The new PS5 Beta has recently been rolled out and it will offer new features for beta participants including the much-awaited Discord Voice Chat.
PS5 Beta Rolls Out Today
Beta participants are able to try out some cool features ahead of the rest of the world right now with the latest version of the PS5 system software beta. Most requested features like Discord voice chat, Variable Refresh Rate Support for 1440p resolution, and more are now available to them. The new post on PlayStation Blog also revealed this new version will introduce a variety of UX, accessibility, and social feature enhancements.
Participants of the beta from the US, Canada, Japan, UK, Germany, and France will get an email on how they will be able to download the software and get started. Sony notes that some of these features might not get to the final version of the software update.
Check out the new features that will be available to the PS5 beta below:
New Social Features
- Join a Discord Voice Chat on Your PS5 Console. Players will now be able to join Discord voice chats on the PS5 console and easily chat with friends on most other gaming platforms. All they need to do is link their Discord and PlayStation Network accounts from the PS5 console.
- Start or Request a Share Screen from Your Friend’s Profile. Players can now send a Share Screen request or start sharing their screen with a friend, directly from their profile. They only need to select the Share Screen icon on their friend’s profile.
- New “Join Game” Icon in Party Chats. Players can now join a game in Party Chats by selecting Join Game from the menu of the other player.
- New “Friends Who Play” Tile. In game hubs, players can now see which of their friends have the game, who is currently online, and who is currently playing the game. Select a tile to see its status.
- Manually Upload Game Captures to PlayStation App. Players can now manually select and upload individual screenshots or game clips to PS App from the PS5 console and easily share them on social media.
New Gameplay and Personalization Options
- Variable Refresh Rate support for 1440p. Players can now enjoy smoother visual performance when using a VRR-compatible HDMI 2.1 display at 1440p resolution, when playing a game that supports VRR.
- The PS5 console’s 1440p output test got updated and enabled the 1440p support for a wider range of HDMI displays.
- Game Library Enhancements.
- Players can now sort and filter games when adding games to a gamelist
- Use filters in the library to easily find PS VR games, PS VR2 titles when it launches later.
- Game Presets for Multiplayer Session Preferences. Players can now set preferences to manage who can join and who can invite other players to multiplayer sessions they have created for supported games.
New Accessibility and Ease-of-use Features
- PS4 to PS5 Saved Data Migration. There are two new ways to access PS4 saved data on the PS5 console:
- When installing a PS4 game on the PS5 console, a notification will pop up revealing a PS4 saved data is available in the PS Network cloud storage. Select it to download the saved data.
- When downloading or installing a PS5 game that can load PS4 saved data, the same notification will appear.
- PS5 to PS5 Data Transfer. It is now easier to transfer the data on the PS5 console to another one using local Wi-Fi network or LAN cable. Either transfer the data during the initial PS5 console setup or later from the settings menu.
- Screen Reader Improvements. The screen reader feature now gives more detailed guidance when navigating the console. It will tell the direction the player could move from the currently selected component and more.
- Wireless Device Update for DualSense Wireless Controller. The controller can now be updated with a wireless connection without the use of a USB cable.
Game Capture Using Voice Command (Preview): US and UK only
- Voice Command now supports using voice to save video clips of gameplay.
The final version of the PS5 system software update could launch in a few months, depending on the bugs they might find in the PS5 beta test.