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Sony’s latest firmware update for the PlayStation 4 is now available, bringing the system software to version 5.0. But while you might expect this to be a major revision, with some significant new features or functionality, the v5.0 update appears to be full of relatively minor changes.
The headlining feature in PS4 v5.0 is an overhaul of the way Sony handles PlayStation Network accounts for families. The new system allows multiple adults to use “parent/guardian” labels and jointly run a family’s account, and lets them adjust parental controls independently for each of the child accounts in that family.
On the notifications side, the v5.0 update finally allows PS4 users to disable pop-ups during video playback. It also lets people leave a party and check notifications from the console’s Quick Menu. PS4 Pro owners will now be able to broadcast games to Twitch in 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second. And it’s now possible to follow any PS4 user in the console’s What’s New feed — not just verified users.
Sony announced a few additional features today alongside the release of PS4 v5.0. The console now offers a competitive setup called Team Tournaments, which sounds like a system for a clan that can compete across multiple games. Individual developers will have to specifically support the feature; the first four games to offer Team Tournaments are VooFoo Studios’ Mantis Burn Racing, Wargaming’s World of Tanks, and both Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy from Naughty Dog. Team Tournaments will go live this Thursday, Oct. 5.
In case you’re wondering how far the PS4’s operating system has come, the console launched with system software v1.50 on Nov. 15, 2013, so it has taken less than four years for Sony to get to v5.0. A closed beta test for the v5.0 update began nearly seven weeks ago, so here’s hoping there aren’t any significant issues with it.
