Sony’s latest PS5 beta improves DualSense controller audio and screen sharing

Sony’s latest PS5 beta improves DualSense controller audio and screen sharing

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Sony has started testing a new PS5 beta update that will improve the speakers and microphone on the DualSense controller, alongside adding pointers and emoji reactions to the Share Screen feature. The update is available to testers today via an email invite, and it also includes the ability to dim the brightness of the PS5 power indicator.

The firmware for both the DualSense and DualSense Edge wireless controllers has been updated with this PS5 beta to improve the volume of the speakers that output in-game sounds and voice chat. Sony is also improving the microphone capabilities of both of the DualSense controllers to better deal with noise.

“The mic input quality on these controllers has been improved, courtesy of a new AI machine learning model,” says Hideaki Nishino, a senior vice president for platform experience at Sony Interactive Entertainment. “Background noise from button presses and game audio are suppressed, resulting in a better voice chat experience.”

Image: Sony

Don’t worry you can turn these pointers and emoji off when you’re screen sharing.

If you use the Share Screen feature on PS5 then friends will now be able to use pointers and emoji reactions to interact with your gameplay. “Viewers can move a pointer around, send a ping or draw a line on the shared screen, allowing them to highlight certain objects or areas to guide the host player more accurately,” explains Nishino.

That sounds like a great addition to help friends complete a level, beat a boss, or finish a challenging puzzle in a game. Viewers can also send emoji reactions to the host of the screen sharing, but don’t worry you can disable the pointers and emoji if you have a friend who just loves to troll you while you’re playing.

Image: Sony

You can’t fully disable the PS5 power indicator.

The last addition in this PS5 beta update is the ability to control the brightness of the PS5’s power indicator. There are three options to choose from: dim, medium, and bright (default). Unfortunately you can’t fully disable the power indicator.

Sony is making this PS5 beta available to select testers in the US, Canada, Japan, UK, Germany, and France today. Beta updates typically ship to all PS5 owners within a few months.