New PS5 Update Adds Discord, VRR 1440p Support, And More

The big 7.0 update for PS5 has officially begun rolling out to users, with the headline feature being Discord support. Originally tested in beta, Discord’s integration into PS5 consoles will allow for voice chats across hardware platforms and Share Screen functionality.

One of the other new features in the update is VRR support at 1440p resolution, which will allow for smoother visual performance when using a VRR-compatible HDMI 2.1 display at that resolution if a game supports VRR. A “join game” icon in Party Chats, a “friends who play” tile so you can see which games are active in your social circle, and the option to manually upload game captures to the PlayStation App are also included in the update.

Other smaller quality-of-life features include easier PS4-to-PS5 saved data migration options, PS5-to-PS5 data transfer, screen reader improvements, and wireless device updates for the DualSense controller. Interestingly, a limited release of a new game capture feature is being rolled out in the US and UK. For users in those territories, they’ll be able to use voice commands to save clips of their gameplay.

Saying–or shouting, depending on your gaming setup–voice prompts like “Hey PlayStation, capture that” and “Hey PlayStation, start recording”, will save your gameplay. You can also save a specific duration of your gameplay, from 15 seconds to 60 minutes, by asking your console to capture a specific amount of footage. For example, to save 5 minutes, simply say “Hey PlayStation, capture the last five minutes”.

The 7.0 update is a 1.1GB download and is arriving during an interesting time for Sony and its PlayStation brand. With the PS5 stock shortage effectively over according to PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, more than 30 million units sold globally as of December 2022, and the launch of PlayStation VR 2 in February, 2023 is shaping up to be a big year ahead of the launch of Final Fantasy XVI in June and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 later in the year.