Sony has posted a lengthy blog on the official PlayStation blog detailing the new features coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro units soon. The 4.50 firmware update, codenamed Sasuke, is already in the hands of some players who signed up for Sony's beta program. This new update is supposed to add in a little more customizability to the popular games console.
First up is external HDD support. It was already possible to use an external drive to back up the console's internal memory in case you need to back your system up if you want to replace the internal memory with a larger hard drive. However, in this new update, you'll be able to expand your console's memory further by using an external hard drive to store and run games off of. In order to make use of this new feature, all you'll have to do is hook up a USB 3.0 hard drive to the console.
Coming in this update is a feature a lot of players have been asking for since the console's release: custom wallpapers. You'll be able to upload your own pictures to the console for you to use as a wallpaper and you'll be able to customize a few other things (like letter shadows and dimming the Function Area) on your home screen. You can also edit and use screenshots you've taken as your background.
The system's Quick Menu, which got a facelift in the previous firmware update will also get a bit of a facelift in this update. In this update, pulling up the Quick Menu by holding the PlayStation button on your DS4 will no longer cover half of the screen, instead only blocking about 5% less than it did before. The improved Quick Menu will make some features, like online friends and party management, available right from the Quick Menu, removing the need to switch from a game to a different app.
The notifications menu is also getting tweaked a bit. In the past, the Notifications area was divided up in several tabs that each bundle up a specific kind of information. In the 4.50 update, however, those tabs have been removed in favor of one simplified list that shows you all you need to know on one screen. You can also customize which notifications get a pop-up and which don't.
Some smaller additions to the console's OS are the ability to post updates directly to the Activity Feed, give users you follow priority so you'll get notified when they post something and share screenshots on PSN publicly. This update also patches in support for 3D Blu-Ray films which you can play in stereoscopic 3D on your PSVR headset.
Lastly, there's this upcoming feature that's not mentioned in the blog. This new feature is a "Boost" mode for the PlayStation 4 Pro and allegedly helps to improve the performance of games that haven't received a PlayStation 4 Pro patch. Precisely how this feature works is anyone's guess at this point.
There are more features in the works for the 4.50 firmware update. We will let you know when we know!
