Sony announced the latest update for their PlayStation 4 console yesterday. The company plans to release the update worldwide later this week. According to Sony, the update includes updated functionality for the Party and Remote Play features.
Touted earlier in a reveal this past summer, the Party feature includes several improvements in functionality. The maximum Party size has increased from 8 to 16. Other quality-of-life improvements include better network connectivity and audio quality. In addition, US-based users can look forward to more accessibility with the Chat Transcription feature. Using the PS4 Second Screen App, the Chat Transcription feature allows users to convert speech to text and vice-versa. When using a mobile device to connect to a PlayStation 4 during a party, a new tab will activate the feature.
Remote Play also gets an update in this upgrade. Players can stream select Remote Play is now available on Android smartphones and tablets running version 5.0 and higher. The PS4 Remote Play App is available in the Google Play Store. Apple devices have been updated to display the controller at all times and lock screen orientation. DualShock 4 controllers can also be connected via Bluetooth for most devices. Update the device to Android 10, iOS 13, iPadOS 13, or the upcoming macOS Catalina to use it. As always, Sony recommends using a lined connection with a LAN cable when utilizing online features of the PlayStation 4.
So far, Sony has not clarified an exact date for the update.
Quick Take
The Chat Transcription feature seems like a great idea. People tend to speak over each other in conversations, though. As someone with experience in transcription, multiple speakers make comprehension difficult for any speech recognition software or relay person when it all goes through one channel. I'd like to know more about how it works to filter out background noise and indicate different speakers.
Are there any other features you wish Sony would consider implementing? Let us know in the comments below.
