Sony has issued an update for its PlayStation 4 console with a handful of interesting feature additions. The PlayStation 4 system software update is being delivered alongside a more substantial update for the PlayStation 5 console. Since the PlayStation 4 is now Sony's lesser priority, it made sense to go ahead with the update now rather than wait for something more substantial. While it won't make major changes to the PlayStation 4, users should still be aware because the download is a decent size.
The PlayStation 5 update is what's getting most of the attention at the moment. Version 7 of the PS5's firmware adds several major features to the console. PS5 users are now able to join Discord voice chats from their console, use 1440p performance with variable refresh rate, and transfer saved data from PS4 to PS5 with greater ease. There are a significant number of other additions in this PS5 update, too.
In comparison, the PS4's version 10.50 update is much less robust. Still, there are a few interesting features worth calling attention to. First, PS4 users are now able to access their authorized apps in the Settings menu. These are apps that PS4 users have linked to their PlayStation Network account and have given permission to for various account data. These menus should allow the PS4 user better control over which apps are able to access what data.
PlayStation 4 Update 10.50 Patch Notes
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You can now access your authorized apps in Settings.
- Authorized apps are third-party apps and services that you've linked your account for PlayStation Network to. When using an authorized app, you give permission to share your account data with that app.
- To view and manage your authorized apps, go to Settings > Account Management > Authorized Apps, and then scan the QR code with your mobile device.
- Friends that are active on PlayStation App will now show up as online on your friends list.
- Unicode 15.0 emoji can now be displayed.
- You can see which of the players in your game session are on other platforms for games that support this feature.
Update 10.50 also adds support for Unicode 15.0 emoji. Emojis added to PlayStation in this update include a shaking head, hearts that are blue, black, and pink-colored, various animals including a donkey, goose, and jellyfish, and items like maracas, a hair pick, and a fan. That brings the total emoji supported by Unicode 15.0 up to an impressive 3,664. Those are simply recommended emojis, of course. Platforms are able to choose which they support and which they don't.
Two other changes were also included in the PS4's 10.50 update. The first is that friends active on the PlayStation App will now show online on the PS4's friends list. Second is that PS4 users in a crossplay game can now see which other players are on different platforms. Those changes make up the entirety of update 10.50.
Overall, it's a very modest update for the PlayStation 4. That it's still receiving feature addition even as Sony moves on to the PlayStation 5 is a good sign, though. Sony's support of the PS4 may be waning but it by no means is ending. With that said, it's unclear how much more functionality Sony plans to add to the PS4 before shifting fully to the PS5. Supply of PS5 is luckily catching up to demand, if PS4 gamers are interested in upgrading.