Sony has announced the roll out of the 4.50 beta software update for the PS4 to beta testers. If you signed up for the beta and were selected you should have received an email inviting you to download the new update and test the latest and greatest features that Sony is bringing to the PS4.
Sony has some massive new features up and coming for PS4 users in the 4.50 update that includes External HDD support, custom wallpapers, 3D Blu-ray support within VR and much more.
External HDD Support
Sony is finally bringing us the ability to download and run games off external USB3.0 Hard Drives. This means you’ll no longer have to replace the internal PS4 Hard Drive if you’ve already filled it with games. From the 4.50 update onward you’ll be able to simply plug in a USB3.0 Hard drive and download, move, copy, and play games directly from that drive. This is a feature that the WiiU has had since launch and the Xbox One has had for a while now, so it’s great to see Sony bringing it to players.
Custom Wallpapers
For a while now the PS4 has supported customer themes that were purchasable from the PSN store, but the 4.50 update now allows users to set their own custom wallpapers on their PS4. Screenshots from in-game can be used and edited in ShareFactory to create the perfect wallpaper for your console.
Change to Quick Menu & Notification
Since the PlayStation 4.0 update, players have been able to navigate the Quick Menu by holding down the PS button on their controllers. In the 4.50 update the Quick Menu is getting a refresh that will see it simplified and easier to use. Notifications have also been cleaned up and simplified and they now appear as a single list, but don’t worry because you can still sort them by clicking the “options” button.
Posts to the Activity Feed
Sony is introducing the ability to add your own posts to the Playstation Acvitiy Feed. Not only will the feed show game progress, activity, and content, but you’ll now be able to make your own custom posts to share with all your friends.
3D Support for Blu-ray in VR
For all you VR users out there, Sony has added the ability to watch 3D Blu-ray movies in VR thanks to the stereoscopic viewfinder utilised by the PSVR. This is going to be quite the experience and I can’t wait to give it a go myself!
Boost mode for PS4 Pro
Sony is also introducing a special “Boost” mode for PS4 Pro users. The mode is designed to give an extra processing boost to games that were released prior to the PS4 Pro and haven’t had a Pro patch to utilise the system’s new power to their full advantage. For the most part, you can expect an FPS boost from some of your older games to keep them more stable, but it’s early days and hard to say for sure how Boost mode will affect gameplay.
Sony has quite the PS4 Update in-store for us! Did you manage to get into the beta? What is your favourite feature of the new update?
About the Author
Morgan Archer
Having arguments in 140 characters or less since 2010
