PS5 system update adds Welcome hub, Party Share, personalized 3D audio profiles, adaptive controller charging, and more

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PS5 system update adds Welcome hub, Party Share, personalized 3D audio profiles, adaptive controller charging, and more

Welcome hub, a new personalized space on the PS5 home screen, will roll out gradually across regions.

Today, we’re happy to announce a new PS5 system software update that introduces a number of new features, including:

Welcome hub: a new personalized space with customizable widgets and backgrounds in your PS5 home screen. Welcome hub is a reimagined version of the Explore tab, which was previously only available in the U.S. It will roll out globally over the next few weeks, starting today for select players in the U.S.

Party share: the ability to share party voice chat links on messaging and social media apps will roll out globally in the coming weeks.

Additionally, thanks to support from our beta participants, the following features that were tested in our latest PS5 beta will be released globally, starting today:

  • Personalized 3D audio profiles for headphones and earbuds
  • Adjust Remote Play settings per user and choose who is allowed to connect to your PS5 console using Remote Play
  • Adaptive charging for your controllers (available for the slimmer PS5 model and PS5 Pro when it’s available)

Aside from adaptive charging for your controllers, all PS5 system update features mentioned in this blog post are available for all PS5 models. Let’s take a deeper look at what’s included in this update:

Newly announced features

Welcome hub (phased release)

We are introducing a new personalized space in your PS5 home screen called Welcome hub – a dedicated space you can customize with widgets, allowing you to see information at a glance before you begin your gaming sessions. For players in the U.S, Welcome hub will replace the current Explore tab with enhanced customizability and an upgraded user experience.

PS5 system update adds Welcome hub, Party Share, personalized 3D audio profiles, adaptive controller charging, and more

You can easily customize your Welcome hub by selecting from a variety of widgets*, including console storage, battery levels for accessories, online friends, trophies, and many more. Use presets to quickly change your layout, and simply select and arrange a variety of widgets as you see fit. You can change the size of your widgets, expanding or shrinking them to give more focus to the features that are most important to you.

In addition, you can also change your Welcome hub’s background. Choose from a range of designs, including some with cool animated effects, or pick out a screenshot from your own Media Gallery for a truly personal touch.

PS5 UI screenshot showing the option to change the background of the Welcome hub

Welcome hub will become available to select users in the U.S. starting later today. We will gradually expand support in other regions over the coming weeks, starting with players in Japan, followed by select countries in Europe, and finally releasing worldwide.

Party Share (phased release)

In the next few weeks, we’ll also add the ability for you to share party voice chat links on any messaging or social media app. This will allow you to invite a friend whom you’re chatting with on any messaging app to join your party voice chat, even if you haven’t added them to your friends list on PlayStation Network.

To create a party link, open the voice chat card in the Control Center on PS5, select [Invite Players], then click [Share Party link] to generate a scannable QR code. Recipients can open the link on their mobile device and seamlessly join the party on their PS5 or from PlayStation App. 

PS5 UI screenshot showing the option to share party link from the voice chat card

In the coming weeks, we will also release an update for PlayStation App which will allow you to similarly generate a shareable party link from your mobile device.

PlayStation App UI screenshot showing steps to join a party voice chat from a shared link

PS5 beta features rolling out globally today

Here’s a closer look at some of the PS5 beta features that are rolling out globally today, including personalized 3D audio profiles for headphones and earbuds, the ability to enable Remote Play access for individual users, and adaptive charging for your controllers.

Personalized 3D audio profiles for headphones and earbuds

In this generation, 3D audio is one of the key ways that creators have enhanced the immersive quality of games. As individuals, we all hear sounds differently based on the size and shape of our head, ears, and ear canals.

