New PS5 beta features include more remote play and audio settings

If you are a PlayStation 5 owner participating in the console Beta program to test new features before they are made available to the public, you will get access to an update on Thursday which includes some new features for PS5 Remote Play and 3D Audio. Both features seem to be designed for households where multiple people share just one PS5.

I’m a huge fan of the Remote Play feature on the PS5, and this particular update addresses a hyper-specific need of Remote Play users – but if you happen to have that need, this is great news. Basically, this feature allows PS5 owners to “customize Remote Play settings per user and choose who can connect to [their] PS5 console with Remote Play.” The PlayStation Blog has this handy image showing what it would look like in action. It shows multiple user profiles with a toggle switch that you could presumably use to block anyone’s access to Remote Play.

Image: PlayStation

My wife and I both use the PS5 in our house, but I’m the only person who uses PS5 Remote Play; I use it on my Steam Deck all the time. It’s actually even possible to get PS5 Remote Play working on a Steam Deck if you’re not near your PS5 and not connected to your home internet; it is difficult to set this upbut it’s doable. That’s one reason why I think this feature could be oddly useful in very specific situations, like in homes where a lot of people are using Remote Play, including people who aren’t home.

It’s kind of passive-aggressive to just block someone’s access to Remote Play if they’re no longer near the PS5, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. I keep thinking about the times in my life when I went through a breakup and had to change my Netflix password. That’s a worst-case scenario, of course. More likely, you’ll just want to disable this option if someone no longer lives with you but might still visit and want to use Remote Play in the future. Again, it’s a pretty specific need, but it’s nice to have.

There are also some beta updates for 3D audio profiles on the PS5. This update will also benefit households where many different people use only one console. If several people each have a dedicated PS5 headset for 3D audio, this update is for them.

According to the PlayStation blog post, this is “a feature that allows your PS5 console to create a personalized 3D audio profile just for you. […] You can run a series of sound quality tests to analyze a variety of factors and create an audio profile that best suits your hearing characteristics.”

Here is a video showing how these sound tests work and what options are available. You can [Settings] > [Sound] > [3D Audio (Headphones)] to make this selection.

Last but not least, the update includes adaptive charging options for PS5 controllers, but only for owners of the new, slimmer PS5 model. If that’s you and you’re participating in the beta features, you can select adaptive charging as an option, which “helps save power by adjusting the amount of time your controller is powered based on the battery level.”