In case you missed it, PlayStation 4 firmware update 4.50 has been detailed by Sony - and beta invites are going out as we type up this very article. The headline act here is that the console will finally support external hard drives - which is obviously an incredibly handy feature to have when you're at the point of desperately deleting games in order to make room for stuff.
Elsewhere, custom wallpapers are going to be a thing, the quick menu is being refreshed to be even more intuitive, and notifications are being simplified so that you can better see what's going on. Oh, and PlayStation VR is getting 3D Blu-Ray support.
Of course, there's also the rumoured (read: all but officially acknowledged) PS4 Pro 'boost mode', which you can read about through here. Basically, this mode will supposedly allow Pro users to benefit from performance boosts, even if the game that they're playing hasn't received a Pro compatibility patch.
So, which feature are you most looking forward to when update 4.50 launches within the next few weeks? Vote in our poll, and then give your PS4 a pat on the back in the comments section below.
Which PS4 firmware 4.50 feature are you most looking forward to? (178 votes)
- External hard drive support
- Custom wallpapers
- Refreshed quick menu
- Simplified notifications
- Better activity feed0%
- 3D Blu-Ray support for PlayStation VR
- PS4 Pro Boost Mode
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Comments 52
Hmmm not sure. I like the HDD support the most I guess, but I can't see myself buying an HDD for a while so I may well never use it! The wallpaper one is cool as well but I have a set of dynamic themes I love already.
External hard drive support. It's not even close...
ps4 pro boost mode
I wonder how many/what proportion of us actually own PS4 Pros? Might be worth doing a poll on that too? I do but it's the External HDD support that's currently floating my boat, simply because I won't have to worry about running out of room like I've done the previous two generations.
Can we choose boost mode pergame or it's a system wide things?
Boost mode ftw. I booted up ds3 yesterday and really noticed the frame rate issues. Boost mode is huge news.
Still don't get why external hdd is such a hot topic, but hey to each his own.
@wiiware Seems to be system wide, you just toggle it on and off.
Can we just call it PS4 Pro Beast Mode?
System stability
Well expect a skewed poll on this one. Pro boost is only beneficial to its owners whilst all other features apply to all PS4 owners.
My pick would be the Boost mode something that should have been there from the start.
External HDD support. I have a 2 TB drive in my PS4 but it's going to fill up someday and I don't like deleting games.
Wallpapers for me.
I'm not even using half of my 500GB drive. I delete games when I'm not playing them, so space is not an issue for me.
Unlike some people, I actually play games when I buy them, rather than having an unending backlog.
@sketchturner
Wanting external hdd support doesn't mean that person doesn't play games, some people don't like to have to constantly delete and re-install games.
External hd support.
The rest is certainly welcome, but that one is the headliner for me.
For me external hdd support is the biggest feature added but this seems like a good update all the way around. Not sure I'll buy a PS4 Pro (I may just wait for PS5 before making a significant upgrade) but boost mode is a nice feature for owners of that machine. 3D blu-ray for PSVR also sounds like a nice feature.
PS4 Boost Mode! It was close between this and External HDD but Pro Boost mode has the edge as it could improve the gaming experience where as External HDD only benefits me in 'ease of use'. Anything that can improve the gaming experience, give a more consistent performance will always have the edge for me.
Either way these two additions are BIG and certainly a massive step in the right direction as far as I am concerned.
External hdd support custom wallpapers, and pro boost mode.
I have the nyko data bank on my og ps4, but i wanted to keep my pro looking original, so that is pretty awesome that i can
@Gamer83 Yeah I understand. I didn't mean to come across so judgmental. I just should have focused on the fact that an external HDD is unnecessary with my personal habits.
@sketchturner
That's cool, it's still a useful feature for many, myself included. I hate deleting stuff and then if I want to play it later I have to re-install then wait for updates, etc. This will solve that problem.
I can't express how happy I am about the external HDD support. And here I was about to rip open my PS4.
external HDD support, it's all i have ever really wanted every time they announce an update and now it's finally coming
custom wallpapers are nice too
Pro boost mode though custom wallpapers and external are nice
External hard drive and I say that from experience. My Xbox One ran out of space long ago and most of the time I couldn't download the free games with gold or even update games I had without uninstalling something else. It became a pain until I bought an external hard drive and now I can have everything right there ready to play and not worry about a thing. My only question is, if anyone knows, could I store games from my Xbox AND PS4 on the same hard drive? Or is it likely the PS4 would need to format it and erase everything?
I want easier, simpler and faster multitasking on the PS4.. i find the whole interface really cumbersome and slow to navigate. I dont like how i have to press home button and then find the game/app on a giant row of icons.
External HDD for me no longer have to dread buying games and having to delete old ones! Also wallpapers is pretty cool got some brill screen shots!
I just want to have access to the YouTube app along the top instead of having to go into TV & Video section. Already got a 2tb HDD installed but glad for others that external has been supported .
Just got my beta code and already filing up my 4tb external hdd. Def. a welcome upgrade!!!!
I would like to be able to change the light on the console to blue when it's on and white on startup, the opposite to what it is now.
Not really a major issue though....
The People who do not care about External HDD support obviously put a 2tb in the P.S.4
Pro boost will make slight tweek
Having External HDD support on the P.S.4 will make a significant difference hands down and not before time.
This aint for the players it is for patience that Sony did the right thing.
I have a 2TB hard drive and still voted for External HDD support.
I have a pretty large library of digital games and it will be nice to be able to download them all.
