Massive PS5 firmware adds Discord Voice Chat, VRR at 1440p and much more

Sony has just released the latest system software update for PS5. If you keep an eye on the version number, we are now at version 23.01-07.00.00. What does this 1.1 GB update actually do? Quite a lot, it turns out. This is the official release of the firmware that has been in beta for a while, integrating Discord and adding many quality of life changes.

As mentioned earlier, Discord integration is the main event here. Once you’ve synced your PSN and Discord accounts, you can start a voice chat on the latter and then join it through your PS5, which is a handy way to chat with your friends whether they’re on PS5 or not.

Elsewhere, those using a 1440p screen can now enable VRR to smooth out any stutter in the picture. Game hubs have been expanded to include time played, overall progress percentage, and a Friends Who Play tile that shows you who has a game and who is currently online. The Trophy activity map has been moved and modified to make it more convenient.

There are also improvements to the screen reader function, Game Base and game library. Oh, and software updates are also available for the DualSense, DualSense Edge, and PSVR2 Sense controllers. Speaking of which, starting with this PS5 update, you’ll be able to wirelessly update your controllers’ software. In the US and UK, a preview extends the voice command feature to include commands for saving video clips of gameplay.

See the full patch notes below and check out the PS blog for some more info. Are you interested in the latest PS5 firmware features? Tell us in the comments below.

Key features in this system software update

• 1440p video output has been expanded on PS5.
  • VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) is now supported for 1440p resolution.
  • More modes and HDMI devices are now supported. To check if your HDMI device supports it, go to Settings > Display & Video > Video Output > Test 1440p Output.

• You can now transfer data between PS5 consoles.
  • Easily transfer all your PS5 data to another PS5. This process does not delete or change your data on your original PS5.

• You can now participate in Discord voice chats on your PS5.
  • Link your Discord account to your PlayStation Network account. Use the Discord app on your mobile device or computer to start a Discord voice chat on PS5. You can also show your Discord friends when you’re online and what you’re playing.

• Voice Command now supports using your voice to save video clips of your gameplay.
  • Say “Hey PlayStation, capture that!” to save a video clip of your recent gameplay. The default saved duration is based on your settings.
  • You can also save a specific duration of your gameplay, from 15 seconds to 60 minutes. For example, if you want to save 5 minutes, say “Hey PlayStation, record the last 5 minutes”.
  • Say “Hey PlayStation, start recording” to manually start a new gameplay recording. You can then say “Hey PlayStation, stop recording” to end recording and save the video clip.
  • Currently, Voice Command (Preview) is only available in English for players with PlayStation Network accounts in the US and UK.

Other updated features

• The following improvements have been made to the screen reader feature:
  • The screen reader now provides more detailed guidance for navigating the console. It will now tell you in which direction you can go from the currently selected item, as well as your current position in a multi-item item.
  • When using the screen reader in the web browser, you now see borders around the portion being read.
  • The screen reader has been updated to correctly read some key terms.

• The following features have been added to game hubs:
  • Each game has a timer on the game hub that tracks the total time played.
  • Game progress is also displayed for games with a minimum number of story activities.
  • A Friends Playing tile has been added.
    • You can see which of your friends own the game and who is currently online.
    • By selecting the tile, you can see what your friends are up to, and you can also access your friends’ profile where you get more interaction options.
  • The trophy tile has been moved and updated to make it easier to access and show your trophy progress.
  • Competitive multiplayer maps can be viewed in full screen. Selecting Start Activity will take you directly to that match. The prominent placement and size of the map makes it an easy option for multiplayer.

• The following update has been made to the cross-play feature:
  • In game session cards of cross-play games, you can now see the members playing on other platforms.

• The following features have been added to Game Base:
  • You can now send a Share Screen request or start sharing your screen with a friend right from their profile.
    • Select the Share screen icon on your friend’s profile.
    • You can also send a Share Screen request to your friend from the PlayStation App.
  • An icon appears on the voice chat card to join group members who are playing a game that you can join. You can join the game directly by selecting the player and then selecting Join Game from the menu.
  • Friends active on the PlayStation App will now appear as online in your friends list.

• We’ve made the following improvements to the game library:
  • You can determine the default sort order for games within game lists.
  • Use filters in your library to easily find PS VR and PS VR2 compatible games.

• The following settings have been added to game presets:
  • You can set your preferences to control who can join and who can invite other players to multiplayer sessions you’ve created for supported games. Go to Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings > Game Presets > Online Multiplayer Sessions and select your preferences in Who Can Join and Who Can Invite.

• When you download or install a game, the way your save data is checked has changed.
  • If it’s a PS4 game and you don’t have save data in console storage, you will now be notified if PS4 save data is available in cloud storage.
  • If it’s a PS5 game that can use PS4 save data and you don’t have save data in console storage, you will now be notified if PS4 save data is available in cloud storage.
  • To download your save data from cloud storage, press the PS button to expand the notification and select Download PS4 Saved Data.

• You can now select which Media Gallery files to manually upload to Captures on PlayStation App. Existing content policies still apply.
• The following changes have been made to the on-screen keyboard:
  • When you start entering characters, suggestions appear at the top of the onscreen keyboard. If you press the R1 button, you don’t have to enter the first suggestion, just select it now. Press the X key to enter the selected suggestion.
  • If you see learned suggestions that you want the console to forget, you can remove them from the options menu.
  • (Only for Japanese keyboard) The suggestions that appear when entering characters are now displayed in both half and full characters.

• Unicode 15.0 emoji can now be displayed.
• The time required to perform integrity checks on downloaded data has been greatly reduced. This process runs while the Copy… label is displayed on the downloaded item in the Downloads/Uploads control in the control center.
• The way installed games are launched has changed.
  • If your PS5 has the download version of a game you didn’t purchase (such as the ones other users have purchased on your PS5), and if you have the disc version, you can now play the installed download version by inserting the disc (without the disc version to install).
  • Similarly, if you installed a game using the disc and purchased the download version of the game, you can now play the installed disc version of the game without inserting the disc.

• The hint system has been expanded to display a list of objectives if the game offers one. Select a target to see a more detailed video or text hint.
• You can now view and manage your authorized apps in Settings.
  • Authorized apps are third-party apps and services that you have associated with your PlayStation Network account. When using an authorized app, you consent to share your account information with that app.
  • Go to Settings > Users & accounts > Authorized apps to view and manage your authorized apps.

• We have updated the device software for DualSense Wireless Controller, DualSense Edge Wireless Controller and PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers.
  • The update will improve stability.
  • You can now update the DualSense wireless controller device software using a wireless connection.
    • If you are having trouble updating the device software wirelessly, connect your controller to your PS5 using the USB cable to update it. You can update wirelessly for the next update.
    • DualSense Edge wireless controller and PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers already support over-the-air device software updates. This update is not required to perform over-the-air updates for these controllers.

• The following issues or issues have been resolved:
  • An error message in the dialog that gave misleading information about parental controls restrictions when using the web browser has been fixed.
  • An update has been made to fix an issue that causes some IPS LCD monitors to flicker when VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) is enabled. This update may help resolve this issue on these monitors.