PS5 and PS4 system software betas include new UI enhancements, party chat options
You can also expect more screen reader languages, mono audio for headphones, and a new feature that enables voice commands is being tested.
Sony has released the latest system update betas for PS4 and PS5, which come with new features and new UI enhancements.
This is the second PS5 system software beta, and it comes with new ways to personalize across party chat, Game Base, and accessibility settings. The PS4 system software beta comes with the community requested Open Parties feature, which is also coming in the PS5 beta.
Those in the US and UK participating in the PS5 beta can also preview a new feature that enables voice commands for finding and opening games and apps, as well as controlling media playback.
With the new party chat option, you can have both open and closed parties. There's also a voice chat reporting feature update that provides visual indicators for you to identify who was speaking.
You can now also start Share Play directly from the voice chat card which means you will no longer need to start Share Screen first. Speaking of voice chat, you can also now individually adjust the voice chat volume of each player in a party on PS4 - just like PS5.
On PS5, some of the base enhancements include: voice chats are now called parties, you can now view all your friends under the Friends tab in the control menu, you can now add a player to a group or create a new group directly from Game Base in the Control Center, there is now an on-air icon that will display when someone in your party is sharing their screen, and it is now easier to decline friend requests thanks to the addition of a Decline button on the friend request list.
New PS5 UI features have also been added. These include the ability to filter your game collection by genre, you can now keep the games or apps you choose on your home screen by selecting “Keep in Home” with the options button, the beta update has increased apps on the home screen to 14, a Trophies UI update has been implemented which changes the visual design of trophy cards and the trophy list, and you can now start Share Screen from the Create menu.
Six more languages have been added to the Screen Reader, which reads aloud on-screen text and provides spoken guidance for operating the console. These languages are Russian, Arabic, Dutch, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, and Korean.
The beta update also adds mono audio for headphones and you can now show a checkmark on enabled settings so you can see that they are turned on.
Moving on to the limited release Voice Command preview in the US and UK, this feature is in early testing and will enable voice commands for finding and opening games, apps, and settings, and it can also control media playback on PS5. The feature is currently only available in English.
To get started, you will need to enable Voice Command in the Settings menu. Once you do this, you will need to say "Hey, PlayStation” and ask your PS5 to find a game, open an app or setting, or control the playback of a movie, TV show, or song.
Sony says the final version of this system software update for PS4 and P55 will be available globally later this year.