Beta for PlayStation 4’s 3.50 Update Starts Soon – Key Features Detailed

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Beta for PlayStation 4’s 3.50 Update Starts Soon – Key Features Detailed
John Koller Vice President, PlayStation Brand Marketing, SIEA
PlayStation 4

Our beta program for PlayStation 4’s next major system software update, version 3.50 (codenamed MUSASHI), kicks off tomorrow. If you signed up for the beta and were selected, keep an eye on your email for instructions on downloading.

Regardless of whether you’re in the beta, we wanted to detail some of the key features we’re adding to PS4 in this update. We’re making it easier to play together with friends and adding the ability to appear offline when you’d rather play solo.

New Social Features

  • Friend Online Notification – Want to know the moment your friends come online? With this update, you can, as we’ve added an option to be notified when members of your friends list sign on the network.
  • Appear Offline – Sometimes you want to play a game or watch a movie without being bothered by friends. Now it’s easier to go incognito as we’ve added the option to appear offline. You can designate if you would like to appear offline when you log-in or at any time from your Profile or the Quick Menu.
  • User Scheduled Event – Time for a play date! We’ve added the ability to schedule a future gameplay session with your friends on the system. When your event starts, users who registered for the event will automatically be added to a party so you can start playing right away.
  • Play Together – This features allows all members of a Party to see what each person is playing so that you can easily join a friend’s game, or start a new game together.

Other New System Features

  • Remote Play (PC/Mac) – We’re bringing PS4 Remote Play to Windows PC and Mac. This feature won’t be available to test in the beta, but you can look forward to it soon.
  • Dailymotion – With this update, you’ll be able to live stream directly to Dailymotion on PS4. We’ll also support archiving live broadcasts, like we do for other streaming services.

Stay tuned for more details on MUSASHI, including additional key features and its release date.

firmwarePlayStation 4ps4system software update

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468 Comments

  • SporkimusPrime
    March 1, 2016 at 4:50 am PST

    Thanks Sony! This are all very requested features! Can’t wait for the update to drop.

  • bizarro7777
    March 1, 2016 at 4:56 am PST

    Neat features! Especially the ability to appear offline, I’ve wanted that for a while so thanks!!

    Hopefully the next update could include some sort of folder system to mamage my stuff? With all of the video services I use and all of the downloaded games, my media bar is becoming a mess and I miss the way the ps3 OS organized it all.

    In any case, I think sony is on the right track with this! Thanks.

  • airJordan_Xx
    March 1, 2016 at 5:00 am PST

    Nice but I would l like to see how much time I have played in games especially single player games and how close I am earning a trophy like say you need to collect 50 news papers u have 40/50 newspaper for trophy

  • zaginrex
    March 1, 2016 at 5:08 am PST

    They should add the Circle Button Behaviour: X/O is to accept/cancel.

  • Toast_Soup
    March 1, 2016 at 5:09 am PST

    How about the ability to switch accounts in a game without having to restart the game? I hate loading up GTA Online (which is a long load) and when you want to switch accounts and someone else play it, you need to restart the game?

    • broodwars
      March 1, 2016 at 6:01 am PST

      That’s there to prevent bugs. I worked for a games developer who was doing 360 games back when you could switch profiles mid-game on that platform, and swapping profiles mid-game caused all sorts of lovely issues. We’re probably better off without it.

  • Syrus_
    March 1, 2016 at 5:13 am PST

    Offline mode should have been there since start but on its good to get it finally. But to call this a major release and not doing major features or even improve so many basis features is just lame. At least do some for the layout. I hate the limitation of shown games. Add folders, better filtering and the things that improve the PS4 before adding allot of stuff.

  • Strangeheaven
    March 1, 2016 at 5:14 am PST

    Where are the folders sony? I gave major ocd, please help me out.

  • goarmy1764
    March 1, 2016 at 5:23 am PST

    People complain too much, I’m happy to get the option to appear offline!

  • Sulumon
    March 1, 2016 at 5:25 am PST

    Come the heck on! This is the next MAJOR update? Where is the app/game tile sorting? Where is the Content Manager for Vita? DLNA? New features are always welcome, but SONY, quit ignoring the most wanted stuff. 2+ years and stuff that should have been there day one are still absent. GYST!

  • Yacob1354
    March 1, 2016 at 5:28 am PST

    Still no ID change feature, free or paid I don’t care. This NEEDS to be UPDATED! Let’s be fair, it wouldn’t be hard to add and also we’ve been waiting a total of 234 years 333 days 12 hours and 54 seconds !

