PS5’s New Update Makes It Easier to ‘Party’ With Your Friends

Your PS5 has a new update out today—specifically, a firmware update. Version 24.01-08.60.00 should be live and available for all PS5 consoles right now, and while it isn’t a monumental update, it does add some interesting features to your console you should know about.

What’s new in the latest PlayStation 5 firmware update

The headline upgrade this time around is to Parties. Once you update your firmware, you’ll be able to see a full list of parties you’ve joined in previous sessions. If you want to, you can restart a party by choosing it from the Recent list. That should make it much more convenient to jump back into a specific play session with friends.

There are also some updates to Sony’s Pulse Explore wireless earbuds. Following the update, you’ll be able to use the earbuds’ sound equalizer feature, as well as the “sidetone” feature, which Sony says makes it easier to hear your voice during voice chats. In addition, when you have your Pulse Explore earbuds near your PS5, you’ll see a notification that will allow you to quickly pair them to the console. It makes it easier to switch between the PS5 and a PC with the earbuds in, similar to how other companies handle fast switching with their earbuds and ecosystems.

Finally, this update adds some generic performance and stability fixes, in addition to improved messages and usability on “some screens.” As with many developers, Sony doesn’t give away many details with these latter points.

You can see the full release notes below:

Version: 24.01-08.60.00

We’ve added new features in Parties.

In the Parties tab, you can now see the list of parties you’ve joined in the past. You can easily restart a party just by selecting it from the Recent list.

We’ve updated the device software for the PULSE Explore wireless earbuds.

You can now use the sound equalizer feature.

You can now use the sidetone feature, which makes it easier for you to hear your own voice in voice chats.

When you have a PULSE Explore wireless earbuds nearby, a notification will now appear to let you connect to them quickly. You can now easily switch the connection from your PC to your PS5 through this notification.

We’ve improved system software performance and stability.

We’ve improved the messages and usability on some screens.

How to update your PS5

If your PS5 has automatic updates enabled, this firmware update should install on its own. However, you can check for it manually from Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings. If there’s an update available, you’ll see Update Available. Just hit Update System Software to update.