How to turn off the sleep mode for Xbox Series X and S

When you try to shut down your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S console, the system may go into sleep mode instead. To see how you can disable this low power state mode, you can follow the steps laid out in this tutorial at Seeking Tech.

What are the benefits of using sleep mode?

If you decide to leave sleep mode on, then you can boot up your Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S faster when compared to cold booting the console after it has been completely shut down. This can be helpful if you can’t currently save your progress in a video game but don’t want to leave your system turned completely on while you are away.

You will also be able to remotely turn on your system by using the official Xbox app from another device.

What are the issues associated with using sleep mode?

The main problem with using sleep mode is that it will use a lot more power consumption. According to Microsoft, this low power state mode can consume around 20 times more power as opposed to using the normal shutdown method.

As a result, your gaming system will end up costing you on your energy bill even if you aren’t actively using it.

You may also experience crashes or other problems with certain games when using the sleep mode of your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.

Due to the increased power consumption and potential glitches, we recommend that you avoid using sleep mode whenever possible.

How to disable sleep mode

If you want to disable the sleep mode on your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S console completely, then you need to take the following steps:

1. To start off, make sure you have the latest firmware downloaded as the ability to fully disable sleep mode was added through a new update.

If you haven’t done so already, then you need to turn on your console, connected it to the Internet and then open the Settings App.

From there, you need to go to System > Updates. If there is a new console update available, make sure you download and install it to your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.

2. With your console updated, go back to the front page of the Settings App.

3. On the left column of the first Settings page, you need to select General.

4. On the right side of the same screen, you need to select Power Options.

5. In the General – Power Options menu, you should see the “Choose how this console turns off” column. From there, make sure you select the Shutdown (Energy Saving) option.

The next time you turn off your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, the console will now fully shut down as opposed to going into sleep mode.

How to use your Xbox Series X or S to change the TV volume

Thanks to a new system software update, you can now directly control your TV volume from your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S console. To find out how to do so, you can follow the steps laid out in this article from Seeking Tech.

1. To start off, make sure that you have the latest firmware installed as this feature was only added recently.

To force your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S to update, you can try doing the following:

  • If you haven’t done so already, power on your console and then connect it to the Internet.
  • Next, open up the Settings app.
  • In Settings, scroll down to System in the left column and then select Updates on the right side.
  • If you see the “Update console” option located at the top, then you need to select it to start the download and installation process. If you see the top option greyed out with the “No console update available” wording, then it indicates that your Series X or Series S has already been updated to the latest system software.

2. Go back to the first page of the Settings app.

3. From the front page of Settings, scroll to General on the left column and then select “TV & display options” on the right side.

4. In the “General – TV & display options” menu, you need to select the “Device control” option that should be underneath the Display column.

5. Inside of the “General – TV & A/V power options” menu, you first need to make sure that the HDMI-CEC box is checked.

6. In the same menu, you also need to make sure that the “Console sends volume commands” box is checked as well.

7. Afterwards, back out of the “General – TV & A/V power options” menu.

8. You should then see a notification asking you to restart your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S for the changes to take effect. Here you need to select the Restart Now option.

9. Once you have everything set up, press the Xbox logo button on your controller in order to bring up the Xbox guide menu.

10. You should be on the left-most tab. If you are in another tab, then you need to press the LB button to switch to the tab that has the Xbox logo icon.

11. In the left-most tab of the Xbox Guide menu, select the “Audio & music” icon, which is the right-most option located at the very bottom.

12. After getting to the “Audio & music” in the Xbox Guide menu, you should see the “TV volume” row near the bottom.

The left-most icon on this row will lower the volume of your television speakers. The middle icon will increase the TV volume. The right-most icon will mute the sound coming out of your television set.

If you can’t change the TV volume after following all of the aforementioned steps, then your TV may not support HDMI-CEC or may have the feature turned off in its settings.

How to turn off Xbox Series X and S beeping noise

When you turn on or turn off your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, you will hear an audible beeping sound coming from the game console. This noise can be quite loud, especially if you are trying to get in some quality gaming time while someone is sleeping nearby.

Thankfully, a new firmware update for the Xbox Series consoles enabled the ability to turn off the beeping noise. To see how you can do so, you can check out this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

Downloading and installing the new Xbox Series X and S system software

If you haven’t done so already, make sure you download and install the latest system software for your Series X or Series S console.

To manually update, you can try doing the following:

  • Turn on your gaming console and then make sure that it is connected to the internet.
  • In the home menu, go to the Settings app.
  • Inside of Settings, select System from the left column.
  • On the right side of the same screen, you then need to select Updates.
  • After getting to the System – Updates menu, you may see the Update Console option. If you do, select it in order to start downloading and installing the update. If you see “No console update available” instead, then it means that your system is already up to date when it comes to firmware.

