New PS5 Beta Firmware Update Out 24th July, Includes Teased Controller Feature

Sony has announced a new PS5 firmware update will enter beta testing tomorrow, 24th July, that includes the previously teased ability to pair your DualSense controller to multiple devices at once.

Anyone participating in PS5 beta testing should expect to receive an email tomorrow containing a download code to trigger the firmware update. The headline feature in the update allows you to pair your PS5 controller to multiple devices at once, which will make it easier to switch between them all instead of needing to go through the pairing process every time.

As per the PlayStation Blog, here’s a step-by-step guide to the feature:

1. Make sure the light bar and player indicator on your controller is off. If they’re turned on, press and hold the PS button until they turn off.
2. Press and hold one of the action buttons (triangle, circle, cross, or square) and the PS button for over 5 seconds. The light bar and player indicator flash two times.
3. Turn on Bluetooth on your device, and select the option to add Bluetooth devices. Your device detects nearby Bluetooth devices.
4. Select your controller from the detected devices. The light bar lights up, and the player indicator’s lights blink according to the slot number.

From there, you can assign each device a button prompt on the PS5 controller. For the first slot, you hold the main PS button down and press Triangle for roughly three seconds.. Slot 2 goes to the Circle button, Slot 3 the Cross/X button, and Slot 4 the Square button.

This way, you can pair the controller to up to four devices at once and have a button combination assigned to them. You can learn more about the feature on the PlayStation Blog.

Until now, pairing was required each time you connected a DualSense or DualSense Edge wireless controller to a different device such as PC, Mac, and mobile devices.

With this update, you can now register up to four devices simultaneously, and easily switch between them directly from your controller. For example, you can take your controller which you use with your PS5, then seamlessly switch connection to a PC to play PC games, or connect it to a smartphone to enjoy Remote Play from your PS5. With this enhanced flexibility, you can enjoy gaming more freely across multiple devices.

As part of the final version of this PS5 firmware update, Sony also reveals it’ll have a new Power Saver mode within the settings menu. This won’t be part of the beta testing process going live tomorrow.

In supported PS5 games, this will “scale back performance and will allow your PS5 to reduce its power consumption when the feature is enabled optionally by gamers. If not enabled, or if games do not support the feature, the performance will not be scaled back and power consumption will not be reduced.”

This feature forms part of Sony’s commitment to “reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by FY40 from a FY18 base year, approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)”.

Is the new feature allowing PS5 controller pairing across multiple devices at once something you’ve been looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below.