Sony's PlayStation 4 will finally receive a feature with its next update that users first heard about when the console was originally revealed, and have been wanting ever since.
Sony plans to push out a major update to its flagship console on Thursday that will include the long-awaited suspend/resume feature. This update, the PlayStation 4 v2.50, will be available for all PlayStation 4 owners for free and will also include other notable additions, including the ability to back up hard drive data to a USB drive and then restore it back to the PlayStation 4.
But the addition of the suspend/resume feature may just be the most important for Sony. This feature was first announced in 2013, promising that it would enable gamers to pause a game and put the console into rest mode effectively allowing you to pause your game mid-play and leave it for hours or even days at a time. After booting the PlayStation 4 back up, you could pick up right where you left off. Historically, if you wanted to stop playing, you had to reach a game's save point or pause the game and just leave the console running. The new suspend/resume feature eliminates this need.
According to Sony, this new feature will work on "nearly all of your PS4 games" although the company failed to elaborate on exactly which games would not work with this new feature.
The update also includes many new social features designed to enhance the social aspects of the console and the games you play. These new features include to ways to find friends and play games with them. Sony has also added new accessibility options for players with disabilities, allowing them to customize button assignments, use text-to-speech features, and enlarge text.
According to the PlayStation blog, Sony said, "We're excited for you to get your hands on these new features and experience them for yourselves. You have all been such a big part of our successes, and we have carefully listened to your requests to make your PlayStation experiences even better. We're happy to be delivering many of them with "Yukimura." Please keep the feedback flowing, so we can continue making PlayStation 4 the best place to play."
Sony's update announcement comes just days after Microsoft previewed its own upcoming update for its Xbox one console. Microsoft's updates will include improvements to party chats and the ability to see what a gamer did to earn an achievement.
