PlayStation 4 firmware 3.50 Musashi: the features you can expect

It’s about that time again, when Sony‘s crew of coders put together a refreshed firmware package for the PlayStation 4. On that note, the company has today announced on its European blog the full list of features we’ll see arrive on the console with update 3.50 Musashi, and the list is extensive.

Currently bobbling along on software version 3.15, it’s the first major firmware bump of the year, and is available for beta testers to use and abuse from tomorrow, 2 March.

But what does the firmware have in store for the average PlayStation 4 button masher?

You’ll get a notification when friends log on

Have a lot of friends? This one’s for you. The system will pop through a notification if a friend logs on while you happen to be logged on yourself. This means that instead of pausing your current game, heading over to the Friends tab and checking if Bob is online, you’ll be told that Bob is online. Of course, if there are any friends you couldn’t care any less about, you can deactivate those notifications too.

Changing offline/online status is possible

Similar to WhatsApp’s “last seen on” feature, you will be able to report to others on the PlayStation Network that you’re currently offline when you are in fact very much online. This is clearly a feature for the media connoisseur trying to watch a blu-ray in peace, or anyone battling through a particularly difficult boss level.

Schedule gameplay sessions and events with friends

Sticking with the social features theme, users will be allowed to organise and schedule gameplay sessions with others. Sony is calling this a “user scheduled event.”

“When your event starts,” the PlayStation Blog explains, “users who registered for the event will automatically be added to a party so you can start playing right away.”

Remote Play is coming to PC and Mac

Finally! Although the blog notes that this feature won’t be available in the beta, Sony will finally let you Remote Play games on a device other than the PS Vita, PS TV or a Sony Xperia smartphone. PCs and Macs will be included, but we’re not sure what that means for Linux users just yet.

Dailymotion added as a Share Broadcast option

The other video streaming site will be added to the list of sites on which you can broadcast your gaming stream, which will appeal to those who prefer its interface.

“Like other live streaming services available on PS4, users will enjoy the following features: Activity Feed, What’s New Broadcast Info Tile, Live Detail and Live from PlayStation,” the blog explains.

You can have a look at the blog post in its entirety here. but if you happen to be a bold beta tester, do let us know if you encounter any life changing features, console-breaking issues or any suggestions in the comments section below.