PS4 System Software 4.00 Will Feature Folders, UI Refresh, More

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PS4 System Software 4.00 Will Feature Folders, UI Refresh, More

Our beta for PS4’s upcoming 4.00 update, codenamed Shingen, rolls out soon for everyone included in the public beta program. If you signed up and were selected, be on the lookout for an email with instructions on how to download.

Whether you’re in the beta or not, we wanted to give everyone a glimpse at some of the new aspects of this system software. We’re refreshing the system UI, adding tools for organization, updating the Quick Menu, and much more.

UI Refresh

We’ve made a lot of adjustments and improvements to PS4’s main user interface. That includes some changes you may notice right away, like new system backgrounds and a revised What’s New tab, to smaller changes like updated popup notifications and redesigned system icons. As a whole, it all adds up to a more refined and easy to use UI. The overall look and feel of the UI remains the same — it just has a fresh coat of paint.

4.00 beta Quick Menu

Quick Menu

As you know, pressing and holding the PS button on your DualShock 4 brings up the Quick Menu. We’ve overhauled this menu to make it faster and easier to use. One big change is that the menu now only covers a portion of the screen, meaning you don’t need to leave gameplay entirely.

We’ve added several new items to the Quick Menu, letting you quickly get info without having to back to the home screen. You can see the online status of your friends, and shortcuts to quickly access your Party, Favorite Groups, Communities, and more. You can also customize the Quick Menu, removing or adding items as you see fit.

4.00 beta SHARE menu

Share Menu

We’ve given a similar overhaul to the Share Menu, which appears once you press the Share button on your DualShock 4. Like the Quick Menu, it only covers a portion of the screen. It will save the last social network you shared video clips or screenshots to, making the process of sharing a screenshot or video a bit faster and more streamlined.

You can also upload longer video clips to Twitter (was 10 seconds, now up to 140 seconds).

4.00 beta Folders

Folders and Library Organization

One of the big requests we get is for more options to organize content on PS4. With this update, we’re adding functionality to create folders on PS4’s content launcher and Library. This will help collect your favorite games and select apps in one place for quick and easy access.

We’re also making some pretty big changes to the Library. We’ve added a new tab called Purchased, which will show all of the content you own — games, applications, demos, and betas you’ve participated in. As a result, the Games and Applications tabs focus on content currently installed on your system. This should help de-clutter your library, and make it faster to find the content you’re looking for.

There are some new sorting tools for your Library as well. You’ll be able to sort content by purchase date or install status, and search for specific games and apps via text input.

Trophy Improvements

This update brings the ability to view the Trophy offline. You’ll see a new “offline mode” option if your system is unable to connect to the network, letting you view your entire Trophy collection without an Internet connection.

We’ve also added a button that will let you view the content of a Hidden Trophy. The Trophy will still be hidden by default, but you can now choose to show the Trophy name and info.

Lastly, we’re changing the icons that show how rare a Trophy is. Instead of four boxes that fill, the icon looks like a pyramid with the ultra-rare Trophies at the top.

4.00 beta User Profile

User Profile

We’ve updated the look of the User Profile, making it easier to see relevant info for a player at-a-glance. For instance, you can now see your Trophy progress compared with another player right from their profile. You can also add a background image to your own profile — perhaps a screenshot you took in one of your favorite games.

The update has even more features that won’t be available in the beta, so stay tuned for additional info on what to expect. We’ll be back with more info on 4.00, including its launch date, in the coming weeks.

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731 Comments

  • The thing they really need to add is compatibility for external hard drives (Mac or PC formats), not just usb flash drives. I want to be able to plug in my drive so I can have access to all of my movies through my tv and not have to go through plugging my laptop in every time I want to watch something. Sure I could install a bigger hard drive into the ps4 but then I end up having to spend more money on a new drive and go through the tedious process of loading all the movie onto it before installing… plus I wouldn’t be able to add new movies very easily. Definitely the most disappointing thing about the media player app.

  • So much awesome stuff coming finally an offline mode for trophies thx sony cant wait

  • One thing I’d like to see for the Themes is a way to somehow “build” your own theme.

    For example, I’d like to take the BGM from one theme, a set of icons from another, and choose a picture that I’ve taken with the SHARE button. Taking all those elements and blending it into a custom theme.

  • Hope I get picked to be in the beta!

  • I like the UI improvements the most. But what I’m sure a lot of people (including me) have been asking for for awhile is being able to have a background on the ps4. Why can’t we have this? That’s what I loved most about the PS3 over the ps4 was that I was able to have a background.

  • Any chance you guys could update the trophy list to keep track of the number of times you have done something required for a trophy? An example being “kill 50 people with a shotgun” and right in the trophy list there is a counter or progress bar showing “27 of 50”. Some games are nice about keeping track of that stuff and showing players the stats, but not all. Im sure if you made that a system level thing its would help.

  • This is an immense!! Pleasant surprise. Very happy with what I’m seeing so far, UI refreshment is very welcome and the folders has been needed since day one, but better late than never.

  • Favorite groups needs a huge improvement. It’s supposed to be a group not a group message. Anytime I try to set up one so it’s easy to see my friends, they all end up leaving. There shouldn’t be any notification when you are put in a group.

  • Not bad can’t wait for it.

  • PS1 compatibility????

  • Would love to be able to have the stream output in 1080p.

  • like the new changes but you really should add an invite to game when looking at someone’s profile

  • One thing I would love to see is sharing your videos in the messaging, instead of just pictures. There had been plenty of times it’s been action I’ve talked with friends about in the chat room, but the only way to really share the video is thru other social media means, which is quite a big process considering it’s right in front of you on psn

  • When will i be able to play downloaded movies and music like i can on my ps3?

