The PS4 System Software update 4.00 is released today and brings a number of changes and improvements. Here’s your handy, cut out and keep guide.
Codenamed Shingen, this is the first major update to the PlayStation 4 in some time. At first glance, the changes all look positive and address some long-standing niggles.
Here’s a round-up of the key features.
PS4 System Software update 4.00
Improved UI
The PS4’s main user interface has been updated, resulting in a cleaner look and feel. New backgrounds are available and system icons and pop-ups have been tweaked for clarity.
Quick Menu
The Quick Menu now only covers part of the screen and can be customised for the features you use the most. It also shows context sensitive options depending on how you are using the PS4. And you can now control Spotify or the USB music player straight from the menu.
What’s New
What’s New has been redesigned and includes more information about your friends’ activity. It’s also simpler to like and comment.
Folders and Library
Three cheers! And thank you, Sony. It’s a small thing but so very helpful. You can now create folders for all your games and apps. For example: Racing games, FPSs, Sports games, Assassin’s Creed games.
Content Info Screen
The Content Info Screen has been redesigned to provide quick access to a game’s Overview, Friends and Communities, Media Activities and related PlayStation Store content.
Profiles
Profiles have been updated to provide more information and comparisons about playing habits, trophies and active communities.
Online Storage
The PlayStation Plus hub now shows a percentage meter for your online storage usage.
Data Transfer
PS4 console-to-console data can now be transferred over a wired LAN connection. This includes games, user info, and saved data. Helpful, and just in time for the PS4 Pro, too.
High Dynamic Range
You’re probably sick of hearing about High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging technology but now all PS4 consoles have it. So let’s all move on and enjoy the contrast.
Communities
The community size limit has been increased to 100,000 and you can now reply to all Community wall comments. Screenshots can now be shared directly to a Community wall via the Share menu.
Social
Up to 140 seconds of gameplay can now be shared on Twitter. And there are changes to the messaging app so you can communicate whilst offline.
All in all, the PS4 System Software 4.00 is a pretty substantial update and fixes a lot of small issues. The introduction of folders alone would have been cause to celebrate. If you think anything big has been missed, let us know.
And let’s hope Microsoft are taking note because, frankly, the Xbox One UI – despite its own improvements – is still a complete mess.
Image credit: PlayStation
