PS5 Hardware Update Adds New Quality of Life Features

Sony releases Update 9.00 for the PlayStation 5 console, adding in a number of new quality of life features, including the ability to dim the power indicator light, as well as making further improvements to the DualSense audio and microphone. If rumors are to be believed, 2024 could be a big year for Sony, even with a currently sparse first-party release schedule. There are rumblings that Sony could be preparing some sort of PS5 Pro Console announcement later this year, as the company recently stated that the current model is entering the later half of its life cycle.

As fans wait for new first-party game announcements, Sony continues to work behind the scenes on keeping their consoles updated with the latest technology and functionality. In fact, many were surprised to see the PlayStation 3 get a new system update in February, which made further improvements to system performance overall. While that update may not be very exciting, current PS5 users will have to download a brand-new update for their console upon logging in, with this latest patch adding in a number of highly requested features.

For many players, one of the biggest changes comes to Sony’s DualSense and DualSense Edge controllers and the sound quality they offer. Following this update, the controller speakers can now produce higher volume sound, which Sony indicates will help players hear in-game sounds and voice chat audio more clearly. In addition, the mic input quality has also been improved thanks to a newly added AI machine-learning model. Background noise, which can sometimes be captured, like game audio or button clicking, are now better filtered out to provide a better voice chat experience.

Outside of the DualSense controller updates, this patch also allows PS5 users to adjust the brightness of their console power indicator light from the system settings. The recently added Share Screen feature to the PS5 has also received a handful of new functionality as well. Players who are watching Share Screen can now interact with the host’s gameplay by utilizing pointers and emoji reactions once the Viewer Interactions setting is enabled from its settings.

The use of AI technology shouldn’t be too surprising for fans as a recent patent filed by Sony indicated the company could be developing some sort of framework for AI streaming. The patent reveals that the “AI player” could also incorporate machine leanring and analyuze feedback data to update its in-game behavior to better represent human players. It’s clear that Sony continues to push its technology and if these patents actually come to fruition, AI could be a bigger part of the PlayStation brand’s future.

Posted: 8 hours, 45 minutes ago
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