It's been in beta for what feels like an eternity, but PlayStation 4 firmware update v3.50 will finally be released to the public starting tomorrow. The update, as previously reported, includes a whole host of new social features and system software improvements – including oft-requested options like the ability to appear offline and enable friend notifications.
Other additions include the ability to create scheduled gaming events for you and your friends, as well as Remote Play compatibility on the PC and Mac. To take advantage of this, you'll need to connect a DualShock 4 controller to your computer via USB, but it seems like you'll have plenty of options to select the resolution and framerate that suits you best.
The remaining improvements are minor but welcome, with the ability to livestream to DailyMotion among them. Teenagers will now also be able to create PlayStation Network accounts, while you'll be able to check the status of Sony's servers directly on the console. Moreover, you'll be able to "retweet" shared videos and screens, while the PlayStation Plus hub will be given a makeover.
Lots and lots of features, then – but are these things that you're interested in? Personally, we reckon that this feels like a necessary update, but it's lacking that headline feature – like folders, perhaps – that we've all been screaming about for years. Oh well, there's always PS4 firmware update v4.00 to look forward to, right?
[source blog.eu.playstation.com]
Comments 41
Remote Play on my PC - yay! Will try this one out asap. Nothing else of interest, yeah, the folder thing is painfully missing...
Yeah finally!!
Remote play on my laptop sounds very nice indeed.
Remote Play on PC / Mac and being able to appear offline is key for me (I hate playing online most of the time!).
Still waiting for external HDD support. Most (if not all) of these have very little impact on my gaming and console use.
All sounds good to me. Remote Play is what I'm looking forward to most.
Pretty pointless for me appear offline is for people that are scared to tell their friend's they want to play solo so that's pointless for me, if I don't want to play with my friend's I just tell them. External HDD is what's needed.
Meh.
This is kind of handy since I have my PS4 next to my monitor and could just plug it in directly but I currently have it plugged into my TV. This way I can switch which screen I use without unplugging any cables.
By the way, if you want to use your Dualshock 4 with PC games in general, download InputMapper. You can even use the touchpad like a laptop touchpad to control the mouse. Works "out the box" with any game that'd support an Xbox controller. Some PC games even offer a choice between displaying Xbox One button prompts and PS4 ones - Assassin's Creed Syndicate, for example.
P.C remote play is a great addition, means i can play in the same room as my family without disturbing them
still waiting for the External HDD support though
Plan on checking out Remote Play on PC.
Dailymotion!!!!! WOOOOOO!!!!!
Create an event could be useful for arranging some gameplay sessions through the Push Square community page.
What no Folde... Nah I can't be bothered saying it again
Good update tho
I really don't understand why people want friend notifications. If I want to play a game with someone its not exactly hard to check to see if they're online. Besides, unless Sony has added that feature in the same way Microsoft did for the XB1, it will be an automatic feature disable for me. I really don't want notifications every time one of my friends pops online.
The feature Sony added for when a friend joins a party got old very quick.
Friends online notifications 😱 At last!!! Yay I'm happy with this update. 👍🏻
@xMEADx Or maybe its for people that have alot of friends and don't want to have to keep replying every time they get an invite or message. Maybe they're knackered after work and just want to chill.
Offline feature is useful that's the only feature that I wanted.
Remote play on PC. . . GREAT addition!
That's great!..... EXCEPT THERE'S STILL NO EXTERNAL HDD SUPPORT DAMN IT!!!!!!! Hasn't Sony seen the release schedule for this year?! It's wacky and there's a ton of quality titles coming!!! I don't think the remaining 600+GB of space on my 1TB can hold everything coming this year!! C'mon Sony, think for once!!!
Remote play on PC woohoo what all the rubbish bbc dramas you want love I'll be over here!
Glad it is coming but don't really care about any of it, and especially don't care about folders. All that I want is external HD conpatibility, even if it must be of the proprietary nature.
I think Sony would make too much money on creating their gaming laptop, cause many gaming laptops are expensive
I was invited to the beta so I've had these features for about a month now. Definitely very handy knowing when my friends come online! Btw if you're wondering, you can easily set which of your friends you will get notifications for when they come online, by just pressing options on their name in the friends list.
Nice update. I can see myself using most of these new additions. Looking forward to what the next update will bring.
Looking forward to remote play for the PC.
Will this mean I'll stop sucking at Dark Souls games?
@Neolit ~I never thought about it like that, some good point's there i'd be damn excited about appear offline if I had my boss on my FL as well lol The PC remote play will be usefull as well for people that want to play on their PC but still want to join party's and speak to their PSN friend's in party chat (a friend just pointed that out to me) so i'm kinda excited about remote play as well now even though I won't be gettin my PC for a few month's still. @WARDIE yeah I suppose, doesn't really affect me though I dont mind sending them a msg saying I cba'd tonight and I wanna fly solo. Plus it isn't that hard to find out if someone really is offline (at least it never used to be on most online game's) or just appearing offline, we used to do it on Xbox and whoever it was would feel more awkward next time they decided to join the party as we took the michael outta them for not just sending us a msg. Could cause more problem's for some people rather than being a solution.
I've been beta testing the update and its been pretty good I like that it shows a preview of the message in the message notification and also with the friend notification u can pick wat ones u want to show up
We might get folder support just before they announce the PS5.
@xMEADx some people just have annoying friends, pushy friends. no need to downplay the feature, it's def needed so people wont reach out to you at all.
@nlovett218 except remote play, everyone has to wait for that feature even us Beta pepz
@adf86 @neolit yes! that's def a good use and makes a point that they need to ramp up the community's because right now it's a half thought feature.
but can I change my PSN name yet?
Does it include stability improvements? I actually want them my PS4 occasionally refuses to boot up from rest mode.
Nothing here for me. To be honest the new online features for friends and to appear offline should have been included features when the ps4 was released. More live stream options and pc remote play, while good news to some, is nothing i will use.
Some new features i could use are zooming like the ps3 does, seperate files for games data, dlc data, and patches so i can free up hdd space without having to download multiple gigs of data again, and external hdd support even if it is for game storage that allows for individual game data to be transfered to the internal drive for game play.
I'm still waiting to update 😩😩
What would be the perfect remote play laptop, then? Good screen, light, affordable, bed-friendly?
@sonicmeerkat I have the same problem with the rest mode not sure why it happens but its been an issue since before the last few firmware updates.
When does it go live in EU?
@WARDIE well you can select who you get a notification for when they come online so if you don't want them you don't have to have them
@dryrain Ever since the 2.0 update for me.
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