PS5 software beta adds new party chat and home screen features
A new PS5 software beta will roll out some party chat and home screen features tomorrow, February 9, and a smaller PS4 beta is coming alongside it.
The beta will be available to selected users in the US, UK, Canada, Japan, Germany, and France, just like the previous beta. As senior vice president Hideaki Nishino detailed, new party chat options are spearheading the update. PS5 and PS4 players will be able to create open and closed parties, with open parties allowing all friends to join without an invite, and closed parties being invite-only.
Note that open parties will only be available to PS5 owners running the beta software, so for now you'll need to make a closed party to let non-beta users join. Relatedly, the new party chat options also include improved reporting tools for party chat, and a one-click Share Play feature for friend profiles. PS4 is also getting individual voice volume just like PS5, which is a nice quality of life update.
With voice chats now grouped under parties on PS5, the Game Base menu has been updated to show friends, parties, and messages. Nishino says these tabs will feature clearer friend lists, friend requests, and media access for friend groups.
One of the most promising new features is tied to the PS5 home screen, which until now has often felt pretty jumbled. Thankfully, users will now be able to tag up to five games or apps to have them stay on their home screen at all times, separating them from the maximum of 14 total games or apps appearing on home at once.
Sony's also quietly demoing voice commands for PS5 with this update. This opt-in feature will be limited to English beta participants in the US and UK to start, and as you'd expect, it's built around the phrase "Hey,
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