While its competitors have been putting out firmware updates more frequently, you can't really say that the PlayStation 4's fallen behind. The console's been in a sturdy state since launch, and any updates since then have only served to improve the experience. In fact, outside of a handful of oft-requested features, we somewhat struggled to put this article together. But of course, there's always room for improvement, so here are five system software enhancements that we reckon Sony needs to add to the PS4 in 2017.

Hard over external hard drives

This is the one lingering request that Sony's yet to really address: external hard drive support. While the PS4 makes it really easy to swap out HDDs to increase storage capacity, the reality is that not everyone wants to do that. External HDDs provide a plug and play solution, and they're supported on both competing consoles. It's probably time for the platform holder to bite the bullet and build this feature in, then.

Time for a name change

Is this even a firmware issue? Honestly, the reason we probably don't have PlayStation Network name changes already is likely down to the ropey infrastructure that Sony haphazardly assembled in the PlayStation 3 days. A recent note in the Unreal Engine documentation suggested that the ability to tweak your username may be coming soon, but the manufacturer's not commented on it yet. For the sake of every awful ID out there, we hope it's coming soon.

Seeing three dimensions

Even the most ardent fanboy would have to admit that Sony makes stupid oversights sometimes, and the inability to watch 3D Blu-rays with PlayStation VR is one of them. We're scraping the barrel a little bit here, but it would be nice for people who own the headset to be able to watch movies in an extra dimension. After all, the headset can produce 3D images and is able to double as a personal head-mounted display, so why not add the option?

90s child

Given how poor the PS2 Classics support has been so far on the PS4, we're not all that fussed about PSone Classics if they're going to adopt the same slow rollout model. In an ideal world, though, Sony would be adding Trophies to our 32-bit favourites and dropping them on the PlayStation Store on a regular basis. It's such a strong proposition that we want it to happen, but only if the execution is better than PS2 Classics has been.

Everyone likes stats

With the PS4 doing virtually everything that we already want it to, it might be nice for Sony to turn its attention to some more frivolous features. One thing we've always liked is system-wide stat tracking. Wouldn't it be cool if you could see how long you've played a game? Or what your average session duration is? Or how many Trophies you earn a day? None of this information is necessary, but if you could compare your playing habits to the rest of the world, it might be quite a fun little addition.

Which firmware features do you want to be added to the PS4? Do any of the ones listed above tickle your fancy? Are we missing anything major? Upload a stability patch in the comments section below.

Which of the following firmware features do you most want? (114 votes)

  1. 3D Blu-ray on PlayStation VR3%
  2. External HDD support40%
  3. In-depth system-wide stat tracking18%
  4. PSN name changes17%
  5. PSone Classics13%
  6. Other10%

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