Sony is now accepting applicants for early beta access to PS4 system software version 5.0. As this is a .0 update, we’re expecting some significant changes to be made. This isn’t your usual “minor fixes and optimizations” patch. This is more of a “holy balls, look at what your PS4 can do now!” patch. That’s always exciting news for PlayStation owners, and we can’t help but speculate on what the system update will bring.
In this week’s Top 5 video, we’ll be listing the improvements we most want to see implemented with PS4 system software version 5.0:
We know that watching a video isn’t possible for everyone (such as those who should be working and are instead browsing PlayStation LifeStyle on their phones – don’t worry we won’t tell!), so we’ll be including written versions of Top 5’s in the future. If you’d rather read than watch, check out the slideshow below to find out what improvements we most want to see implemented with PS4 system software version 5.0:
Now that you’ve seen (or read!) what five features we want to see in PS4 system software version 5.0, we’d love to know what you’re expecting from the next major firmware update. Let us know in the comments below what you’re hoping Sony will add to the PS4, and if you’ve signed up (if not, what are you waiting for?) for the upcoming early beta access for the 5.0 update.
Essential Reading:
Top 5 Features We Want to See in PS4 Update 5.0
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Features We Want to See in PS4 Update 5.0
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PS4 Pro Benefits For All
There are those who, like me, purchased a PlayStation 4 Pro without actually owning a 4K television. In the UK, for example, it made more sense to go for the Pro over the 1TB PS4 Slim.
Unfortunately for us Pro owners playing on 1080p screens, some games that boast Pro support, only unlock the visual enhancements for those with ultra HD 4K screens.
What would be awesome is for those enhancements to be opened up for all PS4 Pro owners, with 4K images being downscaled to 1080p, or even better, to whatever resolution the display uses. In my case, my Pro console spends most of its time hooked up to a 1440p monitor, for which I have to currently settle for a 1080p image. It’s kind of sad!
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Full Theme Customization
Sony has done a decent job allowing us to customize the XcrossMediaBar, or whatever it’s called these days. For those of us with a load of games, being able to organize them into folders is great. There’s also the wide range of themes which help spruce up the menus, and other small tweaks which have made navigation a little smoother.
There’s still some room for improvement, though, and a big change that could come with update 5.0 is a way to create our own custom themes including different fonts, colors, and music. We’ve had some of these freedoms on previous PlayStation consoles, so why not open up the PlayStation 4 and allow for more cosmetic customization, and a way for users to truly make their console feel unique.
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Wishlist & Game Gifting
With the PlayStation game catalogue growing ever larger, and more and more content being added to the PlayStation Store, it has become tricky to keep track of sale prices and downloadable content drops for specific titles. And so what we’d like to see, is a Wishlist feature made available on the console itself. There is something of a Wishlist on the web version of the Store, but we want it on the console! This should make it easy to keep an eye on certain games, especially during sales, where missing a deal can be pretty infuriating!
We would also like to be able to gift games to other players. This is a thing on other platforms, and should lead to more sales. Easy!
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Backwards Compatibility
We know, we’re forever harping on about backwards compatibility and pestering Sony to make more older titles available on the PlayStation Store. And well, nostalgia is a powerful force, as we’ve been learning with the mini Nintendo consoles, and that remaster of a certain PlayStation classic.
Here we are again, asking Sony to up their backwards compatibility game. Hopefully with update 5.0, they’ve finally figured out how to push things even further, and bring more must-play-again classics to the PS4.
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Change Usernames
Will update 5.0 be the patch to finally allow us to change our usernames? We’re hoping so. Though I won’t be using the feature myself, the ability to swap out “JohnOnPS32009” to something more relevant, is something players have been asking for since the console’s launch.
Changing usernames clearly can’t be easy for Sony, or else they’d have done it by now. But here’s hoping that they’ve gotten their heads around the logistics and can finally deliver.
