Sony PlayStation: You should change these settings on PS5 and PS4

Sony’s PlayStation is one of the most popular consoles in the world. Both PS4 and PS5 have sold millions of copies. But even if you just want to set up the PS5 quickly and start playing right away, it’s worth doing a bit of fine-tuning in the settings. We advise you to change the following options on your Sony console.

Show PSN account as offline

To play online, you need access to the PlayStation Network on the PlayStation. You can also use this to link up with friends.

But that can also quickly degenerate into stress – for example, if you just want to play a quick round online in the evening without being written to by acquaintances, but they bombard you with messages. Luckily, there’s a trick you can use to show you’re offline even when you’re online:

Disable microphone

With the PS5, Sony introduced the DualSense controller. Unlike its predecessor DualShock, this one has a microphone. That should make some people uncomfortable. Luckily it can be turned off. So you can mute it yourself if necessary via a button on the controller. However, it is better to automatically disable the microphone as soon as the console boots up. We explain how to switch off the microphone in the PS5 controller in the linked instructions.

Some PS4 accessories also have an integrated microphone – such as the camera. You can also disable this in the settings. To do this, go to the settings and select “Devices” > “Camera” and then check “Mute microphone”.

Set up automatic updates and downloads

Sony regularly provides PS5 and PS4 with system updates. These not only close security gaps, but also bring one or the other new function with them. To ensure that your console and games are always up to date, we therefore recommend activating automatic updates. This is how it works on the PS5:

• Opens the settings.
• Now call up System > System software > System software update and settings.
• In the next screen activate the options “Download update files automatically” and “Install update files automatically”.

On the PS4, however, you have to go to the settings System > Automatic Downloads and then tick “Update files for system software” and “Update files for applications”.

save electricity

In the energy saving options of the consoles, you can also enable the controllers to switch off after a certain period of time if you are not using them. This saves you electricity – for example, when you’re watching a Netflix film and the controller is just next to you on the sofa. You can also set here when the console itself switches to sleep mode.