New PS5 beta update brings roommate-friendly changes to Remote Play and audio

If you are a PlayStation 5 owner participating in the console beta program to test new features before the rest of the public gets them, you get access to an update on thursday which includes a number of new features for PS5 Remote Play and 3D Audio. Both of these features appear to be designed for households where multiple people share a single PS5.

I’m a big fan of the PS5’s Remote Play feature, and this particular update is aimed at a hyper-specific need for Remote Play users – but if it’s a need you happen to have, it’s great news. Essentially, this feature will let PS5 owners “customize Remote Play settings on a per-user basis, choosing who can connect to (their) PS5 console via Remote Play.” The PlayStation Blog has this handy image of what it would look like in action, showing multiple user profiles with a toggle that presumably lets you turn off each person’s access to Remote Play.

My wife and I both use PS5s in our house, but I’m the only one who uses PS5 Remote Play; I use it all the time on my Steam Deck. It’s even possible to get PS5 Remote Play to work on a Steam Deck when you’re away from your PS5 and not connected to your home internet; it’s hard to set this upbut it is doable. That’s partly why I think this feature could be oddly useful in very specific circumstances, like households where a lot of people are using Remote Play, including people who aren’t home.

It’s a little passive-aggressive to disable someone’s access to Remote Play once they’re no longer near your PS5, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. I can’t help but think of the times in my life when I’ve had a breakup and had to change my Netflix password. Of course, that’s a worst-case scenario. More likely, you’ll just want to disable this option if someone no longer lives with you but may still visit and want to use Remote Play in the future. Again, a pretty specific need, but a nice one to have.

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

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’s a video that shows what those sound tests look like and what options are available. You go to (Settings) > (Sound) > (3D Audio (Headphones)) 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 feature participant, you can select adaptive charging as an option, which “helps conserve power by adjusting the amount of time power is delivered to your controller based on its battery level.”