Sony didn’t update the PlayStation 4 much in 2017 – it didn’t really need to. We finally got external hard drive support, ticking off one of the system’s most oft-requested features since launch. And the manufacturer also completely overhauled the platform’s parental controls feature set. Beyond that, though, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to determine areas where the device can be strengthened – as evidenced by this article. Nevertheless, with news that PS4 firmware update v5.50 is right around the corner, here are five firmware update features we want on the PS4 in 2018.

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Time to change your PSN username

Sony’s actually said that PSN name changes are coming. While bigwig Shawn Layden was non-committal at PlayStation Experience last month, he alluded to the option arriving at some point this year. This has been one of PlayStation’s most requested features for many a year now, so it’d be nice to see an end to the saga in 2018.

Be the PSone

While there’s no doubt Sony’s done an exceptional job of bringing new games to the PS4, it’s actually treated its legacy with disdain. Yes, the likes of Shadow of the Colossus and Crash Bandicoot have received remakes, but what of the hundreds of PSone and PS2 titles that can’t be played? We’d like to see significant improvements to the under-supported PS2 Classics initiative, and we’d also like to see PSone functionality added to the format, too.

Stat’s a fact

We know Sony keeps track of everything you do on the PS4 because it occasionally sends out emails showing your most played games and other interesting stats. So why isn’t this information available on the console itself? Wouldn’t it be cool if you could see how long you’ve played a particular game? Or how lengthy your average play session is? Or the total number of Trophies you've earned in a month?

Pin up

Yes, we’re officially scraping the bottom of the barrel now. In its current state, the PS4 orders your games based on which was most recently played. But what if you could pin a title, app, or folder to the front of your list? It’d be a minor usability improvement, and not everyone would find a need for it, but this is where we’re at with the PS4’s firmware now. Little things can go a long way.

Optimise prime

As the PS4 has improved, it has lost a little bit of speed. The console’s doing a lot more than it did at launch, but that comes at the cost of some judder and tardiness. Our final firmware update request for 2018 is that Sony simply works to optimise the experience, eliminating as much slowdown as possible so that system always feels fast and responsive.

What firmware update features do you want in 2018? Do you consider the PS4’s system software to be virtually complete at this point? Download a patch in the comments section below.

Which PS4 firmware update feature do you most want in 2018? (209 votes)

  1. PSN name changes18%
  2. PSone Classics support25%
  3. System-wide stat tracking27%
  4. The ability to pin games and apps7%
  5. General optimisation15%
  6. Other8%

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