Sony plans to add some new tricks to the PS5 and PS4 on Wednesday. Console owners interested in seeing these features will have to first sign up for the system software beta program.
Party chat, voice commands and other new features will be available Wednesday in the PS5 and PS5 software beta, Sony said Tuesday in a blog post. This is the second software beta for the newest PlayStation console, and it'll be available only for beta testers in the US and the UK.
The most notable additions revolve around the party chat feature. Gamers will be able to have open parties where friends can easily join, or closed parties to keep it limited to those with a party invite. There's also a new visual indicator to identify which member of the party is talking.
Voice commands will also be in the beta. Users can say "Hey, PlayStation" to open games, apps and settings, along with controlling media playback on the console. Sony says the feature is available only in English. Those who don't want their voice recorded can opt out.
Another change to the PS5 is the option to keep five games and apps on the home screen, instead of them moving off the screen after you've used various other apps and games. The number of slots on the home screen is also up, to 14.
If you were taken back a bit by the sleek look of the new generation of PlayStation consoles, you're not alone. The curvy white faceplates on the PS5 were a bit of a surprise. But if you prefer the classic all-black look of previous Sony consoles, then we've got good news. In December, Sony announced that it will be making its own interchangeable faceplates for the PS5 that come in a variety of new colors, and some are already available for purchase now:
- Midnight Black -- available now
- Cosmic Red -- available now
- Nova Pink -- available in the first half of 2022
- Galactic Purple -- available in the first half of 2022
- Starlight Blue -- available in the first half of 2022
- ps5-faceplates
- Sony
As of Jan. 21, you've been able to put in your order for one of these colorful new faceplates from Sony directly, though only for the Midnight Black and Cosmic Red color variants. And starting Feb. 18, they'll also be available through other major retailers.
There are two versions of the new faceplates, one for the standard PS5 console and one for the digital-only edition that doesn't have the disc drive, but they both cost the same at $55.
While the Nova Pink, Galactic Purple and Starlight Blue color variants are already available for the DualSense controllers, you'll have to wait until later in the year if you want a matching faceplate for your console. According to the January announcement from Sony, they'll become available "during the first half of 2022," so hopefully we won't be waiting too long.
We'll update the page as soon as preorders for the other colors are available.
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