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PS5 Update Adds 3D Audio For TVs, Addresses Annoying Screenshot Notifications
The new PlayStation 5 September 2021 system update is now live, adding 3D audio support for built-in TV speakers and addressing the headache players have had with screenshot notifications. Sony posted a video promoting its latest PS5 update ahead of it going live, showing off the support for PS5 SSD expansion cards and improved social media features among other quality-of-life improvements for PS5 owners.
While fans have been giving the PlayStation 5 high marks since it first launched last November, many agree that there are still areas for improvement. Sony itself is aware of this, and has been releasing updates large and small over the last few months. These have ranged from fixing minor UI issues to addressing a troublesome issue with the PS5's Rest mode that could potentially brick the notoriously difficult-to-find console. One of the areas some have been annoyed by are PlayStation 5 notifications, which can pop up whenever an achievement is unlocked or another title is finished downloading, taking some out of the moment when playing games.
Thankfully, the latest PS5 update addresses this. According to a recent post on PlayStation, the new PlayStation 5 September 2021 update finally allows players to disable the beeping sound that notifications make by going into the Settings menu. Other added features include 3D audio support for built-in TV speakers, as well as presents for Pulse 3D wireless headsets. A list of the major PlayStation 5 system update patch notes can be seen below:
PS5 System Update September 2021 Patch Notes
Main Features
- You can now insert an M.2 SSD to your PS5 console's expansion slot and use M.2 SSD storage. Just like your PS5's console storage, you can install PS5 and PS4 games in M.2 SSD storage and play them directly from there.
- You can use PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSDs with a capacity of 250 GB minimum and 4 TB maximum.
- To safely insert or remove your M.2 SSD, make sure your PS5 is turned off, and that the AC power cord is unplugged.
- To use M.2 SSD storage, insert your M.2 SSD in your PS5's expansion slot while your PS5 is turned off. When you turn on your PS5, you'll format your M.2 SSD so that it's ready to use.
- To move a PS5 or PS4 game that's installed in console storage or USB extended storage to M.2 SSD storage, go to your game library, press the options button, and then select [Move Games and Apps]. Then, select the game you want to move, and then select [Move].
- To install games to M.2 SSD storage by default, go to [Settings] > [Storage] > [Installation Location], select [PS5 Games and Apps] or [PS4 Games and Apps], and then select [M.2 SSD Storage] as the installation location.
3D Audio
- To enable 3D audio for your TV speakers, go to [Settings] > [Sound] > [Audio Output], and then turn on [Enable 3D Audio for TV Speakers].
- You can also measure the acoustics of your room using the microphone on your DualSense wireless controller to apply the 3D audio setting that's optimized for your room.
Games Home Screen
- If you have different platform versions of the same game installed, they'll now appear separately on your home screen.
- Different versions of a game are now easier to spot. Icons are displayed to indicate the specific platform, such as PS5 or PS4.
Game Library
- The [Installed] tab is now the first tab you'll see, making it easier to find games that aren't on your home screen, as well as offering quicker access to your media gallery.
- Under the [Installed] tab, each game's tile now clearly indicates its platform (such as PS5 or PS4). Also, just as in your games home screen, different platform versions of a game will now appear separately.
- Under the [Your Collection] tab, you'll now see that game tiles display the number of versions available to you when you're entitled to multiple versions of a game.
- You can now hide games much more quickly.
Game Base
- From the Game Base control menu, you can now do the following:
- You can now access party text chats and send messages from the Game Base control menu in the control center.
- If you're the owner of a party, you can now delete it. From the GameBase control menu, select the party you want to delete, and then select [Delete Party] from the ... (more) menu. If you delete a party, it will be deleted for all members.
- You can now see how many of your friends are online, busy, or offline under the [Friends] tab.
- You can now accept, decline, or cancel multiple friend requests at the same time. To do so, under the [Friend Requests] tab, select [Received Requests] or [Sent Requests] from the (Select Multiple) menu.
Trophies
- You can now track up to five trophies per game in the control center using the trophy tracker.
- To start tracking a trophy, select a trophy, and then select [Start Tracking].
- When you're playing a game, you can easily access information about the trophies you've added to your trophy tracker.
- You can also view your trophy tracker in pin-to-side mode to see information about the trophies during gameplay.
- When viewing the trophy lists of games, the trophies will now be displayed vertically instead of horizontally. You'll now be able to see more information for each trophy without selecting it.
Control Center
- You can now customize your control center more freely. All the controls at the bottom of the screen can be rearranged.
- The first time you open the control center, you'll see a quick introduction to some of its key features.
Screen Reader
- You can now pause the screen reader by pressing the PS button and triangle button at the same time. To resume, press the PS button and triangle button again.
- You can now make the screen reader repeat anything it reads. To do so, press the PS button and the R1 button at the same time.
The PS5 system update's added support for 3D audio presents comes right after Sony announced that it will begin selling the PS5’s Pulse 3D Wireless Headset in black next month. The PS5’s 3D audio technology allows players to hear different sounds coming from different directions as they would in-game, allowing for a more immersive gaming experience. However, before the latest update, players could only experience this 3D audio using supporting headphones like the aforementioned Pulse 3D Wireless Headset.
The PS5 update provides plenty of quality-of-life improvements for owners of Sony's newest, record-breaking console, and the ability to make take screenshots in peace and enable 3D audio through a player's TV speakers will likely goa long way to make gaming on the PS5 more enjoyable. The PlayStation 5 September 2021 update can be downloaded either automatically or from the Systems Update menu.
