Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that the first major PlayStation 5 firmware update will be releasing on April 14.
The new update brings some much-requested features to the system including the ability to use an external HDD to store your PlayStation 5 games. You can’t play your PlayStation 5 games from the external HDD but it’s a lot faster to move and store them on one, and then move them back to the internal when you want to play than it is to have to redownload the entire game.
Other improvements include being able to share play across PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, improvements to the Game Base, the ability to search your game library and hide games in it, and much more. Check out what the company announced today below.
PlayStation 5 Storage Expansion and Management
Store PlayStation 5 Games on Compatible External USB Drives – With this feature, you can now transfer your PlayStation 5 games to USB extended storage from your console’s internal storage. It’s a great way to extend the storage capabilities of your PlayStation 5 console, and you can seamlessly copy your PlayStation 5 games back to the console’s internal storage when you’re ready to play. It is faster to reinstall PlayStation 5 games from USB extended storage than to re-download or copy them from a disc.
Because PlayStation 5 games are designed to take advantage of the console’s ultra high-speed SSD, PlayStation 5 titles can’t be played from USB extended storage. PlayStation 5 titles also cannot be directly downloaded to USB extended storage. However, games that you transfer or copy back to internal storage will automatically update when applicable. In addition, you can select which game modes you want to install (such as campaign or multiplayer) for select titles that support the option.
For tips on using USB extended storage on PlayStation 5, including storage device requirements, please visit this link.
As previously announced, the PlayStation 5 console will support storage expansion via M.2 drives in the future. We’re currently working on this feature and will keep you posted with any updates on PlayStation Blog.
New Social Features for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 Consoles
Cross-Generation Share Play – PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 players can now Share Play together while chatting in parties. This means PlayStation 5 console users can let their friends on PlayStation 4 consoles view their game screen, or even try out the PlayStation 5 games through Share Play, and vice versa. Options include the ability to share your screen with a friend, pass your controller virtually to a friend, or pass a second controller virtually to play co-op games together.
Request to Join Game Session – A selection of your friends’ joinable game sessions will now appear on both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 consoles, allowing for more gameplay opportunities together. The “Request to Join” option also serves as a shortcut to sending a game invite, reducing the time it takes for you to get into games with friends. Through the Privacy Settings menu, you can modify who can interact with you through parties, games and messages.
Enhanced Control and Personalization Options for PlayStation 5 Consoles
Improved Game Base – The Game Base menu has been improved for quicker access to important content and features. You can now easily switch between Parties and Friends to start chatting with your existing parties or see what each of your online friends is up to. In addition, you can turn notifications on or off for each of the parties you’re in.
Disable Game Chat or Adjust Players’ Volume – You can now quickly disable in-game chat, which turns off your mic audio and the voice audio of other players. Additionally, you can easily adjust the individual voice chat volume of other players in the same chat so you don’t have to ask your friends to lower or increase their mic volume each time.
Game Update Pre-download – Once it’s enabled by developers, title updates for games will pre-download to your console if the “automatic updates” setting is enabled and your console is on or in rest mode. This will let you start playing the latest version of a game immediately after the update’s release.
Customize Game Library – With the ability to search your library or hide games from view, it’s now easier to find content and personalize your view of your game library.
Screen Zoom – You can now adjust the magnification of the screen to suit your preference from the Settings menu.
New Trophy Settings and Stats Screen – The level of trophies that results in automatic capture of a screenshot or video clip can now be customized — so you can now choose to only capture and save images/videos of moments when you earn higher-grade trophies, like Gold or Platinum. We’re also introducing a new player Trophy Stats screen, where you can check out the summary of your trophy level and status at a glance.
