A new PS5 system update is rolling out to beta participants today, which brings a number of changes to the PlayStation 5’s UI as well as voice commands for those in the US and UK. Pleasingly, the PS5 update also includes some excellent Xbox Series X features that users will certainly enjoy.
The first notable change in the PS5 beta is the new party chat options. Voice chats are now called parties, as you can now create open and closed parties. Open parties mean anyone can join, while closed parties are invite-only. PS4 users will now also be able to individually adjust the voice chat volume of each player in a party on PS4, just like on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
If someone unscrupulous joins your party and fires off a torrent of abuse, it will be easier to report them thanks to the visual indicators in a party identifying who’s speaking. This should help PlayStation Safety crackdown on my griefers, and you can find out more about reporting people on PS5 here.
Share Play is also receiving an update as part of the new PS5 update. You can start Share Play directly from the voice chat card, which means you no longer need to start Share Screen first to use Share Play. You’ll also be able to start Share Play from the Create menu and stream your gameplay to an open party.
The PS5’s Game Base has been divided into three tabs: Friends, Parties, and Messages, which should make navigating to the information you want easier than before. You can view all your friends under the Friends tab, search for players, send friend requests and decline them. You can also add a player to a group directly from Game Base in the Control Center and share text messages, quick messages, images, video clips and view a group’s shared media.
Even though we still don’t have folders on PS5, users will soon be able to keep a maximum of five games and apps on each home screen (Games and Media) at all times. Similar to how you can pin games and apps on Xbox, this feature means your favorite games won’t disappear into your library if you open up other titles or apps.
In addition, you’ll now be able to have a total of 14 games and apps appear on your home screen, which means they’ll be more leeway before the last game you played is pushed back to the end of the queue.
