Want to know how to control your PlayStation 5 with your voice, take screenshots, and send video recordings to your phone?
Let’s face it: you have owned a big, hulking, expensive piece of tech for long enough that you assume you already know everything about it. If you’ve been playing on your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Pro for for months or years now, you probably think you’ve mastered the console by now. However, there are likely horizons on your PS5 that you’ve still unexplored.
You may be a constantly online PS5 mainliner, but did you know there are ways to connect to your Discord friends while playing on your Sony console? How about the fact you can control your console with your voice by shouting “Hey PlayStation” at your controller? If you own a PS5 Pro, there are some settings you have access to that regular PS5 owners don’t. If you want to get the most out of your console, you should try enabling PS4 enhancements and a host of new settings in several enhanced games.
We’ve tried to list the best tips and tricks for playing games, sharing screenshots and videos, organizing games, and even cleaning out your console.Get Better FPS on PS5 Pro, or Upgrade the Visuals for Some Games
Many of the most recent or popular PS5 games received upgrades to PS5 Pro Enhanced. This was unevenly applied to more than 100 games, but some titles now have specific settings that let you hunt for better visuals or at least gain 60 FPS without decreasing quality. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a good example of a game that offers more Pro-level options. The “Fidelity Pro” mode under the in-game “Visual” tab lets you add ray tracing reflections and shadows, but it also allows you to uncap the VRR (variable refresh rate). Other games like Horizon Forbidden West change their settings to “Favor Resolution Pro,” “Favor Performance Pro,” or “Balanced Pro.” The first will target 30 FPS with a maxed 4K resolution, while the others will aim for 60 FPS. You have to look through your games and try out what you’re most comfortable with, but it’s usually a choice between better graphics at 30 or 40 FPS or better performance at 60 FPS.Make Non-PS5 Pro Enhanced Games Run Better
Though there’s no setting for any game without the “Enhanced” label, some games benefit from the PS5 Pro’s new hardware. One of the most oft-cited examples is Elden Ring, which runs better on every graphics setting, even though you still can’t target 60 FPS at 4K. Gamers also noted that Devil May Cry 5, with ray tracing enabled, is a better experience overall, thanks to the updated GPU on the Pro. That being said, some games barely benefit. Gizmodo tested games like Deathloop, which, with or without ray tracing enabled, did not increase performance to any discernible degree.Enhance Some PlayStation 4 Games on PS5 Pro
This is one of those tips that most users may have heard of, but some players assume their PS4 games are already getting enhanced. You have to turn on a specific setting to get it working. Hit the gear icon at the top of the home page to access the Settings page. Then, scroll down to Screen and Video and find the option for Enhance Image Quality for PS4 Games. Most games probably won’t see any major improvements in visual quality and performance. PlayStation even advises you to turn off the settings if you start to see any issues when playing your older PlayStation titles. Games like Dark Souls 3 with uncapped framerates benefit most from this feature.Enable “Experimental” 8K Mode on PlayStation 5 Pro
Before I start, there’s very, very little reason why anyone should want an 8K TV. They’re more expensive than any 4K TV you can buy today, and there are very, very few examples of content that actively supports it. The PlayStation 5 originally claimed it could do 8K, but now on PS5 Pro 8K is “experimental.” However, if you have one of those TVs and a copy of Grand Turismo 7, F1 24, or No Man’s Sky, you can technically run them at a higher resolution. To enable it, you need to go into Settings, then down to Screen and Video, and select the Allow 8K Output option. Gizmodo has been unable to test this feature since we don’t have access to an 8K TV, but it’s there if you want.Search for PS5 Pro Enhanced Games
Nobody enjoys surfing through text lists for every game Sony cites that is fully “PS5 Pro Enhanced.” However, if you want to see which games may make more use of the PlayStation 5 Pro’s GPU upgrade, there’s an easy-to-peruse tile set on the PlayStation store. If you go to the store tab, then scroll down until you get the “See more” tab, you’ll find a bod for PS5 Pro Enhanced Games. The good thing about this is that it doesn’t just show all the current games with the Enhanced label but any future games available for preorder, which are confirmed for these features.Automatically Download All Game Updates in Rest Mode
This is one of the first things you should change on your PS5 if you regularly get annoyed that you need to download updates every time you log back in. First, navigate to Settings via the gear icon on the main menu, then choose System, System Software, and finally, System Software Update and Settings. After that, toggle on Download Update Files Automatically and Install Update Files Automatically. This will allow your console to update even when the console is in rest mode, which is a great way to save time after returning from a long stint away from your PlayStation.Remote Play Your PS5 from the PlayStation App
Remember the PlayStation Portal? Its big claim to fame is being a remote player-only device for using your PS5 over Wi-Fi. However, any phone or PC can also act as your PlayStation remote player without fuss.
To set up remote play on the PlayStation, you’ll first need to enable it. Go to settings, then System, and find the toggle under Remote Play.
You can download the app from PlayStation’s website on a Mac or PC. For mobile devices, you need to download the PS Remote Play app from either the Play Store or the Apple App Store.
