Sony is “happy to bring back the look and feel of the four console designs for players.”
Sony has brought back its classic PlayStation console themes to the PlayStation 5 as part of a new system update. The company announced on Wednesday through a blog post on its official website.
Originally launched as part of PlayStation’s 30th anniversary celebrations, the retro themes were created to honour the legacy of the PlayStation, PS2, PS3, and PS4. These customisation features, which include iconic startup sounds and visual styles, were initially available for a limited time. However, shortly before they were scheduled to disappear, Sony confirmed that they would return due to what it described as a "fantastic response" from the community.
"During our 30th anniversary celebrations, we surprised our fans with a limited-time selection of nostalgic customisation features for the PS5 System UI to honour the four PlayStation consoles that paved the way for PS5: PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4," the PlayStation blog post said.
Now PlayStation is bringing these themes back “Due to the overwhelmingly positive response” from the PS community. Players can apply these themes through a new "Appearance" menu within the PS5 Settings, bringing a nostalgic twist to the console’s modern interface.
New Audio Focus feature improves immersion and accessibility
The update also introduces a new feature called Audio Focus, which enhances the clarity of in-game sounds and chat audio when using headphones. It’s designed to help players hear subtle audio cues and customise their sound experience based on individual preferences.
Sony described the feature as one that "increases immersion by providing presets to amplify soft sounds to meet your hearing preferences," and noted that it supports broader accessibility.
Audio Focus includes four presets:
- Boost Low Pitch: enhances deep sounds like engines and rumbling.
- Boost Voices: makes voice chats and character dialogue clearer.
- Boost High Pitch: sharpens high-frequency audio such as footsteps and metallic effects.
- Boost Quiet Sounds: raises the volume of soft noises across all ranges.
Players can adjust each preset’s intensity: weak, medium, or strong, and fine-tune settings separately for the left and right channels. The feature is available only when using headphones connected via USB or analogue jack, and is not supported for HDMI output through TVs, AV receivers, or soundbars.
To enable Audio Focus, users can navigate to Settings > Sound > Volume > Audio Focus, or adjust it via the Control Center during gameplay.
What do you think of these most recent updates?
