The latest PS5 software update is easily one of the current-gen console's biggest yet - adding customizable home screens, adaptive controller charging and much more. This is likely as a means to refresh the system's UI and features ahead of PS5 Pro's November 7 launch.
The details are available to read over at the official PlayStation Blog which states that the latest update will be rolling out worldwide over the coming weeks, beginning for select users in the US today.
Headlining the new additions is the all-new Welcome Hub. This is something of an improvement over the previous Explore tab which is now being phased out. The Welcome Hub acts as a fully customizable central point on your PS5's dashboard.
You'll be able to fill the hub with various widgets including Trophy tracking, a battery life monitor (for DualSense, DualSense Edge and PSVR 2 Sense controllers), friends list, wishlist and accessibility features. Better yet, the Welcome Hub will let you choose backgrounds for your PS5 dashboard. Sony says there are some animated presets, but you'll also be able to use a screenshot from your media gallery much like on Xbox Series X and Series S.
Another big feature is adaptive controller charging. This will be supported on PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro only (sorry, launch console owners), and lets users set how much charge will be supplied to controllers while the console is in rest mode. This new 'Adaptive' charge setting seems to only supply power to your controllers as long as they need charging, meaning it'll stop once they're fully topped up.
Other new additions with this update include 3D audio profile customization for PS5 headsets and earbuds, enabling Remote Play for specific users, and the ability to party share on external social media apps such as WhatsApp or Discord.
This latest PS5 update will be rolling out to all users over the coming weeks, according to Sony. So if you're not receiving an update today, it could be that you'll need to wait a little bit longer for it to roll out in your region.
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Rhys is TRG's Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.