New PS4 5.50 Beta Firmware Update Released

PS4 Beta Firmware Update Released

PS4 owners will shortly be able to access the latest firmware update for their console. With a new firmware update, you generally get some new bells, whistles and features to (hopefully) improve your experience.

At present, the update is only available to those who signed up for the beta release in January and with them not receiving it, we look at some of the new features.

Beta Sign-Ups only

The PS4 5.50 beta release is the first update for the console since October and as above, is only currently available to those who specifically signed up for it.

While we do not have a confirmation as to when the update will be rolled out for all users, it does include some features that will likely be of great interest to the console owners.

Update features

We will list the most notable features as per the official PlayStation blog post. You can, of course, read it in full here.

Library UI Updates

Two new tabs have been added for players to more easily see what is installed and what they have purchased from the Store.

PS Plus Tab

The library will include a PS Plus tab to highlight games downloaded during the respective free-download periods.

Playtime Management

A new option has been added for parents or users to specify how long you play.

Hide Apps

A feature has been added to allow features to clean up their display by being able to remove tabs either not wanted or rarely used.

Quick Menu Enhancements

General enhancements have been made to make the PS4 menu’s more intuitive and fluid.

Background music on PS Now

The option to play music while streaming directly on the console has been added, however, this may not work with some games.

Notification Updates

You now have the option to batch delete notifications. In addition, you can also prevent recurring ones coming back again.

Custom Wallpapers via USB

Users can now add custom wallpapers installed on a USB as an image file.

Customize Tournament Pages

The option to fully customize your team’s tournament page will be available.

Supersampling Mode (PS4 Pro Only)

PS4 Pro owners will now be able to supersample older PS4 games to improve the graphical quality.

Update thoughts

Overall, while not adding anything significant, it sounds like the firmware update will be an overall improvement to the general menu experience.

As above, if you did not sign up for the beta, it’s unclear when you will get this update. We wouldn’t expect that you will have to wait for too long though.

What do you think? Did you sign up for the beta update? What do you think so far? – Let us know in the comments!

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