    • ValhallaOutcast
      March 1, 2016 at 5:55 am PST

      how do you know how hard it would be? Sony has occasionally let people change their name if it was reported as inappropriate and guess what those peoples accounts become a mess, trophy issues, game save issues, friends list issue, online game progress issues

      PSN was not created to handle name changes so its almost to late to undo

      Systems that allow name changes are using the name as a display name only , behind the scene your are user#15111518631 but your display name is what you set it to be

  • BeckBR
    March 1, 2016 at 5:30 am PST

    I love the japanese engineering, but god… the japanese executives are extremely stubborn. Why they never listen to what his clientes ask for the PS4 firmware (better file management, better use of offline multimedia capabilities, and number…the ability to change the PSN ID).

    I won’t switch to MS, but Sony could give us what we ask, sometimes.

    • the_man72
      March 1, 2016 at 10:22 am PST

      You will be waiting a long time

    • Pro_TactX
      March 1, 2016 at 11:03 am PST

      I don’t think it’s fair to say that they never listen to us. People have been asking for friend notifications and “appear offline”. They may not be adding every requested feature all at once, but they are adding requested features.

  • Strangeheaven
    March 1, 2016 at 5:32 am PST

    Folders,and option to delete trophies. The library is a joke,sort it out.

  • jorge197
    March 1, 2016 at 5:43 am PST

    Still no video chat? I think this is to much!!! We need video chat, the hell with party chat. I know we have party chat, we want video chat PLEASE!!! Cant wait for 3.5. Good job guys, keep those updates coming.

  • Berae
    March 1, 2016 at 5:43 am PST

    These are cool new features!

    Will we be able to change our PSN ID?

  • Strangeheaven
    March 1, 2016 at 5:44 am PST

    Folders,and option to delete trophies. The library is a joke,sort it out. Start listening Sony,Folders is what many companys use for organisation of files.

    Folders ,delete trophies option, and library management.

  • VizZi0n150
    March 1, 2016 at 5:47 am PST

    External HDD support pleaseee

  • ValhallaOutcast
    March 1, 2016 at 5:48 am PST

    do you people whining about Sony not listing to its customers know that appear offline and friend online notifications are 2 of the top 8 requested features on the share idea blog?

  • NxP3
    March 1, 2016 at 5:50 am PST

    This is another update geared towards social interaction which I don’t give a **** about!!! I want to be able to manage my games better, put it in different folders and delete **** and demo crap that I have no intention of ever downloading again. I don’t want **** showing up in my bar! At least give us a junk folder to move all the stuff we don’t want into it.

  • DragonessHera
    March 1, 2016 at 5:54 am PST

    You add in useless things like “Friend Notification” and still won’t let use remove that pointless “Who to Follow” box, you won’t let us remove any person using their real name on a friend’s friendlist who is broadcasting themselves beyond blocking that person. The PS4 is a video game console, first and foremost. I don’t care about socializing with it, it’s bad enough you’re adding “Friend Notification” when all you had to do was push the Home button and look at your friend list.

    And this update better let us finally delete things we don’t want on the PS4 like the Playroom and PS Now.

    • ericwithcheese
      March 1, 2016 at 6:50 am PST

      The Friend Notification was one of the top eight most requested features. I’m happy its finally here, and glad there is an option to turn it off if people don’t want to be notified. When you are in the middle of a game to kill time waiting for a friend to come online, its easier to have a notification come up than constantly pushing the home button. It may be useless to you but very useful to others.

  • broodwars
    March 1, 2016 at 5:55 am PST

    Well, this firmware update looks spectacularly useless. While it’s nice to know when my friends come online, the PS4 has a much more significant problem with the complete inability to manage the application bar. It’s especially become a problem lately since Sony keeps forcing junk programs like Spotify/etc. into my application bar despite my never installing it. We need folders or some better way to manage what’s in our application bar. This update is just disappointing.

    • StuTX
      March 1, 2016 at 3:19 pm PST

      I agree, I don’t use any of those applications & they mysteriously get pushed to the front of my list…

  • GloriousOwnage
    March 1, 2016 at 5:57 am PST

    This is fantastic! This is what I’ve been asking for for two years. Thank you! Remote play on pc is awesome

  • BlackEcho64
    March 1, 2016 at 6:03 am PST

    So did anyone actually get invited to the beta? I don’t understand why this is an invite only thing, if people want to install the beta update then just let them.

    • Avatar photo
      Andrew Kelly
      March 1, 2016 at 10:41 am PST

      Beta invites will be sent tomorrow. If you signed up and were selected, you’ll get an email with instructions on downloading.

  • likealostghost
    March 1, 2016 at 6:13 am PST

    Ooh Im excited for the remote play! Thanks Sony!!

  • iamcheap
    March 1, 2016 at 6:13 am PST

    Still waiting for folders systems I have many games and waiting for delete fiction in library. ie..games demo and old beta games not active

  • DX2800
    March 1, 2016 at 6:14 am PST

    PLEASE External HDD support
    To inslall games. Many people want this feature PLEASE add it.
    The new features your adding now are great but please add External HDD support

    • ValhallaOutcast
      March 1, 2016 at 6:21 am PST

      go to the share idea blog, that’s where 2 of these features in this firmware where heavily voted for

  • JLisinski96
    March 1, 2016 at 6:21 am PST

    BRING BACK THE USB MUSIC PLAYER. ITS NOT THAT HARD!!

    • AizawaYuuichi
      March 2, 2016 at 12:20 am PST

      I second this. The USB Music Player could be launched without it suspending a game that was already running. I was able to go in and switch between podcast folders and music folders without getting disconnected from online games. This new “Media Player” app that replaced it is such a downgrade, it’s not even funny. It just makes me sad.

  • mikesg1
    March 1, 2016 at 6:22 am PST

    Still no news about the Twitch app for PS4 in the UK. I’m beginning to think this is never gonna happen. Guess the UK audience isn’t as important as the US. At the very least an update about this would be appreciated, even if it’s to say it’s never gonna happen. Some sort of update, the American PS4’s have had it for months now. Takes the piss that we’re still waiting.

  • ZoSam32
    March 1, 2016 at 6:24 am PST

    Exciting to see you all expand support for Remote Play!

  • mariobros27772
    March 1, 2016 at 6:24 am PST

    Not too shabby. Really want Bluetooth Headset connectivity in the vain of PS3. Connecting my own headset would be awesome.

  • JLisinski96
    March 1, 2016 at 6:25 am PST

    And PLEASE fix the glitch (I think its caused by sharefactory) where the ps4 messes up your usb stick and when you go to use it on your computer even tho you did nothing to it, you have to reformat it, losing everything you have on it.

  • pasha4hur
    March 1, 2016 at 6:27 am PST

    as always there is nothing useful :(

    PS4 OS is so unfinished, outdated and unusable

  • Daverost
    March 1, 2016 at 6:29 am PST

    Will western regions ever get Nico Nico Douga streaming? I’ve had my PSN account tied to it since the Vita app came out and I’d love to stream some things over there.

  • xDC23x
    March 1, 2016 at 6:35 am PST

    it would be good if we could have custom themes like ps3 and folders, also it would be good if we could change color of the notifications (red, blue, green , grey etc.) I don’t know who’s bright idea at PlayStation was it to have them black because I don’t notice most of the time I’m getting invites and messages until I go on the dashboard.

  • lexxel_01
    March 1, 2016 at 6:35 am PST

    WOW

    Really wtf – Sony we WANT USB external HDD so we can attach a HDD and install games on, We want the option to turn off the light on the controller

    We want the games we paid for on the PS3/2 to be free on the PS4 and have the ability to play them and its about time SONY you listened to your customers and make also the games free of needing a PS+ account so we can play online games for free as the amount of network time you go down on and the so called free games per month is a joke

  • Snowplow2514
    March 1, 2016 at 6:39 am PST

    We need to be able to change our names!

  • Tactical_Snuke
    March 1, 2016 at 6:39 am PST

    All this moaning of certain features not being included in the update needs to stop, Its physically impossible to get every requested feature of every single person in one update, these features take time to build. Sony have said on several occasions they have a list of things from the community they want to put on the PS4 and they will, have some patience for god sake… + it even said at the bottom they have more details of other features yet to announce

    • MisterAxle
      March 1, 2016 at 6:55 am PST

      The ability to change your PSN ID has been in the top three highest voted change ideas for a very, very long time.

      https://share.blog.us.playstation.com/ideas/2014/05/20/ability-to-change-gamer-id-update/

      It’s not surprising that folks continue to feel slighted when there’s been zero attempt to make it happen and only weak cop-out excuses from the likes of Shuhei Yoshida.

    • AizawaYuuichi
      March 2, 2016 at 12:30 am PST

      Still, MisterAxle, something like that wouldn’t really be in an OS firmware update.
      If the “weak cop-out excuses from the likes of Shuhei Yoshida” have any truth to them, it’s a network issue.
      As someone else mentioned, systems which allow for name-changing are setup so that when you create an account, you become “User #15793642, and the name you selected is simply the viewable name for online interactions.
      It seems that when Sony setup PSN, the name you choose is what is saved in the system. All of your save files on the online storage, all your trophies, all your friends and game purchases, everything… is saved to your name. If you could change that right now, you’d lose everything. I’m sure they’re trying to figure out how to allow changing your ID without losing everything attached to it. I’m sure they can figure it out, but I’m inclined to believe him when he says it’s not an easy fix.

    • Welmosca
      March 3, 2016 at 11:14 am PST

      @ MisterAxle – The ability to change the ID must never happen.And Sony will probably never make that happen….and I hope they don’t let it happen.

