The PS5 Gets Its First Major Update Introducing External Storage Options For PS5 Games

The PS5 has been out in the wild for a hot minute now and for all of its wonderful features, there are a number of pain points that could do with ironing out. Well, you better grab your ironing board, because the PlayStation Blog has just outlined the details of the first big update for PS5 systems that goes live tomorrow.

Far and away the biggest addition to come from this update is the ability to store PS5 games on external storage devices. Sure, you still won’t be able to play PS5 games straight from an external hard drive, but you will be able to transfer games to free up space on your console’s SSD. You’ll still need to install the game onto a console first and then transfer it, but this is a great step in the right direction.

Another interesting new feature will be the ability to pre-load game updates, allowing players with automatic updates enabled to have their games as up to date as possible, avoiding interruptions. The Game Base is also getting a refresh, allowing players to switch between Parties and Freinds, meaning you’ll be able to access all of your social features far easier.

Trophy hunters will be keen on this new update as well, as some decent customisation options will be added in, allowing players to choose specific trophy levels to trigger automatic screenshots/videos. Lastly, the PlayStation App will be seeing some new features added in, including notifications when your friends come online and add items to your wishlist, with more features, such as joining multiplayer sessions and managing consoles storage to be added in at a later date.

Here are all of the new additions in this new update:

• Because PS5 games are designed to take advantage of the console’s ultra-high-speed SSD, PS5 titles can’t be played from USB extended storage. PS5 titles also cannot be directly downloaded to USB extended storage. However, games that you transfer or copy back to internal storage will automatically update when applicable. In addition, you can select which game modes you want to install (such as campaign or multiplayer) for select titles that support the option.
• Cross-generation Share Play. PS4 and PS5 players can now Share Play together while chatting in parties. This means PS5 console users can let their friends on PS4 consoles view their game screen, or even try out the PS5 games through Share Play, and vice versa. Options include the ability to share your screen with a friend, pass your controller virtually to a friend, or pass a second controller virtually to play co-op games together.
• Request to Join Game Session. A selection of your friends’ joinable game sessions will now appear on both PS5 and PS4 consoles, allowing for more gameplay opportunities together. The “Request to Join” option also serves as a shortcut to sending a game invite, reducing the time it takes for you to get into games with friends. Through the Privacy Settings menu, you can modify who can interact with you through parties, games and messages.
• Improved Game Base. The Game Base menu has been improved for quicker access to important content and features. You can now easily switch between Parties and Friends to start chatting with your existing parties or see what each of your online friends is up to. In addition, you can turn notifications on or off for each of the parties you’re in.
• Disable Game Chat or Adjust Players’ Volume. You can now quickly disable in-game chat, which turns off your mic audio and the voice audio of other players. Additionally, you can easily adjust the individual voice chat volume of other players in the same chat so you don’t have to ask your friends to lower or increase their mic volume each time.
• Game Update Pre-download. Once it’s enabled by developers, title updates for games will pre-download to your console if the “automatic updates” setting is enabled and your console is on or in rest mode. This will let you start playing the latest version of a game immediately after the update’s release.
• Customize Game Library. With the ability to search your library or hide games from view, it’s now easier to find content and personalize your view of your game library.
• Screen Zoom. You can now adjust the magnification of the screen to suit your preference from the Settings menu.
• New Trophy Settings and Stats Screen. The level of trophies that results in automatic capture of a screenshot or video clip can now be customized — so you can now choose to only capture and save images/videos of moments when you earn higher-grade trophies, like Gold or Platinum. We’re also introducing a new player Trophy Stats screen, where you can check out the summary of your trophy level and status at a glance.

What do you think of this first major update? What features would you like to see implemented? Let us know.