Sony confirms next PS4 system update adds suspend/resume, button mapping and more

Sony confirmed details of the next system update (version 2.50) for PlayStation 4 today, which adds the long-promised suspend/resume feature, a host of new accessibility options and 60 frames per second support for Remote Play and Share Play.

Details on PS4 system software 2.50 leaked last week when Sony Computer Entertainment sent an email to PlayStation MVPs with information on a new beta testing program for the update. Early reports from those using the firmware early showed that PS4 owners will soon be able to put the system into rest mode without closing open applications, then resume using them upon waking up the system. The suspend/resume feature was announced two years ago, when Sony first unveiled the PS4.

SCEA director of product planning and software innovation Scott McCarthy says the new suspend/resume option will be supported by "nearly all PS4 titles."

"When it's time to log off, simply put your PS4 in Rest Mode and when you power up the next time, you'll start your game where you left off," McCarthy wrote on the PlayStation Blog.

PS4 system software 2.50 includes a number of other new features, including the option to upgrade a PSN sub-account to a master account directly from the console; the ability to search for PSN friends via a linked Facebook account; the ability to share video clips to Dailymotion; and Remote Play and Share Play at 60 fps.

The update also includes two key PlayStation Trophy updates. The PS4 will automatically capture a screenshot when a Trophy is earned and players can remove games from their Trophy list that have zero percent completion.

New accessibility options in version 2.50 include "include text to speech, enlarged text, bolder fonts, higher contrast UI, zoom for displayed pictures, invert colors on screen and more." Players will also be able to remap buttons on the DualShock 4 controller.