The new update 8.00 has caused a lot of trouble for PlayStation players. It introduced a feature that allows recording conversations in voice chat. Sony is now clarifying how exactly this feature works.
What happened? On October 14, a new firmware update for the PlayStation 4 went online. It brought a change that affected the party chat and caused a lot of excitement. It stated:
It was agreed that other participants in group chats could record conversations and send them to the PlayStation security team.
Many users expressed concerns about their privacy and feared that Sony could overhear their conversations in voice chat with the update.
The recording feature is for moderation only
What does Sony say? Due to the confusion and backlash, Catherine Jensen, Head of Global Consumer Experience Division, speaks out in the official PS blog.
Jensen explained that it is not Sony’s intention to record players’ conversations in voice chat. According to her, the new recording feature is intended solely for moderation purposes.
It is meant to help report cases of harassment and abuse quickly and effectively:
We believe it is essential for players to be able to report harassment and abuse quickly and accurately when they experience it in the PlayStation Network. […] The sole purpose of this feature is to assist in reporting inappropriate behavior, including actions that violate our Community Code of Conduct.
Catherine Jensen
Jensen also apologized for the unclear communication regarding the exact functionality of the feature.
What exactly is recorded? Furthermore, Jensen explained how exactly the feature works.
A recording can be initiated by a player from a group chat if he or she decides to report another player, for example, for insulting. The following applies:
- Maximum recording duration is 40 seconds
- 20 seconds for the main conversation
- 10 additional seconds before and after
- Only the last 5 minutes of the conversation in voice chat can be used for the report function. Therefore, the 40-second segment must not be older than 5 minutes
Additionally, the feature is only available for the upcoming PS5 console. The PS4 also received the update because there is crossplay between the two console generations in some games.
However, it is not possible to completely disable this feature on one’s console, which is why part of the community continues to demand a rollback of the update and a revision of the feature, as can be seen under the official Twitter post for clarification.
Another feature that will connect the new PS5 to the PS4 is backward compatibility. Here is how it works.
What do you think of update 8.00? Are the restrictions on recordings acceptable as they are, or should Sony change them?
