New PS5 beta features include more remote play and audio settings

If you’re a PlayStation 5 owner who participates in the console’s beta program for testing new features before the rest of the public gets them, you’ll receive access to an update on Thursday that includes some new features for PS5 Remote Play and 3D audio. Both features seem designed for households where multiple people are sharing just one PS5.

I’m a big fan of the Remote Play feature on the PS5, and this specific update is addressing a hyper-specific need for Remote Play users — but if it’s a need you happen to have, it’ll be great news. Basically, this feature lets PS5 owners “adjust Remote Play settings per user and choose who is allowed to connect to [their] PS5 console using Remote Play.” The PlayStation blog includes this handy picture of what it would look like in action, depicting multiple user profiles with a toggle switch that would presumably allow you to shut off each person’s access to Remote Play.

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 all the time on my Steam Deck. It’s actually even possible to get PS5 Remote Play to work on a Steam Deck if you’re away from your PS5 and not connected to your home internet; it’s difficult to set this up, but it’s feasible. That’s part of why I think this feature could end up being weirdly useful in very specific circumstances, such as households where a lot of people are using Remote Play, including people who are away from home.

It’s kind of passive-aggressive to just turn off somebody’s access to Remote Play when they’re no longer in the PS5’s vicinity, but sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do. I can’t help but think of those times in my life when I’ve had a breakup and had to change my Netflix password. Obviously that’s a worst-case scenario. More likely, you’d just want to turn off this option if somebody isn’t living with you anymore, but they might still visit you and want to use Remote Play in the future. Again, pretty specific need, but nice to have.

There are also some beta updates coming to 3D audio profiles on the PS5. This is another update that benefits households where lots of different people use just one console; if multiple people each have a set of corresponding PS5 headphones for 3D audio, this update has their names all over it.

According to the PlayStation blog post, this “feature that lets your PS5 console create a personalized 3D audio profile just for you […] You can run through a set of sound quality tests to analyze a vast number of factors to create an audio profile that best fits your hearing characteristics.”

Here’s a video depicting what those sound tests are like and the options that are available. You’d go to go to [Settings] > [Sound] > [3D Audio (Headphones)] in order to make these selections.

Last but not least, the update includes adaptive charging options for PS5 controllers, but only for people who own the new slimmer PS5 model. If that’s you and you’re a beta features participant, you’ll be able to select adaptive charging as an option, which “helps save power by adjusting the length of time that power is supplied to your controller based on its battery level.”