Upcoming 4.0 update gives PS4 gamers a lot to look forward to

Tomorrow, those enrolled in PS4’s beta program will get the first seed of its new 4.0 operating system update. Inside, you’ll find a handful of improvements that might not seem like much, but offer a lot of bang for your buck for the time-starved gamer.

The most notable updates are to the Quick Menu and Share features.

Now, instead of having to return to the home screen to check on friends, share a screen grab or (fingers crossed) change a track on Spotify, you’ll simply hit the PS button on the DualShock controller to bring up a new menu. Better still, the menu will only utilize a portion of your screen, thus leaving you fully capable of gaming while Quick Menu-ing.

Sony revealed today that the menu will be fully customizable, allowing users to add or remove items as they see fit.

For gamers like me who listen to Spotify while playing, the new Quick Menu could be a real blessing (if Spotify is one of the “fully customizable” items). Currently, you have to long-press the PS button to mute or play music (or change tracks) or return to the home menu and enter the Spotify app to change playlists, add a song to your library or access your music. It’s a real pain in the ass.

Additional feature updates are coming as well, such as a complete UI refresh and the ability to better organize your content.

The content launcher and Library area can get pretty messy if you have a lot of downloaded material, but the addition of a new tab, “Purchased,” allows you to see all the content you’ve procured. The current system only shows purchased content you’ve downloaded, while ignoring purchases you’ve deleted or never actually bothered to download.

The new folder system should accompany this nicely by helping you de-clutter your library and find just what you’re looking for.

Last, but not least, updates to trophies and user profiles are coming as well. The former allows you to view your trophies without an internet connection as well as a new feature that shows just how difficult these trophies were to obtain by using a pyramid system to show the ultra-rare accomplishments atop (not shown).

The latter makes it easier to see relevant player info at a glance.

Sony promises more updates to come before it drops the beta tag and releases the 4.0 update to the public.