Method #1:

For the first method of turning off the beeping sound coming from your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, you can use the Power Options menu by taking the following steps:

  • Go to the Settings app of your console.
  • From the front page of Settings, you need to select General from the list of options available on the left side.
  • You then need to select Power Options on the right side of the same menu.
  • In the General – Power Options menu, select Power Chime.
  • In the drop-down menu, you can choose between the “Off” option to disable the startup and shut down beeping noises in all scenarios. Alternatively, you can also choose the “Only with power button or voice” option, which limits the beeping noise to only when you use voice controls or when you press the power button on the console to turn it on or off.

Method #2:

For the second method, you need to use the Volume & Audio Output menu by doing the following:

  • Head over to the Settings app on your Xbox Series X or S.
  • After getting to Settings, you first need to select General from the left side.
  • You then need to select Volume & Audio Output on the right side.
  • From the General – Volume & Audio Output menu, you need to select Additional Options.
  • Once you arrived in the General – Additional options menu, select Power Chime.
  • In the Power Chime drop-down menu, you can select either the “Off” or “Only with power button or voice” options.

How to fix input lag when playing backwards compatible PS4 games on PS5

When playing a backwards compatible PlayStation 4 game on your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console, you may experience noticeable input lag. To see how you can potentially make your game more responsive, you can take a look at this troubleshooting article from Seeking Tech.

1. The first step we recommend taking is to make sure that the PS4 game you are playing doesn’t have any issues when running on the PS5.

You can check out the Backwards-Compatible website to see if your game is among those that are experiencing problems when being played on a PlayStation 5 system.

2. If the PS4 game appears to be fully backwards compatible, then you can try to see if there are any graphical settings you can change from the in-game menus.

In general, the performance or frame rate priority mode should feature lower latency. You can also try lowering the resolution or graphical fidelity, if these options are available, to see if doing so will improve the input response.

3. You should also make sure that you are using the game mode or game optimizer mode on your television set. These picture settings are designed for videogames as they will lower the input delay.

4. Furthermore, make sure that you aren’t using any HDMI splitters or HDMI pass-through devices as these may introduce latency. Instead, connect your PS5 or PS5 Digital Edition console directly to your television screen or computer monitor.

5. If your console is connected to a TV or monitor that supports Variable Refresh Rate, then we recommend enabling it as this feature may help fix some of the input lag problems you may be experiencing.

To enable this feature, make sure you do the following:

  • Go to Settings on your PS5.
  • From the first page of Settings, select Screen and Video.
  • In the Screen and Video sub-menu, select Video Output on the left column and then make sure that the VRR setting is set to Automatic on the right side. You may also want to enable the “Apply to Unsupported Games” setting as well.
  • On your television set or monitor, make sure you enable Variable Refresh Rate. For some screens, you turn this feature on automatically when using the game mode display setting.

6. You can also try plugging your DualSense or DualShock 4 to the USB port of your PlayStation 5 and then use it as a wired controller. In order to do so, you can take the following steps:

  • Plug your controller into your PS5.
  • Go to Settings.
  • In Settings, select Accessories.
  • From the Accessories sub-menu, select Controller (General) on the left column and then Communication Method on the right side.
  • In the Communication Method screen, select the Use USB Cable option.

6. Make sure that the PlayStation 4 game you are playing has been updated to the latest patch release, which may help improve input latency.

7. It is also a good idea to update the system software of your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console.

How to compare 3D and stereo headphones audio outputs on PS5

Thanks to a new firmware release, you are now able to directly compare the 3D audio and stereo audio outputs when using headphones with your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console. To see how you can do so, you can follow the steps from this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

1. To start off, you should make sure that you have the latest firmware version installed on your PS5 or PS5 Digital Edition console. Otherwise, you won’t be able to do a direct comparison.

2. With your console updated, the first step you need to take is to head over to the Settings menu from the home screen.

The fastest way to navigate over to the home screen is to press and hold the PS logo button on your DualSense gamepad. You can also short press the PS logo button to bring up the quick menu, where you can select the house icon to go home.

3. Now that you are in the home screen, move the cursor to the top right side and then select the gear icon to head directly to Settings.

4. From the first page of Settings, you need to select Sound from the list of available options.

5. In the Sound menu, you first need to select the 3D Audio for Headphones on the left column.

6. On the right side of the same section, you should then make sure that the Enable 3D Audio for Headphones settings is turned on.

7. Next, you need to select the Adjust 3D Audio Profile option.

8. Inside the Adjust 3D Audio Profile menu, you need to choose the type of audio output that is closest to your ear level.

