// KOTAKU — GAMING
New PS5 Features Are Live, Including One That Tells You What Games Are The Most Popular
A new system software update went live on PlayStation 5 today and it finally gives players a clearer window into what everyone else is playing on the platform. In addition to new top-10 and trending sections, a new option will make it easier to see who’s talking in party chats.
PS5 system software update version 26.06-14.00.00 also turns on Enhance PSSR Image Quality by default for PS5 Pro users. And of course there’s the standard “improved system software performance and stability” that comes with every console update.
For the new speaker indicator feature, users can go to the “select more” section of the control center to turn on “Display Who’s Speaking.” This will flash the username for whoever’s talking on the screen. You can select what position it appears in.
The new PS5 system software update has finally added the "Most Popular Games of the Week" widget!
-Select Top 10 to see the week's most popular games-Select Trending Now to show which games and modes are surging in popularity
It's based on the country you're in (Canada for me) pic.twitter.com/91mOlVcPWA
More consequential for most people are the two new widgets that have arrived in the Welcome Hub. “Trending Now” displays the top ten multiplayer games or multiplayer modes that are “surging in popularity.” The idea is to surface new releases or older games that just got big content updates that lots of people are engaging with.
The other widget is a standard “Top 10” list of the most popular games in your particular region over the last seven days. It’s unclear if the list is updated weekly or on a rolling basis. In either case, it’s the first time this sort of feature has been rolled out on PlayStation.
Previously, the only sense players had of what was popping off was the list of top sellers on the PlayStation Store. It’ll be interesting to see if the same perennial juggernauts that rule the roost there also dominate these additional trackers, or if it actually helps with discoverability on the platform. There are still all sorts of things console makers could be doing better to help players find games they might like beyond just scrolling the sea of latest releases.
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