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PS5 Gets Discord Chat, More Social Features in Beta

The software update comes with a list of other features, largely aimed at making the gaming experience more social and accessible.

Andrew Blok Editor I
Andrew Blok has been an editor at CNET covering HVAC and home energy, with a focus on solar, since October 2021. As an environmental journalist, he navigates the changing energy landscape to help people make smart energy decisions. He's a graduate of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State and has written for several publications in the Great Lakes region, including Great Lakes Now and Environmental Health News, since 2019. You can find him in western Michigan watching birds.
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Two views of the PS5 and game controllers

New features, including Discord voice chat, are arriving on the PS5 in beta.

 CNET

The latest beta version of the PS5 system software will allow gamers to join Discord voice chats directly from the Sony console. The changes, announced in a blog post on the PlayStation website, will be offered to select customers in select countries starting today.

Beta-testers will be able to access the feature by linking their PlayStation Network and Discord accounts on their PS5. 

Watch this: PS5 DualSense Edge Review: Highly Customizable, High Price, Low Battery Life

The software comes with other new social features including new icons making it easier to find and join online friends and the option to manually select and upload screen captures, a process that "complements the auto-upload functionality that currently exists," according to the post. PlayStation is testing voice commands for screen captures in beta in the US and UK.

PlayStation is also testing some changes to how games are displayed, introducing variable refresh rate support at 1440p for supported games and compatible devices. Further updates should make it easier to transfer saved data between consoles.

These changes and more will be available to beta-testers in US, Canada, Japan, UK, Germany and France. Not all the changes being tested are guaranteed to make it to the software's final version, PlayStation said.

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