When news of the PS4's first major update in over a year first hit, current devotees to Sony's latest console eagerly discussed some of the finer points in the patch notes. After all, it's been a long time since any significant changes to the PS4 have even been put on the table, let alone officially announced. A major update means more than just the typical stability fixes or minor quality-of-life improvements, so while it all seems rather understated, these kinds of software updates are a big deal.

To get a sense of just how big the PS4 3.0 update is, Sony recently announced that they were going to let a limited number of PS4 players beta test the client before it was released worldwide. That led people to believe there was more to the update than had previously been leaked, and Sony has now revealed that those assumptions were correct.

Sony opened up today about the upcoming PS4 Update 3.0, codenamed "Kenshin", but the biggest and most unexpected news is that the beta test is going live as of today. John Koller, VP of platforms marketing for Sony Computer Entertainment America, confirmed that the lucky gamers chosen to test the massive update would get to kick off their September in style, posting the news on the Playstation Blog. Koller also cautioned that not all of the content featured in the beta was guaranteed to make it into the final product, before listing more changes that may be coming to a PS4 near you.

Of course, savvy PS4 users already knew about some of the potential updates, like YouTube broadcasting and Twitter upload support. However, that didn't stop Koller's post from providing a few exciting surprises. The most notable among the previously unknown changes is a boost to the PS4's online storage capacity, which will be increased from 1GB to 10GB for all PlayStation Plus members. On top of the 900% increase in storage, users will also be provided with a convenient usage meter to monitor available storage capacity.

Beyond the storage logistics, it appears Sony is pushing hard to make the PS4 a truly social gaming console. The 3.0 update could feature a number of improvements in that regard, allowing gamers to create communities based on shared interests, favorite groups to get game-specific parties ready for things like Destiny: The Taken King's upcoming new raids, and the inclusion of Facebook-like stickers as chat options while sending messages to other players.

It's no surprise that Sony is looking to focus more on video sharing and community building, as YouTube's video game streaming service looks to bring more eyes on gaming than there have ever been before. While there are still some YouTube Gaming copyright issues to sort out, Sony has the luxury of of both time and ease of mind to experiment with new innovations in the industry. Those are the kind of privileges doubling the console sales of your competitors will grant you, and Sony's 3.0 update looks like it has the potential to widen the gap even further.

Did you get into the PS4 3.0 beta? Do you think console gaming should have such a heavy focus on social media integration? Let us know in the comments.

Source: PlayStation Blog