The first major system software update for PS5 is rolling out for consoles in all regions tomorrow, and brings enhancements to storage, social features, and control and personalization options.
As revealed on the PlayStation Blog, the PS5 April update will allow players to store PS5 games on a USB expended storage device, share gameplay across PS5 and PS4 consoles with Share Play, and access a new Trophy Settings and Stats screen.
For its new storage solution, PS5 games downloaded to the internal SSD can be moved to compatible external USB drives. Doing this is accessed from the game's tile on the menu, using the options menu. This is a space-saving measure, though, rather than a permanent storage solution; PS5 games cannot be played off USB drives, and so must be moved back onto the SSD before you can play them. However, considering the relatively small size of the internal SSD, this does means you can remove games from the drive and put them back again much faster than re-downloading them entirely.
Sony notes that some games will support the ability to move only specific modes across drives, and so you may be able to move the campaign to USB storage when you've completed it and keep multiplayer on your SSD.
In social features, cross-generation Share Play has been added. This means PS5 users can now share their game screen with friends on PS4 while in a voice party. Basically, if you want to show off Demon's Souls to your friends that still haven't managed to get a PS5, you can do that now. Importantly, Share Play allows other players to try out PS5 games by 'passing them a controller' and allowing them to take over control of the game. Since this is now cross-generational, you can now let a friend on PS4 try out Astro's Playroom. The system even allows a visitor to play co-op together in certain games.
This story is developing...
