PS4 to Get 'Major' System Software Update Soon
By Kyle Sledge 13 January 2017
Sony Interactive Entertainment officially announces that its PlayStation 4 console will soon receive a “major” update for its system software sometime soon.
As many PS4 fans ought to recall, one of the last significant overhauls of the console’s firmware was with Update 4.0 back in September 2016, which brought about the ability to transfer data from one system to another in anticipation of the release of the PlayStation 4 Pro, installed an expanded Quick Menu, introduced HDR support for every current model of the hardware, and much more. Now, Sony is keen to give PS4 fans yet another set of tweaks and refinements with another “major” update that’s set to hit the console sometime soon.
Sony officially confirmed this specific PS4 update today in a PlayStation Blog post, calling it Update 4.5 and stating that it will include some “improvements and new features.” However, the company failed to provide specifics as to what those changes and attributes will be, leaving many to speculate what kind of enhancements could be included in the software.
Similar to previous PS4 updates, Sony is asking fans to beta test the forthcoming Update 4.5 before it goes live for all users. As it happens, Sony has already opened registration and sign-ups in order for players to access the beta. Fans can do so by submitting their PSN ID, but it’s important to note that they will need to be at least 18 years of age or older, and should also bear in mind that there are no guarantees that they will be picked to take part in the test.
Should one be interested in registering for the upcoming Update 4.5 beta test, they can do so right here, but fans ought to make sure that they have a working email address attached to their PSN IDs, as that will be the method by which Sony contacts users who have been chosen. Sony has declared that the beta will begin in early February, and once it starts, new registrations will be cut off by the company.
Of course, since Sony didn’t provide a precise date and time as to when the PS4’s Update 4.5 beta will begin, there’s no telling exactly when the software improvements will then be made available to all users. Although the wait period between Update 4.0’s beta in August 2016 and its full roll-out in September of that year was about two months, there’s no telling if Update 4.5 will be shorter or longer since there are no specifics to go on as far as what’s being worked on and included.
Nevertheless, whenever Sony manages to provide all of its PlayStation 4 consoles with Update 4.5 after the beta, the company will definitely be installing the software on a lot more consoles than before, with there having been roughly 6.2 million consoles sold during the holidays in 2016. Plus, with Sony having recently hit the benchmark of selling 53.4 million PS4 consoles worldwide, it makes sense for the company to be optimistically eyeing the future with the prediction that the total number of the system’s sales will reach 60 million in 2017.
The PS4‘s Update 4.5 beta is set to begin sometime in early February 2017.
