Sony has begun testing a New beta update for PS5 This will improve the DualSense controller's speakers and microphone, along with adding indicators and emoji reactions to the screen sharing feature. The update is available to testers today via email invitation, and also includes the ability to dim the brightness of the PS5's power indicator.
The firmware for both the DualSense and DualSense Edge wireless controllers has been updated with the PS5 beta to improve the volume of the speakers that output in-game sounds and voice chat. Sony is also improving the microphone capabilities of both DualSense controllers to better handle noise.
“The microphone input quality on these controllers has been improved, thanks to a new AI-based machine learning model,” says Hideaki Nishino, senior vice president of platform experience at Sony Interactive Entertainment. “Background noise from button presses and game audio are suppressed, resulting in a better voice chat experience.”
If you use screen sharing on PS5, friends will now be able to use cursors and emoji reactions to interact with your gameplay. “Viewers can move the cursor, send a ping, or draw a line on the shared screen, allowing them to highlight specific objects or areas to guide the host player more accurately,” Nishino explains.
This sounds like a great addition to help friends complete a level, beat a boss, or finish a difficult puzzle in a game. Viewers can also send emoji reactions to the screen sharing host, but don't worry, you can disable indicators and emojis if you have a friend who likes to troll you while you're gaming.
The latest addition in the PS5 beta update is the ability to control the brightness of the PS5's power indicator. There are three options to choose from: Dim, Medium, and Bright (default). Unfortunately, you can't completely disable the power indicator.
Sony is making the PS5 beta available to a select group of testers in the US, Canada, Japan, UK, Germany and France today. Beta updates usually ship to all PS5 owners within a few months.
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