PS5 to get its first major update, brings external USB drive support and social features

The PlayStation 5 is all set to receive its first major update tomorrow, bringing several enhancements to the platform including new social features, personalisation controls and storage improvements -- including the ability to store your games on a USB drive.

In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Sony says that the console’s April update will allow PS5 owners to share gameplay across their older PS4 consoles via the company’s SharePlay feature, a feature that several users have been requesting for a while now. However, the most important change in this update is the arrival of third-party storage support on external USB drives.

Also read: Genshin Impact coming to PS5 with DualSense support, confirms developer

Sony says that the ‘Store PS5 Games on Compatible External USB Drives’ feature will allow users to transfer their games from the PS5 to USB Extended Storage devices from the console’s internal storage. This allows them to virtually “extend” the overall storage capacity thanks to seamless file transfer to and from the console. This could come in extra handy when you want to reinstall a PS5 game from the USB drive instead of redownloading it or copying it from a disc.

However, unlike older consoles like the PS4, the new update adding external storage support for the PS5 does not allow users to play games from those drives as the company says they simply aren’t quick enough for the resource-intensive gameplay. In addition, the company is also releasing an update for Game Base to allow quick switching between Friends and Parties, with new settings to mute, notifications, disable chat and quieten specific players. Game updates can also auto-download, in the background so they are ready when you want to get back in the game.

Read more: Sony's PlayStation to get a major smartphone push, confirms new job application page

The company has also introduced new features for the PlayStation app, for better connectivity with their consoles. Users can also save products in a wishlist, and see when their friends are online, or change when their status from the app. Users will soon be able to manage and control PS5 storage, sort through products on the store, compare trophy collections and more from the app — the company says these features will roll out in the coming weeks.