We’re pleased to introduce a feature that lets your PS5 console create a personalized 3D audio profile just for you. With a set of headphones or earbuds, you can run through a set of sound quality tests to analyze a vast number of factors to create an audio profile that best fits your hearing characteristics. For example, your personalized 3D audio profile may enable you to better sense the positions of characters and objects in a game world more clearly than before, making the experience more immersive.**

PS5 system update adds Welcome hub, Party Share, personalized 3D audio profiles, adaptive controller charging, and more

To create a personalized 3D audio profile for your headphones or earbuds, go to [Settings] > [Sound] > [3D Audio (Headphones)] on your PS5 console, and follow the steps displayed on the screen. Your audio profile will be saved on your PS5 per user, and you can also still select from 3D audio presets like before.

This feature builds on the 3D audio enhancements we’ve introduced to PS5 since launch, including 3D audio support for built-in TV speakers and support for compatible Dolby Atmos-enabled audio devices. These features give you additional options to immerse yourself more deeply in the rich variety of soundscapes in PS5 games, powered by Tempest 3D AudioTech.

PS5’s Tempest 3D AudioTech was tested and refined using audio rig setups like the one depicted here, featuring PS Blog’s very own Sid Shuman.

Enable Remote Play for individual users

You can now adjust Remote Play settings per user and choose who is allowed to connect to your PS5 console using Remote Play. So, if your friends or family members come over and sign in to your PS5 console with their account for PlayStation Network, you can easily modify who can continue to access your PS5 console using Remote Play when they leave.

To adjust these settings, go to [Settings] > [System] > [Remote Play] > [Enable Remote Play], and choose which user you want to enable access to your PS5 console through Remote Play.

PS5 UI screenshot showing the settings menu with four usernames and individually adjusted Remote Play settings

Adaptive charging for your controller (for the slimmer PS5 model and PS5 Pro)

Adaptive charging for the DualSense wireless controller, DualSense Edge wireless controller, PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers, and Access controller is now available for the slimmer PS5 model, when the console is in rest mode (and will also be available for PS5 Pro when it launches).*** Adaptive charging helps save power by adjusting the length of time that power is supplied to your controller based on its battery level.

To use adaptive charging, go to [Settings] > [System] > [Power Saving] > [Features Available in Rest Mode], and then select [Supply Power to USB Ports] > [Adaptive]. After your PS5 enters rest mode, if a controller isn’t connected, the power supply to the USB port will stop after a certain period of time.

PS5 UI screenshot showing adaptive charging option in the settings menu

We will continue to enhance your gaming and social experiences on PS5 by listening to community feedback on features and improvements. Let us know which features you’re most excited to try!

*Widget availability may vary by region.
**Personalized 3D audio profiles are not supported during PS5 cloud game streaming. 3D audio is not supported during Remote Play.
***Adaptive charging works with the DualSense wireless controller, DualSense Edge wireless controller, PS VR2 Sense controllers, and Access controller when connected to the USB Type-C port on the slimmer PS5 console (CFI-2000 model group – slim) or PS5 Pro, using the USB Type-C cable included with your PS5. PlayStation Portal remote player does not support adaptive charging.

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162 Comments

  • I live in the US and why am I not seeing the new Welcome Hub after the update?

  • As someone with a large library, I’d really like to see 2 changes.

    1. Gamelists added to the “Installed” section of the “Game Library”.

    2. Fixes that allow every game to show up in the “Your Collection” section.

    Not every game I install shows up in the “Your Collection” section, so it’s always an incomplete overview of my actual library. And there’s no way to organize the “Installed” section. So there’s really an issue, no matter which section I’m in. These suggestions would fix those problems.

  • All cool stuff and all, but what about themes, it was such a cool feature if the PS4 and the PS5 pro almost releases and still nothing :/

  • So will this be on the OG ps5 I had an update today in uk

  • I’m glad they’re adding some sort of custom home screen but I hope we get full UI customization themes like the PS3/PS4 had.

  • We need Trophy List sorting/filters please!!!

  • STILL no PlayStation Stars integration? Not even a widget? C’mon. Smh.

