I quite like how Microsoft pushes out updates. Pretty much every month Microsoft pushes out an update with a couple of interesting new features. While Sony have a method of giving users constant monthly “system stability” updates, then throws everything at you at once on all three systems (maybe four systems now with the PlayStation TV) in a huge update.
Sony does know how to tease and cause anticipation though and it just gets even more nail biting when Sony this week give us a sneak peak of what we will be getting by the end of the year. What will we be receiving you ask? Well, Sony posted a few other features we did and did not know about in. Detailed list below:
PS4 – 2.0 update
USB Music Player: PS4 owners can play their own music in the background while playing a game using USB Music Player*. After inserting a USB stick loaded with music into the PS4, a new option for USB Music Player will appear. Supported filename extensions include MP3, MP4, M4A, and 3GP.
Change colors: In addition to the ability to add a theme, PS4 owners can also change the background of the home screen from light blue to one of seven new colors: gold, blue, red, green, purple, pink, and gray.
Players You May Know: PS4 will now suggest players you may know as potential friends in the ‘What’s New’ section.
Enhancements to Live Broadcasting: Masamune brings a variety of improvements to live broadcasting on PS4. In the Live From PlayStation app, PS4 owners can now select a Featured channel, which includes official broadcasts from PlayStation, broadcasts from people on a players friend list, and any game channel that the player has followed. Additionally, Live From PlayStation now has filters for searching broadcasts on a specific game, as well as support for archived broadcasts.
Content Area and Library: PS4’s Content Area, which shows the latest games and apps a PS4 owner has used, has been redesigned to help make it easier to quickly find and access content. It now shows 15 of a player’s most used apps or games, and additional items will be added to a player’s Library. The Library on PS4 has improved filter and sort functions to help organize contented by type (game / app / TV & video), name (a – z or z – a), recently used, or install date.
Enhanced Voice Commands: The ability to control PS4 using voice has been improved. Players can now say ‘PlayStation’ to begin commands, and ‘All Commands,’ to see a list of all voice command options available. New voice commands were added for live broadcasting, including “Start broadcast,” “End broadcast,” and “Find face.”
Add To Library: The monthly free PlayStation Plus games will have an ‘Add to Library’ button in the PlayStation Store. This button will add a game to a PS4 owner’s library without downloading it – saving space on their hard drive.
We already knew a system 2.0 update would be coming due to Sony’s E3 2014 press conference. Here they further detailed the YouTube support feature and the Share Play function which are not mentioned on the blog in detail, but will defiantly be coming in this update.
The above list is exactly what I have been waiting for and having a USB music player is something I have been missing, although it does seem that you will not be able to copy content over to the PS4 HHD which is a shame, and with the two only front USB ports, it will be competing for space.
PS Vita and PS TV – 3.35 update
The PS Vita and PS TV systems will also receive a system software update to version 3.35 with the same timing as Masamune, adding four-player Remote Play support to PS TV. In addition, the Live from PlayStation app, which allows users to watch live gameplay streams from PS4 systems, will be available on both PS Vita and PS TV alongside this update.
PlayStation App – 2.0 update
The PlayStation App for smartphones and tablets, available free on the App Store and Google Play, is also set to receive an update to version 2.0 within the same launch window as both the PS4 and PS Vita system software updates. This update provides a new layout for tablets, and the app’s home screen has been redesigned.
I am a bit frustrated that themes, colour options, and DLNA support were not available since day one as the PS3 already has this support and PS Vita has just joined in. But it looks like we won’t be waiting much longer.
Good news is that this isn’t all we will be getting as Scott McCarthy replied to a user that more content is yet be announced:
Scott also responded to a release date of the update which indicated that it will be with us this year:
Keep checking back at RedGamingTech for further updates as soon as we hear about them.
