What’s probably the most exciting and widely useful feature in this update is the new M.2 SSD compatibility. The hardware has supported an M.2 from launch, with a dedicated slot found under the white cover plate, however until now it wasn’t functional - Sony just hadn’t finished the software side of things.
Now, if you have a compatible M.2 SSD - there are size and heatsink specification requirements - you can install it and expand your console’s storage that way, increasing the amount of games, apps and other media you can keep downloaded. Games can be played directly from SSD storage. Sony even put together a handy video guide to help you with installation. The September System Update also includes broad UX improvements, including Control Center customization with more freedom than before, access to messaging from Game Base, screen reader controls and separation of PS5 and PS4 versions of installed games. When viewing the Game Base, you’ll also see the status of players in your friends list and have easy access to friend requests and bulk actions. New social features include a new kind of accolade, ‘Leader’, which will appear on player profiles and the accolade pie chart as magenta. Additionally ‘personal best’ clips will now be automatically recorded by your console when the algorithm detects that you are striving for a top position on some leaderboard. To further help you on your quest for achievements, a new Trophy Tracker acts as a sort of quest log for Trophies you are working towards. Another fancy new feature is 3D Audio support for TVs with built-in speakers that are compatible - though we imagine this is a bit more niche than SSD support. The built-in microphone in the DualSense controller can be used to measure room acoustics when setting up 3D Audio, which optimizes output on dual channel speakers to feel more immersive and spatial. A number of headsets for PS5 have been 3D Audio compatible already even though the console didn’t support it before - well, now you can make use of that feature too. If you’re rocking a Pulse 3D Wireless Headset, you also gain access to new equalizer settings to further fine-tune your audio experience when playing. Another major area of improvement with this update is Remote Play. The biggest accessibility improvement is that the PS Remote Play app now also works with mobile data, not just WiFi. Your data connection still needs to meet speed requirements - and make sure you have enough data, too - but as long as your speeds are above 5 Mbps. 15 Mbps is recommended, however. To ease the strain on mobile data connections, players have an expanded selection of resolution options, and can switch from 1080p to 720p on the fly. You’ll also be able to view Share Screen broadcasts on the PS mobile app, however the feature will roll out on Android as a phased update over the course of the next week. Interestingly, even the older PlayStation 4 is getting a bit of love with its own smaller update - but it really isn’t anything groundbreaking. Players will now be able to view PS5 profiles and trophies from PS4 consoles, and Party owners will be able to disband these parties with a single command, as opposed to manually removing each individual member one by one. This PlayStation 5 System Update is rolling out as we speak.
