The Best New Features From the PlayStation System Software Beta

Your PS5 will soon be getting a bunch of cool new features, including the ability to turn off the on/off beep (finally!), support for even bigger SSDs for storage expansion, and a host of quality-of-life improvements. All of these features are now available to beta testers and should become public in the future.

PlayStation betas are invite-only, but you can register your PS5 today to make a name for yourself. If selected, you will receive an email from Sony with detailed instructions on how to install the latest beta software on your PS5. This beta program is only available in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, UK and US.

Use two controllers as one

Not everyone is good at games that require button presses. This includes children, people suffering from motor problems, or players whose fingers are not mobile enough to keep up. The new feature allows you to connect two controllers to your PS5 and use them as one controller. With it, you can help people who can’t complete difficult levels in games, but still give them control over the parts they can play. It also opens the door for creative gameplay, such as turning any single player game into a co-op one.

If you have the latest beta update installed on your PS5, go to Settings > Accessibility > Controllers > Use Second Controller for Assistance and turn on Use Secondary Controller .

Turn off the power beep

Whenever you turn your PS5 on or off, you hear a beeping sound that can obviously disturb other people in your home. The latest beta update allows you to disable this sound by going to Settings > System > Beep . Turn on the Mute Beep option to turn it off, or select Volume to adjust its volume.

Use Large SSDs to Expand Storage

PS5 storage can be expanded by connecting an M.2 SSD. The latest beta adds support for M.2 SSDs up to 8TB, meaning you no longer have to worry about deleting games when you install Call of Duty . Up until now, the maximum SSD was 4TB, so you can now add dual storage if you can afford it.

If you’re looking for a new SSD for your PS5, PCMag has a list of the best options for 2023 . These are their top five:

• Acer Predator GM7000
• Blade ADATA XPG Gammix S70
• Decisive P5 Plus
• WD Black SN850X
• Samsung 990 Pro SSD

easier to find games

Those of us with large libraries of installed games have had to struggle to find the games we want to play. Many games get lost in endless horizontal menus and it often takes time to find the right game. In the latest beta release, Sony has addressed this issue by adding a game search feature. You will be able to search for installed games and find titles much faster.

Improved social features

Several new features make it much easier to play with friends. The PS5 beta update allows you to invite people to private parties without adding them to groups. This change is great if you want to add a player to a group for one or two sessions but don’t want them to be in your groups every time. You can also send party invitations to groups instead of individual players.

In PS5 chats, you can use emoji for messages, which greatly reduces clutter in private messages. The update also makes it easier to join friends’ gaming sessions.

Haptic feedback in the user interface of the system

Haptic feedback is an immersive type of vibration found in devices from smartphones to game controllers. Instead of emitting a uniform “buzz” when something happens, haptic feedback offers subtle “tapping” sounds that mimic what’s happening on the screen.

With the latest PS5 beta update, you now have the option to enable haptic feedback when scrolling through the system UI with a DualSense controller, DualSense Edge controller, or PS VR2 Sense controller. You’ll feel these subtle taps in tandem with the new system sounds when you move focus from one element to another, reach the end of a scrollable selection, check a box, load a game, or receive a notification.

You can enable this setting in Settings > Accessibility > Controllers under Haptic feedback while navigating the console .

Support for Dolby Atmos devices.

This update also adds support for Dolby Atmos devices for a more immersive audio experience. You can enable this by going to Settings > Sound > Audio Output > Audio Format (Priority) and enabling Dolby Atmos .