While there are plenty of ways in which fans expect the PlayStation 5 to improve upon the PlayStation 4, there is one area that the console has lagged behind its competition. When trying to update a game on the PS4 the experience is anything but simple and oftentimes it’s frustrating and time-consuming. If Sony is going to make the PS5 the platform of choice for gamers in the next console generation, especially as cross-play becomes more and more prevalent, the company is going to need to improve its update process.
Right now, updating a game on the PS4 doesn’t really make sense. First, the console downloads the file, which can take anywhere from a couple of minutes to half an hour, depending on the size of the update. After that, the update file should install and everything should be good to go. But instead, a whole new process begins: copying.
RELATED: Sony Trademarks Names for Next 5 Consoles
Copying on the PS4 usually takes infinitely longer than the download and can be extremely slow. Sony has never explained what the copying process does or why it takes so long, which only makes things more confusing for PS4 owners. Even someone with reasonably fast Internet speeds – who can download and install a PC game in minutes – have to wait through the copying process.
What should only take a few minutes, and does on other platforms has become one of the major deficiencies when it comes to the PlayStation 4. Hopefully, Sony has better plans for the update process when it comes to PS5 games.
The good news is that the PS5 will have a Solid State Drive (SSD) and that should speed up the process considerably. Installing, reading, writing, and even copying (if that still exists) will get the benefit of Flash instead of the basic HDD that the PS4 has right now.
Obviously there are plenty of areas that fans hope the PS5 improves upon the PS4. Better graphics, loading time, storage space, and controller battery life are high on the list, but after going through years of updating and copying files, it is time to move on to something better. If there is one aspect of the PS4 that we will look back on with disdain, copying is high on the list.
The PlayStation 5 will release in November 2020.