PS4 Update 5.0: 5 Changes We Want to See

PS4 Pro
Source: IGN India

It’s quite remarkable how much the firmware has changed for the PlayStation 4 since it was released back in 2013. Slowly but surely, Sony are taking fan feedback on-board and semi-regularly rolling out updates to bring the PS4 experience as close to what its players would like it to be – I still can’t get over the fact that they actually introduced folders after years of begging.

With the 5.0 update looming, however, it could well be a time for a raft of new changes to the PS4 experience. Sony put out a call to arms for beta testers not all that long ago, so whatever they’re trying to do looks like it might be a serious overhaul. It’s almost certainly going to be more drastic than “minor fixes and optimizations” in any case.

There’s nothing concrete on what the 5.0 update might bring to the system, but we can dream to see at least one or two of the following.

 

1. Gifting

Uncharted 4

Thanks to the steady rise of digital sales of video games over physical, being able to gift your friends PS4 games is a no-brainer. It’s a huge part of the Steam community and is coming to the Xbox One before too long – if Sony’s scramble to make PS Now look more legitimate in the face of Game Pass tells us anything, it’s that they hate being left behind.

This could potentially be extended to gifting subscriptions (such as Plus) in the future, though it would make sense to get the basics right to begin with. Being able to send your friends underrated games or to get them in on the action is a simple thing, but it’s going to do a lot to push more people towards the PlayStation Store.

 

2. Wishlists

Trevor GTA V

This is admittedly along the same lines as the previous entry, but wishlists absolutely should be a part of the PS4 experience, rather than leaving games that you aren’t quite decided on enough yet in your basket and hoping that they don’t disappear.

Sony should take a leaf out of Steam’s (hugely profitable) book and also send email notifications whenever games on wishlists are on sale. I, personally, have been waiting for about three years to see GTA V to be available at less than £20 and when that momentous day comes, I want to be a part of gaming history as quickly as I can.

 

3. The ability to rename PSN IDs

Overwatch Reaper
Pictured: PussySlayaa11

This has always seemingly be more trouble than it’s worth for Sony, owing to how widely connected PSN IDs are to everything in the PlayStation experience. It would be a major surprise if after years of saying outright that it isn’t possible for the next update to bring the option to change usernames, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s probably the most requested change to this day.

Why, you ask? Because teenagers don’t tend to think of the implications of HitlerDunNuthinRong911 until they’re older, that’s why. Picture the scene: the whole family’s gathered around for a Netflix session. Before you even know what’s happening, the in-laws recoil in horror at the name that pops up on the screen, the children are a shrieking mess, and the wife’s already halfway through the divorce papers. I’m not saying that Sony’s refusal to allow username changes destroys families, but I pretty much am.

 

4. Time played stats

siege

Perhaps this would be better for game reviewers than others as it would allow them to properly gauge how long it takes to beat games, but finding out playtime stats would be a neat addition all the same. It’s already a part of Steam and is almost uniform on Xbox One, so it would just make sense.

It will also give players plenty of opportunities for self-reflection when they stare blankly at the figures and realise how much life is passing them by. I would have appreciated being able to find out how many hundreds of hours of Siege I’d played before the necessary self-intervention – let’s just say that I didn’t see sunlight for a while.

 

5. Trophy tracking

The Last of Us clickers

For the completionists, this is a must. Although a few games have the option in-game to check out how far you’ve progressed in your quest to collect all of the things to hear that dopamine-including ding, it’s nowhere near common enough.

It’s a little clumsily implemented on Xbox One, but Sony should absolutely adopt a similar system to make trophy hunting slightly smoother. A straightforward counter in the top right corner that ticks over every time you jump into a wheelbarrow of hay in Assassin’s Creed or find comic books in The Last of Us would save gamers a lot of second-guessing.

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