The latest PlayStation beta, announced Wednesday, will be introducing a bunch of in-progress features that better personalize yourPlayStation 5experience, including adaptive charging support for controllers — but only for the latest models.
Sony laid out the beta updates in ablog, but noted that adaptive charging, which will work onPS5-era controllers(although not thePlayStation Portal) and can adjust the power sent to them based on battery level, will only be available for thenewest PS5 model, which is slimmer and has a larger internal SSD for more storage. Many newer phones have this feature so that the battery doesn’t get overcharged and fried over time.
This will be a rest mode feature, so you have to go into the settings menu, then head toSystem > Power Saving > Features Available in Rest Modeto turn it on.
More widespread in the beta is new personalized 3D audio profiles. More and more headphones and other devices are introducing3D audio(sometimes called spatial audio), which simulates the feeling of being in a 3D space more intricately than surround sound. Instead of just being surrounded by audio, 3D audio attempts to replicate how you’d hear sound in the real world. So if you turn your head, the sound will adjust as if you’ve moved around.
This is appealing for video game players who might want a better idea of where enemies or action is located in-game. For example, 3D audio can theoretically make it sound like there’s gunfire behind you, instead of just nearby.
Because everybody has different heads, PlayStation’s personalized 3D audio feature will let you create a profile in the settings app. Sony says to go to theSound menuand choose3D Audio (Headphones)and follow the instructions to set it up. You can see how it works in the video below.
It’s unclear if this will only work withPlayStation headsetslike thePulse Eliteor if it applies to any device that supports 3D audio.
Finally,Remote Playis getting some tweaks to allow users to choose who can connect to their console. So, if you want to remove somebody from being able to use Remote Play, you’re able to. This is a small, but worthwhile privacy feature that can give players a higher degree of control over who they interact with.
You can opt into the beta, and you’ll receive an email invite on Thursday if you’ve been selected. The beta is only available for people in the U.S., Canada, Japan, U.K., Germany, and France.