@Bhattiboy Pro Boost could make a significant difference in a LOT of games. It really depends on how Sony decide to implement it. If they unleash the full potential of the Pro, then I can't see any game not running at the 'capped' limits. A number of games have frame rate drops and/or resolution drops too. Even if all they do is half the GPU but keep the clock speeds, that could be enough to stop the frame rate drops, texture streaming problems, pop-in, Screen tear, negate the 'dynamic scaling' etc we have seen this generation. A lot of games rarely run consistently at the 'target' level.
I have a 2TB internal but I still want external support. I never trade games and want to be able to play any of my games when I want - not have to plan a day or two in advance.
As a Pro owner, its disappointing to have all that power and so few games to actually use it. Its frustrating to play 'older' games that suffer from performance issues - especially knowing you have all that power sat there unused.
If you own a PS4, not overly interested in the Pro resolution boosts, then there is little reason to upgrade but if ALL their games could run more consistently regardless of whether a developer adds a Pro mode or not, then its much more enticing. Instead of games occasionally hitting the target resolution/frame rate, they run locked at that level. Instead of averaging 25fps or 50fps, they now run locked at 30 or 60fps. Instead of dropping down to 900p (or lower) they stay locked at 1080p.
Anybody else notice that when you press the Options button to an app the only option it gives you to delete it? Before it was like a game you had the option to update, few recent updates and close it. Now you gotta hold down the PS button to close an app.
@ShogunRok I hope it can be patched to pergame, I only need it for bloodborne and witches 3.
@Bhattiboy Naw, I never even used up the 500gb hdd to be honest (though I eventually replaced it, I'm now on the stock ps4 pro stock hdd). I play a game then generally don't look back, delete it after I'm done to keep the menu bar clean. I do have a folder for "comfort food" games that I don't wanna delete, like resogun, driveclub, ds3, etc... but nowhere near enough to fill the hdd. And if I ever did get full I'd just delete whatever I'm not playing and re-download it if I ever wanted to....
I guess if people have limited or poor internet it may be a concern?
Like I said, to each his own and I respect that people really want it badly.
@ArkhamKnerd most likely it would erase everything as it would need to be formatted to work with the PS4 operating system
Obviously the HDD support. I deleted Witcher 3 and U4 because the files are huge and I needed more space. And I have lots of wrapped games because I could not afford the space.
Custom wallpapers come second as it can be a fun feature. The others idc about. Just let me pause downloads from the main bar and all will be good.
External hd support is huge....once I can get one, what's the going price on 8 tb external hdd?
But this boost mode could be a game changer imo 😀
Custom wallpapers nico too, good job Sony If this all goes good
Ps4 Pro is 2nd in ranking. I hope the people who voted for that actually have a PS4 Pro. I didn't find that it was worth buying.
For me, and it is a niche feature, it is the 3d Blu ray support for VR. As mentioned, I'm hoping to update to a PS4 Pro (today!!!) and upgrade to a 4k tv in the nearish future. As 3d is basically a dead tech for tv's, it is near impossible to get one on my budget and have 4k HDR. So now, I can still enjoy my 3d blu rays and 4k tv which is really the future of tv's and gaming.
@Rudy_Manchego
What makes you think its the future ?
4K tv really is just another marketing gimmick, so we have to rebuy everything we already bought again.
For most people 1080 is enough, including me.
@KitsuneNight I mean as a feature shipped with tv's. In terms of 3D, not all models had it but I can see manufacturers incorporating it into all models within a few years in the same way a lot of TV's are mainly 1080 now. 4k TV's are approaching mainstream pricing now. So when someone replaces their current TV they will end up with 4k.
Whether anyone needs it, well probably not. But it sure looks purdy!!
@KitsuneNight You wouldn't say that after trying some native 4k games out. There is a huge difference between a 1080p and true 4k image.
@GBMatthew
And rebuy all my bloody movies and series just before they spring 8k on us ?
No, thanks.
@KitsuneNight 8K is still a long way off and certainly nowhere near suitable for gaming anytime soon. Also why do you think that you would have to re-buy all your movies and series again for 4 or 8K? They are simply upscaled, all my Blu Ray movies upscale great to 4k on my Pro.
For me the external hdd support is number one. I like the default regular wallpaper. It is clean and contrasts well with the blocks ui. However for my PS3 i have a dynamic fish aquarium.
The external hdd support was really needed since the 500GB hdd is actually only about 300GB usable. Just Gta 5, Mafia 3, Fallout 4 + dlc, and Skyrim use about 182GB. Overall i think that external drives would have been very much less an issue had 1TB been standard and 2TB bundles been offered, and available in the US at local stores.
As it is Sony must have purchased a 100 million 500GB drives to get a super sweet cost per unit. Why else would after more than 3 years, and with the new slim models, would units still be shipped with a, undersized for this gen, 500GB hdd.
This poll is not a good one because you only have ONE possible answer. But there are at least three fantastic features I don't want to miss. I guess I'm not the only person thinking that way so the result of the poll says almost nothing.
@GBMatthew Yes, 8K is completely absurd because we come to a point where the lenses of the camera come their limits. And yes, you 4K video filmers with your cell phone: It does not make any sense. A good camera with a good lense makes better pictures in 2K than a cell phone with 4K.
Custom themes!!! Finally! Can some one explain exactly how ext HDD works? So you hook it up and it will show up similar to a folder on the ps4 UI with all the games that are saved on it. Wont the games still have to be installed onto the ps4 itself? And if the games are on the ext hdd wont that mean lag etc? Im so confused
custom wallpapers sounds like they're to be limited to screenshots. can't use your own pics (like of your kids or something you downloaded). So they still haven't got it right
@KitsuneNight Get a decent TV that upscales.
Boost my 1TB isn't even full yet and I don't play 90% of the game's on it anyway
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