You can use the up and down directional buttons, or up and down directions of the left analog stick, to change the height of the sound output.

You can also use the left and right directional buttons, or the left and right directions of the left analog stick, to make the sound output only come out of one of the ear cups.

9. Once you set up your 3D Audio Profile, return to the 3D Audio for Headphones section of the Sound menu. This time, you need to select the Listen and Compare option on the right side.

10. In the Listen and Compare for Headphones menu, you will be able to directly compare the Stereo and 3D Audio outputs.

In order to compare, move the cursor to the left or right. You can also select the “Adjust 3D Audio Profile” option if you want to customize the 3D Audio output again.

11. To change the audio output from the Listen and Compare for Headphones menu, select either Stereo or 3D Audio.

12. Once you are done making the change, you can exit the Listen and Compare for Headphones menu to return your previous screen.

13. Whether you decide to use 3D or stereo audio, we also recommend that you get the audio settings for the game you are currently playing to see make sure that its audio output matches your current system settings.

How to disable cookies, JavaScript and cross-site tracking on your PS5 web browser

The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition systems come with a hidden web browser. To see how you can disable cookies, JavaScript and cross-site tracking when using this browser, you can follow the steps laid out in this article from Seeking Tech.

How to access the web browser settings menu on PS5

To start off, you need to head over to the web browser settings menu on your PS5 or PS5 Digital Edition console. In order to do so, you need to take the following steps:

1. To begin, you need to open the home screen menu, which is the place where you can pick and choose which game to play.

To go there, you can press the PS button on your DualSense in order to open the Command Center quick menu and then select the house icon that can be found on the bottom menu. A faster method is to long press the PS button on your controller until the home screen shows up.

2. From the home screen, press the triangle button on your DualSense to quickly move the cursor to the top right side, where you then need to select the gear icon in order to head over to the Settings menu.

3. Once you managed to get to the Settings menu, you need to select System.

4. Inside of the System menu, you then need to select Web Browser from the list of available options located on the left column.

How to turn off the PS5 web browser disable cookies, JavaScript and cross-site tracking

Once you get to the Web Browser menu, you will be able to do the following:

1. Turn off the Allow Cookies setting in order to disable cookies when using the web browser on your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console.

2. Turn off the Enable JavaScript setting in order to disable JavaScript elements from running when you are using the web browser.

If you find that some web sites aren’t loading properly with this disabled, then you can try turning it back on again.

3. You can also use the Delete Cookies option in order to delete the previous cookies you have stored on your console’s web browser.

4. Furthermore, you can use the Clear Website Data option to remove your browsing history and more on the web browser.

5. Finally, you can enable the Prevent Cross-Site Tracking setting if you don’t want your activities to be tracked across multiple websites when using the web browser feature.

Can you disable start activity or resume activity on PS5?

Instead of launching a PS5 videogame normally, you can choose to load straight into a specific activity on your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition.

With that said, the game may not boot to where you want to resume your progress. Not to mention that these features could end up potentially causing glitches as well as other problems.

So, are you able to disable the start activity or resume activity on your gaming console? You can find out in this article from Seeking Tech.

What is start activity on PS5?

If you select the start activity option in the game card menu on the home screen before you launch the videogame, then the game will load straight to the activity. For specific titles, you may be able to skip the boot up sequence as well as other steps that will get you to the activity (i.e., traveling to the level or area where the activity is located).

What is resume activity on PS5?

If you suspended the game you are currently playing during the middle of an activity, then you may see the resume activity option in the game card menu on the home screen. This will let you load you back into the same activity.

Can you disable start activity or resume activity on PS5?

Unfortunately, you can’t disable either the start activity or resume activity in the game card menu of the home screen.

Instead, you have to make sure that you don’t accidentally select it instead of the Play Game option. The Start Activity or Resume Activity is usually the default option. So, before starting a videogame, you need to navigate downwards and then select the Play Game option in order to launch the game normally.

It is also important to note that some games have an activities section with several activity cards that you can use to load into straight into the activity. These are easily avoidable as the activities section are located further down the game card menu. Not to mention that these activity cards require you to press the square button instead of the usual X button in order to start the session.

How to turn off the PS5 without a screen

The most proper way to turn off your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition game console is to first press the PS button in order to bring up Commander Center quick menu. From there, you need to select the power icon located on the right side of the bottom menu. In the pop-up Power menu, you then need to select the Turn Off PS5 option.

