PS4 system update 3.5 is scheduled to arrive tomorrow as a free update and when it lands, it’s bound to have some big impacts on your gaming habits. Most interestingly is that with the latest update, Sony isn’t focusing on bringing new ‘features’ in the way we had with PS3 where media playback and other related options were always being expanded. Instead, PS4 system update 3.5 is mostly designed to bring additional social features to PS4 which gives you an indication of how Sony views the console.
Where previously with PS3, Sony wanted to be at the center of every home theater, Sony now sees being more social as the key to driving further PlayStation growth and they’re likely not wrong. I’ve already talked about Remote Play which is coming to Mac and PC with the update tomorrow but there is a lot more with the new update, previously codenamed Musashi.
Appear Offline
On your Profile tab, we’ve added a new option called ‘Online Status.’ From here, you can choose to ‘Appear Offline.’ This could be useful if you want to play games or watch movies without your friends knowing you’re online. You can designate if you would like to appear offline when you log-in or at any time from your Profile, or by holding down the PS Button on DualShock 4 to bring up the Quick Menu.
While appearing as a simple change, this functionality is a big deal. Sometimes you just want to be a hermit and play without others but, due to social stigma, it might be hard to turn down a game request. Now you can simply binge on by yourself without anybody noticing. A lot of you know that I put my PSN out there freely to game with you as much as I can but come Uncharted 4 time, I might be putting this feature to use.
Friend Online Notification
Now you can choose to get notified when your friends come online. To receive notifications, select a player on your friends list, press Options, and select ‘Notify When Online.’
This is again one of those neat features where if you and a group like to run Destiny raids together for instance, you can now know when they’re online. Almost the exact opposite of the above feature but just as helpful for those who game often.
More PS4 system update 3.5 details after the jump.
User Scheduled Event
On the Events tab, we’re adding the ability to schedule gameplay sessions with your friends. Just select ‘Create Event,’ and you’ll be able to make an invitation for an upcoming gameplay session. Choose the day, time, game, and send it off to your friends. When your event starts, users who registered will automatically be added to a party so you can start playing right away.
You can also share an event to a group, or a community that you’re a member of. Once shared, the event will be sent as a message, or posted to a community wall, and members can register from there
Here Sony is clearly targeting hardcore gamers with this who like to set up raids and clan missions. Now you can far more easily put something together and do it in advance. During the PS3 era, Sony was severely left out of the pro-gamer groups and tournaments but things have almost done a 180 with PS4 as it leads the charge in terms of user base when compared to Xbox One and how many more pro-gamers are gravitating towards it.
Play Together
This feature allows all members of a Party to see what each person is playing so that you can easily join a friend’s game, or start a new game together.
The user based experience is a bit more muddy here for me. You always had the feature to see what your friends were playing but now you see it in group chat as well. I’m sure Sony has data that shows that people create groups while playing completely different games. For me, I tend to create groups because audio through PS4 is often far better than the audio options offered in game.
Discuss:
Which of the above features are you most excited by?
[Via PlayStation Blog]