New PlayStation 5 Software Update Makes Some Much-Needed Changes

PlayStation 5 owners will be happy to hear that an ongoing issue has finally been addressed, though perhaps not intentionally.

Yesterday, Sony rolled out the latest firmware update for its next-gen device, bringing with it a number of tweaks. Among these was the long-awaited addition of USB compatibility – specifically, the option to use external drives to save and store games and save data – but arguably the biggest improvement of all has gone undocumented in the official patch notes.

For those not aware, consumers lucky enough to get their hands on first-generation versions of the console have repeatedly reported instances of its disc drive unnecessarily spinning up and making loud noises in the process. For a machine that’s otherwise deathly quiet, many have been left curious and concerned by the occurrence, believing that their model could be defective in some manner.

Truth be told, Sony has never commented on the odd behaviour or provided an explanation, though it would seem, following this software update, that the problem has become far less pronounced. Discs inserted into the console – which have no reason to spin as they’re installed directly to the hard drive – still spin at random intervals following installation, but at considerably less frequency than before.

Again, it’s not entirely clear if this was an intentional attempt at remedying the issue, as accompanying patch notes (link below) make no mention of it, or whether some other seemingly unrelated fix has inadvertently improved the situation. With any luck, we’ll get an official comment clarifying the matter soon, but in the meantime, let us know if you’ve noticed any difference with your PlayStation 5 in the usual place below!