Skip to main content

New PS5 update makes the DualSense’s mic and speaker even better

A DualSense and DualSense Edge sit on a table together.
Giovanni Colantonio / Digital Trends

Sony rolled out another beefy PlayStation 5 update today with the main goals of improving the speakers and mic on the DualSense and DualSense Edge controllers and deepening the number of Share Screen viewer interactions.

Recommended Videos

According to a PlayStation Blog post from when this update first entered beta testing in February, the speaker on the DualSense controller will now be able to output sounds more clearly at a higher volume. If you’ve been playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, this update is useful because it will make Chadley sound better when they are speaking through your DualSense. Sony also says it’s using machine learning to improve noise cancellation on the DualSense’s built-in microphone.

“Background noise from button presses and game audio are suppressed, resulting in a better voice chat experience,” the PlayStation Blog post states. Make sure you update both your console and DualSense controller today for access to these improvements. Once you do so, you’ll also see the option to adjust the PS5 power indicator’s brightness in your PS5 system settings menu.

Outside of those improvements, the other area that’s seen some major updates is Share Screen, the feature that lets players stream gameplay from their console to their friends. Following this March 13 update, Share Screen viewers now have the ability to move a pointer around on the screen. They can use this pointer to draw lines or ping certain areas of the screen to help the player hosting the stream. Viewers can also now also use emoji reactions.

This update is available to all PS5 owners now, while the Share Screen additions will come to that PlayStation App on mobile phones sometime later this month.

Tomas Franzese
A former Gaming Staff Writer at Digital Trends, Tomas Franzese now reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
The best Roguelikes on PS5
The spelunky characters near lava and treasure.

As great as the best single-player games are, they all must come to an end. Sure, you can replay them and maybe get a secret ending, but they will essentially be the same experience as before. Roguelikes (and Roguelites) are games that are designed to be endlessly replayable. Each one approaches things a bit differently, but the most common element they all share is some level of random generation. This could be in the levels, enemies, items, and more, with most opting to randomize almost everything. That makes every run a new challenge that you can never fully predict. These games are some of the most addictive and best PS5 games you can play, but it is also a genre flooded with less-than-great options. We've sunk hundreds of hours into Roguelikes to pick out the best ones you can play on PS5 today.

Hades

Read more
The best Metroidvanias on PS5
A hero looks up in Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist.

The Metroidvania genre takes cues from the two namesakes for which it is called: Matroid and Castlevania. Specifically, one of the best SNES games, Super Metroid, and one of the best PS1 games, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. It describes a kind of game where the player explores an open map with multiple paths and areas locked off until they acquire some item or power with which to unlock and further explore. That formula has become so popular that dozens of current and upcoming video games have iterated on that style with new mechanics, perspectives, art styles, and more. Some of the best PS5 games are Metroidvanias, and the platform is home to the best the genre has to offer. If you're searching for your next Metroidvania to get lost in, here are the best ones you can play right now.

Animal Well

Read more
The best split-screen PS5 games
It Takes Two

Some of the best PS1 games, or other games from that era, let you play with one or more friends in split-screen. This form of multiplayer has gotten less and less common as the generations have gone on but it isn't fully abandoned yet. Most of the best PS5 games are single-player experiences or feature cross-platform online multiplayer, with only a handful still allowing you to hand a second controller to a friend and play together on the same console. These are mainly co-op games, but there are a few options for competitive gaming here as well. If you want to relive the old days of spending hours on end gaming with a friend or family member on a single screen, we'll give you the best options currently available on PS5.

After checking out this list, you can also look at the list of upcoming PS5 games to see if more split-screen games are on the way.

Read more