If your PS5 or PS5 Digital Edition console isn’t connected to a screen, or you are having problems trying to get a picture to show up, then there are still several ways that you can shut down your gaming system. To find out what these methods are, you can check out this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

Method #1

If you are currently nearby your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, then you can use the power button located directly on the console to turn off the console. In order to do so, you need to take the following steps:

1. First off, you need to locate the power button, which is placed on the front-side. It can be a little hard to see as it blends into the black color scheme.

If you have a regular PlayStation 5 system, which comes with a disc drive, then it is the bottom-most button if you have your console sitting vertically or the rightmost if you placed your console horizontally.

If you have the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console, then the power button should be the only button located on the front-side.

2. Next, you need to press and hold the power button on your PS5 until you hear two beeps. By doing so, you will force your gaming console to turn off.

If you let go of the power button before you hear a second beep, then you will put the system in rest mode instead.

Method #2

For the second method, you can use the PlayStation Remote Play feature. If you have the PS Remote Play App on a smartphone, or mobile device, for example, then you can do the following:

1. Open the PS Remote Play App.

2. Sign into your PlayStation Network Account if you haven’t done so already.

3. Connect the application to your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console.

4. After the connection has been established, tap the PS logo icon, by doing so, you should be able to bring up the Command Center quick menu.

5. From the Command Center, navigate down to the bottom menu and then select the power icon that should be located all the way to the right side.

6. In the Power menu, you then need to select the Turn Off PS5 option.

7. Your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console should then shut down. This process will also disconnect the gaming system from the PS Remote Play App. After it disconnects, you can close the application on your smartphone or mobile device.

How to turn off the man or woman talking on PS5

When navigating the system menus of PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console, you may hear a man’s or woman’s voice that is reading the texts that appear on the screen as well as explaining what action you can take.

If you find this to be annoying and, thus, would like to disable this accessibility feature, then you can take a look at this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

Why you hear a man or woman talking when you are using a PlayStation 5

The reason you hear a man or woman suddenly talking when you are using your PS5 or PS5 Digital Edition is due to the Screen Reader feature.

You or someone else who have accessed to your gaming system may have previously turned it on.

How to turn off the man’s or woman’s voice on PS5

If you want to stop the man or woman from talking when navigation through the system menus of your PlayStation 5, then you need to take the following steps:

1. To start off, make sure that your console is turned on.

2. Next, you need to get to the home screen. For the uninitiated, this is the main system menu where you can select which game to start.

If you are in another section at this moment, then you can press the PS button to bring up the Commander Center. From this quick menu, you can then select the house icon to head home.

Alternatively, you can also press and hold the PS button on your DualSense. After around 2 seconds, you should be brought back to the home screen.

3. In the home screen, press the triangle button on your controller to quickly navigate to the top right area. From there, select the gear icon, which should bring you to the Settings menu.

4. After getting to Settings, the first step you need to take is to head to Accessibility.

5. Inside of the Accessibility section, you need to select Screen Reader from the list of options available on the left column.

6. On the right side of the same screen, make sure that the Enable Screen Reader setting is disabled.

By turning off the Enable Screen Reader setting, you should no longer hear a man’s or woman’s voice when browsing through the system menus.

How to turn off zoom mode on PS5

With the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition system, you can use the zoom mode to increase the text and image sizes that appear in the display area. If you would rather disable this feature, then you can take a look at this tutorial here at Seeking Tech to find out how to properly do so.

Method #1:

For the first method of disabling the zoom mode on your PS5 or PS5 Digital Edition console, you can try taking the following steps:

1. To start off, you need to press the PS button and square button on your DualSense game pad at the same time.

2. If done correctly, you should bring up the zoom overlay menu that says the following:

“Adjust the magnification and display area.”

3. With this zoom overlay menu on the screen, you can press the PS button and square button several times until the display area is brought back to the full screen.

Alternatively, you can press the circle button on the DualSense in order bring the display area back to the full screen.

Method #2:

If you want to completely disable the zoom mode on your PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition system, then you need to do the following:

1. To begin, make sure you are in the home screen (this is the main menu where you can select which game to start).

If you are in another area, then you can press and hold the PS button to bring up the home screen.

2. You then need to head over to the Settings menu on your PS5, which you can do by selecting the gear cog icon that appears on the upper right side of the home screen.

3. Inside of the Settings menu, you need to select Accessibility from the list of available options.

4. After arriving in the Accessibility menu, you first need to select the Display and Sound from the left column.

5. On the right side of the same screen, you then need to select Zoom

6. In the Zoom menu, you need to disable the Enable Zoom setting.

After disabling the Enable Zoom setting, the display area should be brought back to the full screen.

Furthermore, you can no longer enable the zoom overlay menu by pressing the PS button and square button at the same time. This should prevent you or someone else from accidentally zoom into the screen.