New PlayStation 4 Update Releases Tomorrow, Adds Remote Desktop Play

Published: April 5, 2016 9:20 AM /

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PlayStation 4 Logo

After a relatively short beta period Sony is now preparing to release the 3.50 system update to the PlayStation 4, adding a few new features to the console's operating system. Check the full blog post on Sony's official blog right here.

Set offline PlayStation 4

First off are new social features that make it easier to play with (or avoid playing with) your friends. Come tomorrow, it's possible to set yourself as offline so no one on your friendslist will be able to see if you're playing a game or watching a movie. You'll be able to set yourself to offline when you go to your profile and change your online status. This feature is also available via the console's quick menu by holding down the PlayStation button on your controller.

In addition to this, you can now be notified when a specific friend comes online by going to their profile, pressing options and setting the 'notify when online' feature. You will also be able to see what your party members are playing, allowing you to join their game easily. 

Sony is also adding more functionality to the Events tab. You will be able to set custom events for you and your friends and create invitations to send out to people for your created events. If they accept the invite they will automatically be added to your party once the event starts. Your custom events can also be shared to groups or communities you're a part of. 

PlayStation 4 Remote Play

The big one - which was conspicuously absent during the beta - is Remote Play. Previously this was only a feature for Vita and Sony Xperia phone users, but now players who own a Microsoft Windows (8.1 or 10) or a Mac (OS X 10.10 and 10.11) will be able to stream their games from their PlayStation 4 to their desktop. You'll be able to set a streaming resolution (360, 540p or 720p) and custom frame rate (30 or 60 frames per second) depending on the available bandwidth. Once the update has been deployed to the system you'll be able to grab the Remote Play app here (it's not online yet). You will only be able to use one controller for Remote Play, which needs to be connected to your desktop. 

Some of these features are also making their way to the mobile app for Android and iOS, like scheduling user events and watching streams on DailyMotion. 

What feature are you looking forward to the most? Are you happy with Remote Play coming to desktop PC's? Let us know in the comments!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


Chris Anderson
| Staff Writer

I've been playing games since I was just barely able to walk so I might as well write about them.