Since last month, we’ve been spending a lot of time testing the latest major firmware update, Firmware 5.50, which comes with quite a few welcomed changes including system-wide supersampling, better parental controls and plenty more. Starting today, this mandatory update is now available for all PlayStation 4 owners and will be required in order to access your systems online features.
As a part of the update, we do get to see some much-welcomed features finally arrive. The headliner of the update itself would be the system-wide supersampling. This feature means all PlayStation 4 Pro-enhanced games will look even better on 1080p televisions. This feature includes better clarity and sharper images for those wanting a bit more eye candy to stare upon.
Along with supersampling comes newly added parental control features, which are giving parents more wiggle room to adjust the amount of time their children spend playing games. This newest iteration allows you to choose what length of time your kids can play, what hours they can play to and from, and plenty more.
Additionally, this latest firmware includes the ability for PlayStation 4 owners to change their PS4’s background with an image from a USB drive, if you so desire. Along with this minor change comes a newly added PlayStation Plus section, which will serve as a home for all your monthly goodies 24/7.
For those of you that are tired of having games you don’t want in the Purchased section of your library, Sony has added the ability for you to hide those no-longer available titles you wish to never see again such as betas, demos, and no-longer available titles. But what about those pesky notifications that are filling up your “Notifications” page? Those can be deleted now too, which will help you keep your PlayStation 4 a bit more organized if you choose to do so.
Lastly, Sony has also released a new feature called “Teams” in the Events portion of the PlayStation 4’s social events page. With this new social aspect, players will be able to sign up with their group of friends as they prepare to take on Events and Tournaments through PlayStation Network. All you have to do is head over to the game of your choice, register for an official tournament that’s been posted, and enter your team into the event, which will send all members of that team a notification when the event is about to start.
Even after playing around in the beta tests for firmware 5.50, we haven’t had any luck finding any new little bells and whistles that may be lurking about in the shadows, but if we do, we’ll keep you posted by updating this article in order to keep you informed. If you’ve had a chance to mess with firmware 5.50
In case you miss it, you can check out the full PlayStation Blog post about this update to see what all it brings with it.
About the Writer:
Dustin is our native console game reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the borders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPGs, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook.