Sony Wants Players To Help Test Next Big PS4 Update

Sony has called for an open beta to test it’s next big update for the PS4, according to a post on the PS Blog. The PS4 has seen several updates since launching two years ago, and the next big one is reportedly coming in the next few months, depending on how well this beta goes. There’s an application process over on the PS blog, so even though it’s a public beta, there are no guaranteed spots. You can apply for the process right here.

Sony is taking a bit of a cue form competitor Microsoft, which has had an invite-only beta program for all of its system updates since last year. It’s probably a good thing, too: Sony has hit some rough patches with some of its last system updates, most notably update 2.0, which caused both users and developers no end of headaches until it was sufficiently patched. Share Play was the big addition with firmware update 2.0, along with YouTube streaming, broadcast enhancements and a USB music player.

We don’t yet know what’s coming in system update 3.0, but a leak on Reddit recently suggested some of the potential features. Like 2.0, it mostly revolves around improved community and social features, as well as the ability to upload clips to Twitter and a new message screen. Small updates, all around, but the PS4 has always had a relatively stripped down but eminently functional OS. We assume that it will get a major overhaul at some point, but probably not for quite a while.


Whenever the subject of PS4 updates come up, two continually requested features always bubble up to the surface. The first is the ability to play in an invisible mode, so that your friends don’t know you’re online. Hopefully we’ll be able to see that one, at least, at some point. The second is more of a pipe dream: the ability to to choose a new PSN. Plenty of grown adults are still saddled with usernames they created earlier in life, leading to some routinely embarrassing encounters. Worse, games like Destiny still only identify your player by PSN: I’m just thankful mine relatively staid.

We should be hearing more about update 3.0 soon, so stay tuned.