Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that it is introducing a feature to the upcoming PlayStation 5 which Sony hopes will help manage online safety better. Through a new Voice Chat reporting function, SIE hopes that this should make reporting verbal harassment by gamers more effective.
In a post, SIE VP Global Consumer Experience Catherine Jensen said in a post that they believe that it’s important for games to be able to accurately and quickly report any harassment or abuse they experience on the PlayStation Network. This is pretty much the main purpose of the feature. Jensen revealed that the Voice Chat reporting function is not going to “actively monitor or listen in on your conversations – ever – and it’s strictly reserved for reporting online abuse or harassment.”
According to Jensen, their department in particular is always looking for ways to offer the best possible gaming experience and that the goal has always been “to help foster a fun and positive experience when you’re playing online with friends and other gamers.”
There’s a chance that PlayStation gamers may already be aware of this new function, especially with the PS4 8.00 system update. Jensen did admit that they weren’t able to “clearly communicate this feature or explain why we were introducing it, and we apologize for that.” Once the PS5 launches this November, PS5 users can chat with PS4 users, which is why it was in the new update released.
So how does this feature actually work? When a PS5 player wants to file a harassment report, they can now include a Voice Chat clip that’s as long as 40 seconds. Jensen revealed that this is divided into “20 seconds of the main conversation with the other player, plus an additional 10 seconds before and after the conversation selection.” She went on to say that this reporting function is only going to offer to a player “the most recent five minutes of a Voice Chat.”
The reports can then be sent using the PS5 console to the Consumer Experience team who, according to Jensen, will “listen to the recording and take action, if needed.” Since there’s a chance that some of the submitted reports aren’t going to be valid, the team is going to use it as a chance to offer guidance and education. Jensen said that there isn’t going to “be an option to opt-out of this Voice Chat recording function because we want all users to feel safe when playing with others online, not just those who choose to enable it.”
What do you think about this feature? Is it really going to put a stop to toxic behavior? Let us know in the comments section below.
