The release for system software update 4.50 on PS4 is known. It is now available for download. Furthermore, we have an overview of all the new features here.
Update: 9.3.: The system update 4.50 is now live.
The next system software update for PlayStation 4 is coming. The new features could already be tested in a beta version beforehand. Sony thanks all participants.
Now nothing stands in the way of the official release:
- The update will be released on March 9, 2017. It will be available for download and installation throughout the day.
Key New Features of 4.50 – PS4 System Software Update
This video explains the key new features, including support for external hard drives and personalized backgrounds:
Support for External Hard Drives
The most important new feature is that with 4.50, you can download and store PS4 games and apps on an external hard drive. To do this, connect the HDD (with USB 3.0) to your console, select “USB Storage Devices” under Settings in “Devices,” and format the hard drive. It is now ready to use. However, all previously stored data on the hard drive will be erased.
This way, you can move downloads directly to the hard drive or transfer data back and forth between the internal storage.
Note on Compatibility of External Hard Drives: USB 3.0 or higher, between 250 GB (minimum) and 8 TB (maximum).
Related: The Best External Hard Drives for Your PS4 After Update 4.5
Improvements for PSVR
If you have a PlayStation VR at home, this device also benefits from the update. On the one hand, the resolution on the TV will be better when you return to the home screen while playing VR. There was previously a problem that led to a low resolution. On the other hand, image quality in cinematic mode of PSVR is optimized: at “Medium” and “Small,” the frame rate increases from 90 Hz to 120 Hz.
Furthermore, PSVR now also supports Blu-ray 3D discs. You can now watch these in stereoscopic 3D through your headset.
Other New Features:
- Personalized Backgrounds (Wallpapers) and Profile Colors: Choose any screenshots as a new background for your PS4 home screen
- Voice chat for Remote Play
- Console-independent Availability: If you are online with the PlayStation app (and not on the console), this will now be indicated with a separate icon (looks like a smartphone):
- In “News,” you can now share your activities – texts, screenshots, tags. In the activity feed, you also have privacy settings for individual posts.
- Shortcut for data saving
- You can now go directly from the capture gallery to Sharefactory
- GIF support
- Boost Mode for PS4 Pro: When you activate this mode, the performance for older titles that have not yet been patched will be increased. The games benefit from the faster CPU and the faster and twice as large GPU of the PS4 Pro. The frame rate is expected to be more stable. In some cases, this boost can also lead to shorter load times. However, there is no guarantee that this boost mode works with all games.
With the update 4.50, the PS Messages and Communities apps are also improved. You can find out more in the PlayStation Blog.
The Free PS Plus Games for March 2017 can be found here. Here we present the best external hard drives for the PS4.