  • Please I want to be able to mute game apps’s blaring music in the UI so they stop interrupting the very calming and relaxing system music. There’s only an option to mute both.

  • Uh am I missing something? I have all updates EXCEPT the Welcome Hub and yes I am US.

  • This totally reminded me I need to recalibrate my PS5 sound to see if my new soundbar will help with spatial audio.

  • The activity feature (jumping into my last savegame) does not show up anymore after the update. I did a restart, no change. I started different games for new updated savegames, but no change! It is missing completely. I´m in the EU.

  • Just allow me to switch long press and short press on the PS button please. It’s been 4 years and I still get it wrong every time because it’s fundamentally illogical.

  • Fix your backwards compatibility and you’ll have the perfect console

  • My PS5 did the update but none of that has happened. It still says explore. SMH.

  • My Dolby Atmos stopped working on my AVR after the update.

  • Welcome tab seems really cool, but what’s the reasoning behind a phased rollout? Phased by region I guess can make a certain kind of sense, but within a region? Color me confused.

  • When I updated my ps5 it didn’t show up the new widgets and background screens

  • It also broke connecting to the internet on a PS4!!
    Now I have to set up the internet every time I turn it on.
    And I won’t be upgrading – I’ll just use my PC and buy a $15 fire stick because I’m not throwing money at a company that breaks stuff and leaves it broken to “motivate” people to buy.
    Gross

    • I’ve been having similar problems with my ps4 & ps5, every time I decide to hardwire my system. I’m constantly having to delete my network just for it to work, super annoying. I’ve also had this problem with 2 different routers & 2 different systems, same result. Sony needs to fix this.

  • Would be great if PS simply let us personalize our home screens any way we choose. I mean, we did purchase these machines, why they insist on maintaining control over our property is insane.

  • Well, yay I guess for a UI update for once, but come on Sony it’s been 4 friggin years and we’re still missing basic features like proper folders like we had on both PS3 and PS4…
    How has this not been added yet, or from the start for that matter??

  • No thanks. I’m happy with my PS5 Digital Edition. Until Sony can do things to make the PS5 Pro worth buying, it’s going to be a really long time before I ever get one.

    PS5 Pro needs:

    A disc drive.
    A horizontal stand.

    • Also, lower the price of the PS5 Pro, too. For people who live outside the US, this is an expensive purchase and I’m not a fan of that at all.

  • I did the update and no welcome tab and I’m being told that it’s only for selected players now I’d like to know who that might be ! I mean why do an update and you do half of it that’s so dumb I’m sorry it is !

  • I don’t get it really why would they let only select few get this download and others have to wait just does not make sense!

  • We need the option to copy saves into USB, for PS5 games like we had on PS4 and PS3. Its strange that Adaptive charging its not available on the first models, the OLD model do have TYPE C connector on the front so its not that it have a hardware limitation.

  • Yeah, we need the possibility to copy our PS5 savegames to USB like on PS4.

    Please fix the “Last activity” that you can jump into your last savegame skipping loading icons. I tried everything, but it is completely gone. I understand, that Sony removed the activty cards where you can jump into different party of the game destroying your savegame (never used that). But please let us the option to jump into the last played savegame. It was so fast and smooth, like with Persona 3 Reload for example. I was able to play in some seconds.

  • Tried the Personalized 3D audio profiles last night. I can confirm that this is a noticeable improvement. To test it I jumped into a Spider-Man 2 save. I was catching the exact spot for the Spider Bots from blocks away, it was awesome.

  • Hello from Latinoamérica, I’m a Playstation user for some years now. I’d like to know if you can do something related to Playstation portal, or a function in which people can use their Playstation 5 with the portal , like a portal mode with all the settings already set for remote play. Thank you for being ahead in the gaming industry, I really appreciate your work.

  • I have a og ps5 will I get these new features?

  • Correct me if I’m wrong. The original ps5 & the slim have no difference in specs or hardware, the slim is just has revised cooling & is cheaper to manufacture. So why are features being becoming model specific? I do not support planed obsolescence or exclusion. You have lost my respect Playstation.

