PlayStation 5 side

PS5 software beta includes voice commands preview, party chat options

Sony announced today that it is rolling out a software beta for PS5 and PS4 on Wednesday. This beta will add several new features, including a preview of increased voice command options. Other features include changes to the group chat options and an update to the Trophy UI.

Players who want to enable the voice chat preview can do so from the settings menu. The preview enables “voice commands for finding and opening games, apps, and settings, as well as controlling media playback on the PS5 console,” according to the PlayStation blog. You start all commands with “Hey PlayStation!”

Other updates in this beta include several changes to party chat functions. Sony renamed voice chats to “parties.” You can now have open or closed parties, with the latter requiring an invite to join. Only beta users will be able to join open parties for the moment.

One of the most visually interesting changes is the update to the Trophies UI, which redesigns the trophy list and cards. Gamers can also mark up to five games or apps to keep in the home screen, so they aren’t shuffled off by other games. One major accessibility update is the addition of six languages to the screen reader.

At the moment, it’s only available to users in the U.S. and UK. The features will roll out globally later this year.

Rachel Kaser

Rachel Kaser is a gaming and technology writer for from Dallas, Texas. She's been in the games industry since 2013, writing for various publications, and currently covers news for GamesBeat. Her favorite game is Bayonetta.