PS4 4.5 Update Out Tomorrow, Here's Everything It Adds

The next major software update for the PlayStation 4, which contains a new Boost Mode feature for PlayStation 4 and adds support for external hard drives, is coming very soon. Sony announced today that the console's 4.5 update, which has been available to testers for a while now, will be released for everyone tomorrow, March 9.

The Boost Mode feature aims to improve the quality and performance of games that have not been patched to support PS4 Pro.

"This can provide a noticeable frame rate boost to some games with variable frame rates, and can provide frame rate stability for games that are programmed to run at 30 Hz or 60 Hz," Sony explained. "Depending on the game, the increased CPU speed may also result in shorter load times. You can turn on Boost Mode by going to Settings > System."

Boost Mode is "not guaranteed to work with all titles," Sony explained. Additionally, the setting can be turned off so that the experience is that of a standard PS4.

The PS4 4.5 update also includes a tweak for PlayStation VR that makes 2D images look better on the virtual reality headset.

"If you're playing a game in PS VR and you return to the PS4 home screen, you may notice that the resolution looks lower than normal on the TV Social Screen," Sony said. "Following this update, you'll find that the resolution of the system screen displayed on your TV is significantly better when you're out of VR mode."

Additionally, the resolution quality for PlayStation VR's cinematic mode will improve with the update, jumping from 90 Hz to 120 HZ if your screen size is set to small or medium.

PS4 4.5 also adds voice chat for Remote Play on Windows PC, Mac, or an Xperia device. This can be toggled on and off by clicking the microphone icon on the tool bar, as seen in the image below.

Also new with PS4 4.5 is an icon, shaped like a smartphone, that will pop up when a person is logged into PSN but is not actually using their console. This would be for instances where you're logged in to PSN through the PlayStation App or the PlayStation Messages app.

Lastly, Sony announced that it is upcoming the PlayStation Message and PlayStation Communities iOS and Android apps with the following features, as written by Sony:

• When you receive a Party invitation from your friends on PS Messages, now you can respond with a quick reply, "I'll join later" or "Sorry, I can't join," when you want to get back to them ASAP.
• On the Communities app, you can now easily check the PSN service status under Settings > View Status of PSN Services.
• Also on the Communities app, iOS users can tell at a glance if there are any new posts in their community by checking the badge app icon (the number in a red circle at the top-right corner of the app's icon).

You can read this PlayStation Blog post to learn more about PS4 4.5.

What do you make of the new features coming to PS4 through the update? Let us know in the comments below!