It would seem that the next major software updates for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR are landing tomorrow, after Redditor Finch-Tech was told as much when they reached out to Sony’s customer support team to ask about a problem with PSVR.
Always taking things on the internet with a pinch of salt – I mean, fake news, right? – the alleged reply to Finch’s query read:
With the release of System Software 4.50 tomorrow, there will be a patch to version 2.40 of the PS VR firmware. I do not have specifics on what the patch contains, outside of support for 3D Blu-rays.
System Software 4.50 for PlayStation 4 is a pretty damn good one, adding several major features to improve your gaming life. Among other things, external HDD support for game installs and a “Boost” mode on PlayStation 4 Pro that lets you unleash a little bit more of the Pro’s power to help stabilise and improve any shaky performance of games that haven’t been optimised for the system.
The system software also bundles in a firmware update for the PlayStation VR that will add support for 3D Blu-ray playback with the headset on your noggin.
Source: Finch-Tech Reddit
Phizzy
Hopefully that should make playing GTA Vice City a bit more bearable. They should make a Pro profile for the PS2 emulator. Would be very helpful.
drd7of14
Why not just try Beast mode?
Tony Cawley
That would be nice, feels like ages since we’ve had a decent firmware update.
I’d honestly rather they did more frequent but smaller updates. Add one or two little things at a time rather than waiting months and having loads of things bundled in together.
MrYd
There are probably very good reasons why they to bigger updates and leave the smaller updates for important fixes and not new features.
Most probably cost reasons. Someone’s got to run the beta and deal with all the bug reports. And there’s going to be a slim chance that an update goes wrong and bricks the console. It’s very unlikely, but with 50+ million PS4s about, there are going to be a not insignificant number, some still under warranty.
Obviously that needs to be balanced against the whole “adding new features and keeping customers happy” thing.
I think they’ve got it about right.
TrumpyMx
Updates don’t brick consoles, That is myth spread by fanboys with a mix of a small number of consoles that would have failed anyway without the update (“i updated the firmware and a week later it bricked my console and stopped reading disks”).
The reality PlayStation consoles always have a bootloader ROM that can always boot either the OS or recovery.
MrYd
Hopefully they’ll have fixed the various issues with the 4.50 beta version. It suffers from random crashes (whatever error number it is that just generally means “that wasn’t supposed to happen”), and long wait while it works out which other icons it feels necessary to display next to Netflix and iPlayer.
That’s what the beta is for, obviously. So with any luck it’ll all be fixed. Although I’m giving it a fortnight before 4.51 appears adding “vague stability stuff because we won’t admit what we fucked up the first time”.
TSBonyman
I’m not in the beta but for the past few weeks i’ve been finding the Video folder frequently very slow to display it’s contents too. And i’ve only got one video app actually installed. Could be that is a seperate issue not related to the beta.
MrYd
You think it’s slow now? The beta made it worse. A lot worse.
And the media player. That can take a while to start up now. Possibly in an attempt to persuade me to maybe wait for something to be on TV here rather than downloading it from less reputable sources.
Not that I would do that sort of thing, honest.
It’s not dubious TV downloads. It’s, erm, porn.
Yes, that sounds better.
Clown porn.
Crap. I don’t think I’m helping my case here.
camdaz
I haven’t suffered any crashes with the beta but I’ve had the picture disappearing for a second or two and the same with the sound, especially on the PSVR with Dirt Rally. It’s a big pain when you’re racing down a rally stage and the screen goes blank, if your not fast enough pressing the pause button it usually ends in a crash!
Pixel_nme
I’ve basically had no issues with the beta I had one crash on Final Fantasy and I’ve had boost mode on since day one also,can’t think of any other things off top of my head.
DividSmythe
I hope Sony has fixed the issues with Horizon Zero Dawn and Not a Hero running badly of a unpowered external HDD beforehand.
Pixel_nme
What is the external hdd issue,I’ve been running Horizon from a external hdd (powered by the console) on the Pro and don’t believe I’ve had any issues,just the fan occasionally ramps up a fair bit.
DividSmythe
I was having issues where cuteness weren’t running correctly. I could where there was supposed to be music in some passed it just cut after 2 seconds. Also voices weren’t matching lip sync. I only have it a hour and switched back to the internal HDD.
Pixel_nme
Ah right,I did watch a review where he mentioned the odd bit of lip sync issues in cut scenes and that it appeared to happen with lowly npc’s where main characters where mainly fine,there was no mention of if he was running it from an external hdd I believe it was in the game regardless I have had one case where there was no voice at all but don’t think it was the hdd,I’ve been playing a lot of games from the external hdd over the weeks don’t really think I’ve had any issues if any though I’m sure it happens.
DividSmythe
I haven’t had a issue since moving it back onto the internal. I’ve played a fair few on my external and not had a problem. NOT A HERO gets constant lagging somehow. I’ve also note had a problem with that since moving it back onto internal HDD. In all honesty it doesn’t take too long to move things back and forth on the HDDs. It took less than 10 mins to move HZD.
TSBonyman
Nope .. it’s not out today after all …
https://twitter.com/AskPS_UK/status/839066432877039618
IyonUK
It’s tomorrow:
https://blog.eu.playstation.com/2017/03/08/ps4-system-software-update-4-50-is-out-tomorrow-heres-everything-you-need-to-know/