The much anticipated PlayStation 4 Firmware 4.0 update has finally arrived with the ability to activate HDR, create folders, and more.
High Dynamic Range
As announced at the PlayStation Meeting last week, all PS4 hardware will be able to make use of HDR functionality as part of a firmware update. That has already come to fruition and can be activated under “Sound and Screen” in your settings menu. This will provide greater color depth for owners of certain models of TVs.
New UI
The systems UI has received a number of new updates. Notifications have become much brighter with dark text and no transparency. The What’s New tab has been split into two columns that adjust in size to make it easier to see anything that you highlight. When checking out a game’s information from your bar, vital game information has been enlarged on the left so that things can be seen at a glance, while other information such as new content and player activity
has been further separated to make it easier to see.
Organization/Folders
Folders can now be created on your launch bar to help you sort through all of your apps and games, although it should be noted that nested apps, such as how Netflix, Hulu, and Youtube are nested under TV & Video, can not be put into new folders. In addition, the library has been cleaned up. The All category only includes content on this PS4, while a Purchased tab houses all of your content so that it can be redownloaded, including demos and betas. A search bar has been included so that your library can be searched easily to find your target title.
Quick Menu
The quick menu, which was brought up when the PS jewel is held on the controller, has been revamped. It now only covers a portion of the screen, with that portion changing in size depending on the information that is being displayed. The left most bar can be customized so that players can make use of certain features more easily, such as party chat, power options, community functions, and more. PlayStation and Spotify are working together to create playlists that are suited to gameplay experiences, which can be accessed through this menu’s music
option.
Trophy Display
Trophies can now be inspected in offline mode, so it’s not necessary to connect to the network to view trophies. Rarity has been simplified into a pyramid icon with four levels. The rarest of these will highlight only the topmost part of the pyramid while the most common will highlight the
bottom.
PlayStation 4 Data Transfer
For those who are upgrading their hardware soon, you’ll now be able to make use of a transfer function to move your content over to your newer PlayStation 4, be it Slim or Pro. While this was always possible in some fashion through the use of cloud saves, this new function allows the
data to be transferred across a LAN to another initialized PS4.
PlayStation Pro Functionality
This firmware also provides functionality for the yet to be released PlayStation 4 Pro. If you plan on getting a PlayStation 4 Pro in November, be sure to connect to download this firmware, which will activate:
- 1080p streaming for Remote Play on PC/Mac and compatible Xperia devices
- 1080p streaming for Share Play
- 1080p 30/60fps live broadcasting on YouTube
- 1080p 30fps live broadcasting on Twitch
With this firmware out in the wild, what are your thoughts? Do these features meet your expectations? How could they be improved, and which features were you hoping would make the cut?