  • Why my PS5 haven’t got all the new features that you guys say was in the last updated? I’m in the US so it’s confusing

  • In North America and still didnt get the welcome hub. kinda dissapointed because i was excited to check it out. You excite us with a new cool firware update but only give access to select people ? that’s unfair. Yala all good. Hope I get it soon.

  • My playstation 5 got the September update I am in the US I have no welcome hub why

  • I updated my PS5 but everything still looks the same

  • I loved exploring these features during the beta testing, but now the system fully updated and the explore tab isn’t replaced yet and I’m in the US, I’m definitely confused

  • “Adaptive charging for your controller (for the slimmer PS5 model and PS5 Pro)

    Adaptive charging for the DualSense wireless controller, DualSense Edge wireless controller, PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers, and Access controller is now available for the slimmer PS5 model, when the console is in rest mode (and will also be available for PS5 Pro when it launches).*** Adaptive charging helps save power by adjusting the length of time that power is supplied to your controller based on its battery level.”

    Hey PlayStation this is such a bad move for early adopters of original PS5 models. Releasing feature updates only for newer models alienating your users even further and segregating them by consoles.
    I hope that you reconsider this types of updates and target all console models. And provide a clear communication statement as to why the other models cannot be updated with a feature.
    Thanks.

  • My PS5 already update without getting the Welcome Hub. Will we get a second update when its our turn?

  • No “Adaptive charging” feature for original PS5 owners??

  • The new update caused my controller to have very bad stick drift.

  • I love the line up of updates dropping soon and my favorite is the audio profile feature. I previously tinkered with Sony’s Audio 360 Android app that allows for individual profiles across all Sony products and actually takes photos of your ears to help in adjusting for composite of features. I couldn’t really get the app to function further and the companion app had been removed from Google Play so I’m really looking forward to this … Being an insane audio snob myself. Can’t wait!

  • The welcome hub is very nice. Nice touch with the media gallery screenshot option!
    It doesn’t show the battery for my Playstation Pulse 3D wireless headset unfortunately.

  • The adaptive charging should be available for the first release of PS5

  • The friends activity box needs improvements.
    It needs to be more comparable to the what’s new page on ps4.
    – more trophy info including what trophy the friend earned, the trophy icon.
    – less annoying spam (which is what people asked to be removed from what’s new too) like “friend played this game a lot!”. No one cares!
    – a separate window that loads more activity would be nice. Or make friend activity be its own thing. Look at how Xbox did it. It’s fantastic. Probably the only positive your rivals have on you lol

    Otherwise the hub is okay I guess. I’d like to see the image cropping feature implemented into the backgrounds feature.

  • On my uk ps5, when selecting ‘About Latest System Software Update’ it gives me this page (with the header ‘System Software Update and Features for PS5 consoles UK’ and explains that these changes are here now. Utter tosh, no changes whatsoever and now being told it’s being ‘rolled out’. This page needs changing.

  • I still do not have the welcome hub on my ps5 but yet my best friend got his

  • I’m just going to wait to buy the PS5 Pro until PlayStation releases a black panel PS5 Pro with disc drive included for the same 700$.

    They could remove the Dualsense and allow players to pick their own color.

    Remove the controller, add in the disc drive.

  • Like the new GUI but when are they going to make some new games? No justification in spending 700 on a pro with nothing to play on it.

  • It’s funny how they add backgrounds for this single welcome hub tab, but they can’t add themes for the whole console which shouldn’t even be that hard to do. Like I’m dying for this feature to come out. Hopefully on the PS6 they implement backgrounds for the console off the bat.

  • all looks good and excited for the welcome hub to customize

    one thing that would be great, and i’m sure others would agree, would be youtube music support, we have spotify and apple music, but not youtube music, would be great to have consisting i only use spotify on my ps5, and don’t have my youtube music playlists on my console, thanks 😃

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