Starting Wednesday, February 9, the PlayStation 4 and PS5 systems are adding several new accessibility and quality of life features to Sony’s consoles. Among the additions is support for voice commands on the PlayStation 5.
Hey PlayStation, what’s it about?
Sony’s previous generation consoles have had the feature since its launch in 2013, but now it’s also coming to the company’s newest console.
Starting with the beta that Sony made available to English-speaking users in the United States and United Kingdom first, the company added a system option that will make the console respond “Hey PlayStation”.
This is a feature you can turn off, but leaving it on will allow you to use your voice to launch games and other apps, as well as open system menus and control media playback.
I tested the PS5’s “Hey PlayStation” beta voice command, and it was really good! https://t.co/6Zfhnhc1v5 pic.twitter.com/G7ygcLOvps
— Jay Peters (@jaypeters) February 10, 2022
Other features of voice command support
The update will bring other new accessibility features, including one that makes headphones sound. Sony notes that this is something that should be especially useful for gamers with unilateral hearing loss.
As part of the same update, Sony has also changed how group chats work. In the future, they will be known as parties and you will have the choice to decide whether they are private or open to the public.
If you leave the party open, not only your friends can join without an invitation, but their friends too.
Game filter by genre
Another new PS5 feature will allow you to filter games by genre, as well as save up to five games on the console’s home screen for quick access.
Sony also updated the trophy card layout and added support for more screen reader languages, among other changes.
Also other new features were announced for PlayStation 5:
Ability to save certain games or apps on the home screen.
Trophy card design update.
More languages for subtitles.
How to participate in the beta version?
You can help Sony test the beta version of the update by registering on the company’s website.
Then search for the email in your inbox to see if you were selected to participate. Sony will release PlayStation 4 and PS5 system updates later this year.
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