feel less guilty about my backlog.
Maybe we’ll get another round of PS5 tweaks later this year. “We’re always thinking about features fans might want to see and ways to make their PS5 gaming experience more fun, social, and connected,” said VP of Management. Product Manager Sony Hiromi Wakai said in a recent interview. “We keep a very long list of features and think carefully about how we prioritize our time and resources to deliver the features that will make the most meaningful impact on the user experience. player.”
Hopefully PS5 background themes aren’t too far off.
