PS4 Update 4.50: External HDD Support, Custom Wallpapers

Update: Following multiple leaks from the beta, Sony has confirmed that PS4 Pro’s Boost Mode is included inside PS4 update 4.50.

“Boost Mode lets PS4 Pro run at a higher GPU and CPU clock speed for smoother gameplay on some PS4 games that were released before the launch of PS4 Pro (and has not been updated to support PS4 Pro),” Sony told Polygon. Basically, games with a variable frame rate “may benefit from a higher frame rate, and load times may be shorter in some games too.”

You can see more 4.50 features below.

Original Story: With beta codes now being emailed to those who registered, Sony has detailed “some” of the new features you can expect in PlayStation 4 system software update 4.50, which is codenamed Sasuke.

As detailed below, 4.50 will simplify the Notifications list, bring 3D Blu-ray support to PlayStation VR, and add two highly requested features – external HDD support and custom wallpapers:

External HDD Support

With this update, you have the option to store content to an external HDD. Just plug a USB 3.0 HDD into your PS4, and voilà, you now have more space on the console.

This is compatible with HDDs up to 8TB in size. You can download and install applications directly to your extra storage, and the saved contents are easily manageable through the settings menu.

Also, all the applications saved in the external HDD will appear in the Content Launcher of the Home Screen so it’s easy to keep track of what apps you launched recently.

Custom Wallpapers

This update adds the ability to set your favorite in-game screenshot as the background image for PS4’s home screen. Drop-shadows on text, and the option to dim the Function Area, will help keep the system icons and texts on the home screen clearly visible even if the background image you selected is super bright.

You can also edit screenshots using Photo Mode in Sharefactory to make your one-and-only custom wallpaper.

Quick Menu Refresh

As you may know, in the last system update we overhauled the PS4 Quick Menu feature (the menu that appears after a long press of the PS button on DualShock 4).

This update brings additional improvements to make it even more accessible. Now the Quick Menu will cover even less of your gameplay screen, and you’ll be able to access handy Party features via Online Friends, like creating new parties, inviting friends, and joining parties, without transitioning to the separate Party app. The goal is to keep you in the game — and not stuck in menus.

Simplified Notification List

Before this update, the Notifications app had a variety of tabs on the left-hand side, like Game Alerts, Downloads, Uploads, and more. We’ve condensed all of the tabs to a single simplified list, making it easier to see all of your notifications all at-a-glance.

You can also quickly access the Notification settings from the Options Menu to turn off or customize which pop-up notifications appear on your screen, so you’re only being notified about your top priorities.

3D Blu-Rays on PlayStation VR

If you’re a fan of 3D movies, and you own PlayStation VR, we’ve got good news — this update adds the ability to view 3D movies in stereoscopic 3D directly on the PS VR headset.

Additionally, 4.50 will allow you to post things like text, screenshots, and gifs directly into your Activity Feed, and you can tag games or other PSN users so they don’t miss your post. Live from PlayStation will also showcase screenshots people have uploaded as a Public Activity.

Sony’s John Koller adds that there are “more features included in 4.50,” and further information about the system update, including launch timing, will be revealed in the coming weeks.

One of those features may be a Boost Mode on PlayStation 4 Pro. According to an image (update: and new video) posted on NeoGAF, PS4 update 4.50 will allow older games without PS4 Pro support to have a higher frame-rate.

Someone translated the Japanese text and it reads: “When playing games that were released before the PS4 Pro, frame-rate etc might be able to be raised playing games. If any unexpected behavior occurs during the game, please turn off this option.”

Boost Mode has yet to be announced by Sony, so treat it as a rumor for now, but we may receive confirmation as more details about 4.50 leak out during the beta.

What do you think of 4.50 so far?

[Source: PlayStation Blog (1), (2), NeoGAF (1), (2)]