  • GuessedAccount
    March 1, 2016 at 6:40 am PST

    Also waiting for the ability to update our PSN ID (or display name).
    See also: Steam accounts.

  • Sub-Zero
    March 1, 2016 at 6:47 am PST

    OMG! Appear offline is finally here? I could kiss your digital asses right now!

  • SIGMATIC_
    March 1, 2016 at 6:47 am PST

    We appreciate the new features coming, I’m sure they were not easy to implement into the system……With that said, the community have been asking for simple features for the longest time and it feels like with every passing update we are ignored. Where is the ability to customize the game xmb? Where is the ability to create folders? Where is the ability to manage the Library? or probably the most mind blowing….Where is the ability to add a custom wallpaper to the background of the PS4??? This feature was on the PS3 and its crazy that its not on the ps4??? I get that changing our PSN maybe a hassle due to information being tied to the PSN and may require information to be changed on services but these other requests are software upgrades. Come on Sony…a wallpaper…..why is that so hard??

    • AizawaYuuichi
      March 2, 2016 at 12:35 am PST

      “Where is the ability to add a custom wallpaper to the background of the PS4??? This feature was on the PS3…”

      And it got hacked to heck and back. Granted the PS3 was hacked due to the original inclusion of OtherOS and the back door into the processor that gave to hackers, but thanks to them, Sony has locked outside access to a lot of basic things on the PS4. We won’t be getting custom backgrounds on PS4, as that would mean opening up the system to having files ADDED to it from an outside source. Currently, only game saves can be moved back and forth from a USB to the PS4, and I don’t see that changing. Sony is keeping this sucker on lockdown.

  • saiyanknight87
    March 1, 2016 at 6:50 am PST

    i want more updates too but overall damn they’re trying some people get things they want and still complain gawwwd dayum. Relax people i get it though but man..

  • Xhinde6
    March 1, 2016 at 6:50 am PST

    No PSN name changes? No folders? Disappointing….

    I like the remote play at least, so thanks for that I guess.

  • ericwithcheese
    March 1, 2016 at 6:56 am PST

    Glad to the Friend notifications and ability to appear offline. Still surprised these weren’t available earlier, but its good to see them coming.

  • Jan__Bo2
    March 1, 2016 at 6:56 am PST

    Wie kann man die Beta benutzen bzw. Wo muss man sich da anmelden

  • Tinye310
    March 1, 2016 at 6:57 am PST

    PC remote play was something I was not expecting but I am definitely excited about it! woot!

  • Brittney-San
    March 1, 2016 at 7:01 am PST

    Okay, I must be the only who still doesn’t give a flying flute about folders. *Shrugs* But yaaaaah new features! ^.^ I’m looking forward to them.

  • taker52
    March 1, 2016 at 7:03 am PST

    still waiting for backwards compatibility…

  • taker52
    March 1, 2016 at 7:04 am PST

    I am still waiting for backwards compatibility…

  • ThechemistNL
    March 1, 2016 at 7:05 am PST

    Honestly, I personally don’t feel the need for ID change, as mine’s one I have been using for many years now.
    But I do get that not everyone is happy sticking with a username (such as l0lhax0rz0123456789) they thought was cool when they were 11, but make them facepalm now.
    Xbox allows it and makes big money off of it by doing so.
    Personally, the features I would like to see are:

    -region change (even if it requires verification)
    -the use of a non-local region paypal account (my US account can’t be linked to my (native) dutch PayPal account, requiring me to ebay wallet cards)
    -bigger parties (it’s probably limited because vita users can also join ps4 parties, but honestly who uses that feature on a vita?)
    -ability to remove expired betas from the library
    -library catagories (video, music, games. Maybe even game genres)

    • AizawaYuuichi
      March 2, 2016 at 12:40 am PST

      Just here to comment on one point you made. About a week ago, I actually had a friend join my party from his Vita. I was on PS4 with 5 of my other friends playing Destiny, and this guy joined from his Vita while playing KZ:Mercenary. It was kind of hilarious.

      However, I agree they should increase the party size on PS4, and just add an option during the party creation to block Vita users so they can’t join and bring down the user count. That would all be on the network/connection side of things though (hiding parties from a Vita user if that option is enabled), so I don’t know how difficult it would be to make it work as I’m suggesting. But it would be interesting if they could do something similar.

  • KingSephir
    March 1, 2016 at 7:08 am PST

    Instead of being a jerk who’s never happy, like most comments here, I wish to let you know that I’m quite happy with these features and can’t wait to see how it unfolds :D Keep up the good work guys!!

  • soldiercell
    March 1, 2016 at 7:10 am PST

    This is a solid update. Thanks!

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