Major PS5 And PS4 System Updates Released With Highly Requested New Features

PlayStation has confirmed that it's currently in the process of rolling out system software betas on PS5 and PS4 that promise to bring along a slew of highly requested features to both consoles.

The new-gen console is the real start of the show, as PlayStation continues to improve the PS5 with a number of new customisation options, voice commands, and accessibility settings. Meanwhile, the PS4 and PS5 are to receive a brand-new, "community-requested" Open Parties feature.

PlayStation has detailed exactly what these changes mean and what we can expect over on the PlayStation Blog. On both consoles, players will have the option to select either an open or closed party. Each one does pretty much what you'd expect it to: An open party lets your friends (and friends of party members) jump in without an invite. Closed parties are invite-only.

PS5-specific features include easier ways to report players who are misbehaving in the chat, with new visual indicators to help you see who in the party was speaking. We're also getting an update to Share Play which means you don't need to start Share Screen before accessing Share Play anymore.

There are a number of tweaks to the PS5 Game Base, too. Voice chats are now called parties, the Game Base menu has been divided into three tabs: Friends, Parties and Messages. From here you can easily view friends, send messages, and do any other social stuff I imagine people with friends like to do. I can only imagine.

The PS5 UI has also been reworked to include more apps and games on screen at any time, as well a number of new features that make browsing games and Trophies just a little bit easier.

Finally, a new Voice Command option (which is US and UK only for the time being) allows players to open games and apps using only their voice. This feature can be accessed and set up properly via the Settings menu.

These PS5 and PS4 updates are currently only being shared to players with beta access for now, but PlayStation has confirmed that the final system software updates will be available globally later this year. If you’re selected to participate in the betas, you’ll get an email invitation as soon as you can download the update.