The System Software Beta 5.50 (codenamed Keiji) for the PS4 is now live. Those accepted in to the beta can download the beta client by accepting the notification from PlayStation on your PS4. PlayStation Blog has revealed what to expect and what features are included with the new update. Let’s dive in to those below.
Play Time Management
Originally in System Update 5.00, a range of parental control enhancements were added. These allowed Family Managers to control what a child plays, watches, and views online.
With 5.50 this is built upon with Play Time Management (and adult family members who are set as guardian). This will allow the ability to set limits on when and more importantly, how long each child in the family can play for. To manage playtime, you’ll need to go to Settings > Parental Controls/Family Management on your PS4, or you can sign in to your PlayStation account as a family manager on the web or on your smart phone to check and manage your child’s playtime each day.
When your child’s set play time is about to end they will receive a notification during gameplay to allow them a chance to save and quit their game. The Family Manager/Guardians can also set the PS4 to automatically log out once the play time session is over. They can also increase/decrease the amount of play time on the go via the web portal.
Import Custom Wallpapers via USB
Finally, a long-awaited and highly requested item will now become a reality. You will be able to import your own images via USB stick to use as custom wallpapers on your PS4. Once you import the image, you will be able to zoom, crop and preview them in-situ to help you get the perfect look. You will however need to create a folder on the USB stick named “IMAGES” for the PS4 to recognize them. To start importing you will go to Settings > Themes > Select Theme > Custom > Select Image > USB Storage Device.
You will also be able to customize your Tournaments team page with your own logo or background that you’ve imported following the 5.50 beta. To set your logo and background go to Events > Teams > select your team > Edit Team Profile.
Library UI Improvements
This by far is the most requested update to the system for me personally. This comes with several enhancements to the Library section on your PS4.
- ‘This PS4 and Name/Avatar Tab
Two new tabs are being added to the Library section to make it easier for you to be able to see which apps you’ve installed and purchased. The ‘This PS4″ tab lists all the applications that are installed on the PS4 system. The ‘Name/Avatar’ tab lists all the apps you’ve purchased with your PSN ID. This feature will also make it easier to search and find games you’ve already purchased but have not installed yet.
- PS Plus Tab
The 5.50 update will also add a PlayStation Plus tab which will clarify which games in your library are a result of the PlayStation Plus membership. If you have purchased the game prior to it becoming free with PlayStation Plus, that game will not show up here but instead in your Purchased Tab. This tab is only for those PlayStation Plus games that you do not own outright to make it easier for you to determine which games you would lose access to if your Plus membership expired. If you do allow your Plus membership to expire, the games in this section will still appear but have a PS Plus Icon with a lock appearing next to the game. This will make it very easy for you to know which games you will need to re-subscribe to play.
- ‘Hide Apps’
This is the part of the Library UI enhancements I’ve been looking forward to since the first day I purchased my PS4. This will allow you to hide certain applications under the ‘Purchased’ tab in the Library. Simply find the game, beta, demo or trial that you no longer wish to see or plan to go back to anytime soon and press the options key on your DS4. From there select ‘Do Not Show Content Item in [Purchased]’. Now for some reason you accidentally hide a game you wasn’t wanting to, simply press the options key again and this time select ‘Check Hidden Content Items’ and you will be taken to all the times you’ve previously hidden in order to reverse the error that you made.
Quick Menu Enhancements
When update 5.50 launches, you will be able to access custom friends’ list directly from the Quick Menu. This will make it easier to easily see the people you want to know are online or not. It will also make sending the selected friends messages or invitations to games a lot easier as well. Especially if you are in the middle of a game.
You will also be able to access certain shortcuts if you are listening to music while you play on your PS4. If you are using Spotify on PlayStation Music, the ‘Square’ button will serve as the shortcut for the volume control. When you are on the Media Player or the USB Music Player, ‘Triangle’ will be what you use to play/pause and the ‘Square’ button for the volume control.
Notification Update
This is another highly requested feature I’ve been asking for. This will finally allow you to permanently remove old notifications from your PS4 allowing for better organization and management. You’ll simply go to Notifications and press ‘Triangle’ or the “OPTIONS” button to open up the menu. From there you will be able to select a single or multiple notifications you’d like to delete.
Background Music on PS Now
You will now be able to listen to your favorite tracks while streaming a game with PS Now. Just be aware, the same when you are playing a game via a disc or digital download on PS4, background music may not always be available.
Supersampling Mode on PS4 Pro
Supersampling has always been a part of the PS4 Pro but only for select titles such as Horizon Zero Dawn and The Last of Us: Remastered. However, with update 5.50, Pro users with TVs or Monitors with lower resolution than 4K will now be able to select this option to have their games supersampled down to their HDTVs resolution of 1080p or less. To take advantage of this mode, users will need to go to Settings > Sound and Screen > Video Output Settings > Supersampling Mode. This will allow those users to enjoy enhanced visual experiences when playing PS4 games.
With Supersampling Mode, some games will render at a higher resolution and then be downscaled to match the HDTV – allowing PS4 Pro owners to leverage the benefits of an image clarity boost even if the PS4 Pro is not connected to a 4K TV. Please note that performance will vary, as games are optimized differently to take advantage of the power of the PS4 Pro.
There you have it ladies and gentlemen. A list of the all the new features going to be included in the 5.50 update. Let us know in the comments section below which features you are most excited for or if every one of them is your cup of tea.
There is still time for those interested in participating in the beta to join. Simply click the link here and follow the instructions. I look forward to reading your comments down below.
