PlayStation 5 owners will help improve the console through Sony’s beta program

Sony announced on its site that it is inviting PlayStation 5 owners to the PlayStation 5 System Software Beta Program, which will allow users to test out new software in development for the PlayStation 5. Users can register on the PlayStation site to see if they are eligible to be part of this program.

In order to take part in the PlayStation 5 System Software Beta Program, users will have to make sure that they qualify. PlayStation owners must be 18 years old or older and must live in the United States, Japan, Germany, Canada, France, or the U.K. They must own a PlayStation 5 and have a stable internet connection and a valid PlayStation Network account.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Once accepted into the program, users will be asked to submit feedback to Sony about their experience. All communications from Sony will be sent to beta testers in Japanese or English. Users will have to send their feedback to Sony in those languages as well.

Recommended Videos

After getting accepted into the program, users will be entered into the pool of candidates for beta testing. When the program begins, a software update will be emailed by Sony with instructions on how to download the beta program. Users will then have to download this software to their PS5.

Sony has stated that these beta trials will be for software still in development, so beta testers should be prepared to run into a number of bugs and bumps along the way. Once the beta testing is completed, users can restore their console to the official PlayStation 5 retail version.

Editors' Recommendations

Andrew has been playing video games since he was a small boy, and he finally got good at them like a week ago. He has been in…
I was a PlayStation Portal hater. Now it’s one of my go-to gaming devices

In November, I reviewed the PlayStation Portal. I was mixed on Sony’s streaming handheld at the time, frustrated with a corner-cutting execution of a good idea. It seemed like a poor value compared to simply slapping a cheaper Backbone controller on a phone. As is often the case with tech reviews, though, I only had a short window to test it out where I was more focused on the more objective side of what the Portal does and doesn’t do. Would my feelings change when I was using it naturally?

I’ve gotten the answer to that question over the past few months. While I barely touched my Portal after reviewing it in 2023, it’s quickly become a go-to device in my home as of January. I’m now breaking it out at least once a week, finding some practical use cases for it. Though my overall assessment of it hasn’t changed, I have a more tangible understanding of where it can be a useful -- if superfluous -- PS5 companion. It’s a needless luxury, but one that I’m finding that I'm happy to indulge in.
Second screen
The PlayStation Portal’s launch just so happened to come right before a major life change that would shift my perspective. After living alone for three years, my girlfriend moved into my apartment last December. It’s been a natural change that’s working great so far. That shift does come with some lifestyle changes, though. We’re both crammed into a one-bedroom apartment, which means we’re sharing a tight space. We remotely do our jobs feet apart in the same room, and most evenings are spent lounging on the couch.

Read more
PlayStation Spring Sale: best deals, how long is the sale, and more

With the rise of all-digital consoles, more and more people are doing a majority of their game shopping on digital storefronts. For PlayStation 5 owners, whether you have a disk drive or not, you more than likely have at least a couple of games purchased from the PlayStation Store. The convenience of simply downloading a game and not having to worry about the disk is great, but you also can catch some amazing deals. The biggest sales events come seasonally, and the current Spring Sale is offering deep discounts of up to 90% on some of the biggest games on the platform. If you've been waiting to pick up one of the great games you missed earlier this year or in years past, now might be the best time to snag it for cheap!
When is the PlayStation Spring Sale 2024?
The PlayStation Spring Sale started on March 27, 2024, but new deals were added on April 10 that will last until April 24.

If any deal is exclusively for a PS5 version of a game that is also on PS4, we will note that beside the title. Since all PS4 games run on PS5, we won't mark PS4 games.
Best deals for the PlayStation Spring Sale
God of War Ragnarök Sony Interactive Entertainment

Read more
3 realistic improvements we want to see with PS5 Pro games

As we reach the middle of this current console generation, people are wondering when improved “Pro” versions of consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will arrive. PS5 fans had their curiosity rewarded this week when Moore’s Law is Dead and Insider Gaming leaked the specs of what has become colloquially known as the PS5 Pro and is reportedly referred to as “Trinity” internally at Sony.

The leaked documents indicate that the PS5 Pro will have a similar CPU to the base model that can be modified to run at a slightly higher clock speed, as well as 67 teraflops of 16 bit floating-point calculations, a GPU with 60 AMD compute units and faster memory bandwidth, and more. These are improvements over the launch PS5 model, but it isn’t a console generation-like leap in terms of hardware power.

Read more