  • Custom background please and longer recording time and external HDD support

  • Amazing features above! Can you also add a notifications when friends goes offline, I love the friends online notification feature, I use it evertime but um I would like to know when my friends goes offline as well!

  • Let us delete Betas and Demos from the library. Let us have custom backgrounds. Let us kick the tool that creates all the crappy themes and let us build our own or be able to get them from the web.

  • What a fantastic update, as someone who owns over 300 PSN digital games, being able to put them in folders is a god send. The menu updates look nice too.

    There are still some things I would love to see in future updates, like trophy progress (I.e 5/100 headshots – what the XB1 has done with its achievements basically) and better twitch integration like comments overlaying rather than that nasty grey sidebar. (Though I imagine this is more twitches side that PlayStation, but if they could work it out….)

    For now though excited for the update, I did put my name in the hat for the BETA so fingers crossed!

  • glad you finally caught up with 2012 sony. now hopefully you can focus on getting some new features that we haven’t had before going forward

  • I am too happy about viewing trophies offline. I’ve wanted that featute since forever ago. And everything else is a big bonus,especially the folders and organization options.

  • Please please please let us set our own pictures to the regular background, not just our profile. I really hate that i can do this on my ps3 and not my ps4, i want the ability to set the background as my family, or screenshots from games im playing. Please bring this option back already. Thank you.

    • I agree. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted for the PS4 really. I won’t be mad if it never happens but it would be awesome.

  • What about trophy progress Plz add that in Sony plz

  • Will we be able to move things other than games into folder? I want to hide all the apps that I never use.

  • i believe that this will be a big improvement, especially to youtubers when they need to quick save a game clips.

  • Better update than the ones we have received in the past but CMON Sony, let us have our own custom backgrounds on the home screen like we could on PS3. So many FULL HD wallpapers will pop on that UI.

  • Any chance of you guys letting us take stuff OUT of the TV and Video folder? It would be awesome if we could have Youtube and Netlflix right in the menu, not inside the folder. It looks weird all the nice recent game thumbnails in the menu and the TV icon beside them. It would look better with the Netflix sign by them.
    Great changes though

  • Hope you guys didn’t get rid of the “About Me” section on our profile .. it looks completely gone

  • awesome :)

  • Im just waiting for custom backrgounds for my home screen. :/

  • Sounds awesome… But when can I change my PSN name? Seriously, are you guys taking a lesson from Nintendo here (their arcane system doesn’t let you do it either)?

  • Why can’t we have custom backgrounds?

  • Do something about wifi network option. i hate it that i had to re-enter wifi settings everytime I change wifi network. Why can’t you guys make it save every wifi network we entered just like pc an android?

    • The PS4 does save wifi passwords. You don’t have to re-enter a password everytime you change up networks

  • I honestly just want the ability to change my name at least once for free. It’s too late to make a new account since all my trophies and stuff are connected to this account

  • This update seams amazing but I think I would love to see is that you can add your own screen shot as a custom background of your PS4 like how PS3 had it!

  • I like how you can change the background to your profile, it makes it seem like you own it i guess. Is there any news on being able to change your background on the PS4 home screen? Even if it is something similar to how changing your background on your profile that would be nice!

  • So when does the update release, it seems like it’s going to be pretty interesting

  • Sounds like a great update! Would also love the option to sort trophies the same ways that PlayStation.com can (A-Z, Z-A, Date Added, Overall Completion, etc.)

  • What is it going to do for system functionality? I recently bought the wireless gold headset and was disappointed when I could not have the sound going though the headset and T.V. at the same time. I feel like my console should be able to do that because its supposed to be competing with XBOX ONE and is failing in my eyes. I’m glad they’re finally getting around to re-designing the UI but they need to do something about the content on the store. I would like games under development to be available. ( I’m specifically talking about the ARK title by wildcard studios this game needs to be allowed to drop to the PS4. Its a good game in its current state on XBOX ONE and playstation users aren’t allowed to play it because Sony feels its not “finished enough”) What happened to plus members getting exclusive demos and betas? I feel you need to let the gaming community on the network grow by letting US choose what games we’d like to play or try. Don’t forget I’m a paying customer and will surely jump to XBOX ONE S since that console will truly deliver the experience I wanted out of a next gen…

    Great job on the UI though.

  • When they said “updated popup notifications”, are we going to be aboe to make notifications popup somewhere else because I covers my mini map on call of duty and is pretty anooying. I know I can take them off but I accept invites and receive messages often from friends without mics.

  • Will we be able to customize our themes finally?

  • Having subscribe/follow notifications would be awesome for streaming using the Share feature :)

  • This quick menu access, does this include Messages?

  • I like what you guys are doing with 4.0, but can we have 50sec of sending video to our friends because yea we can save video clip why we cant send video clip to our friends. please sony make it happen thanks you.

  • I love the new quick menu! I just wish it was a little more smaller so we can see like 80% of the game and I really love that we can choose backgrounds for our profies!!!

  • How about an option to delete beats of games that have come out?

  • Please extend your compatibility With iOS for Remote Control.

  • Everyone here should realize you can turn off the controller by holding down the ps button for 10 second. No need for a menu option.

  • Get rid of group messaging where it adds friends and those friends get spammed messages from people they don’t know, they hate leaving group messages all the time, so with that said redesign the messaging system

    • no all sony have to do is have a option with in messages, have a mute option so u wont have notifications and you sill in the group message. that fix that problem

  • This is cool and all… but can you alphabetize Trophies? Also, country flags are a must at this stage.

  • Please please add the option to switch to usb mode for dualshock4 intstead of just only connecting to bluetooth.

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