Here's Why The Internet Is In An Uproar Over The Latest PS4 Update
System updates are a regular thing in modern consoles. By issuing occasional patches and the like, video game companies can make sure that customers always have the most up-to-date version of their software. In theory, pushing through regular firmware updates will ensure that overall console performance is improved. Small quality of life changes can also be made that allow gamers to get even more out of their favorite titles. Unfortunately, these updates can also go terribly wrong, which is what apparently happened with the latest system software update for the PlayStation 4.
Earlier today, Sony released notes for PS4 update 8.00. The update is full of interesting improvements and tweaks to the multiplayer side of things, which should make gaming with friends an even smoother process than before. For instance, group chats and messages have been "more tightly linked together," so there's less searching for a previous message thread in the PS4 UI. These changes to the dashboard will apparently carry over to the PS5, as well. Some of the changes are smaller, like the addition of new selectable free avatars. If you're getting tired of having the same Batman avatar for the last several years, now you can switch to one of the characters from Knack. (Yay?)
Update 8.00 has also included new security options for players of all ages. The PS4's Parental Controls have been overhauled, as well. The "Communicating with Other Players" and "Viewing Content Created by other Players" settings have been combined, making it easier for parents to keep their kids from unwanted content. Also, new 2-step verification will presumably help players to protect their private data from hackers. Nintendo has also advised gamers to use such security measures in the past, particularly in light of a series of Nintendo account breaches earlier this year.
While this update seems like it would make things a lot simpler and more streamlined for gamers, early reports have suggested that Update 8.00 is doing more harm than good. One of the first people to break the news that the update was causing issues was Nibel on Twitter, who wrote, "Going by feedback I'm seeing, this new update seems to cause a bunch of issues (friends list not loading, party system problems, stability issues, etc.)."
Nibel suggested that people should maybe wait until after Sony fixes these problems before downloading the update. According to some responses, however, people don't have the option of waiting. PS4 owners can't log into the PlayStation Network right now without installing the update first. The most common issue that people seem to be running into post-update is that the PS4 no longer displays online friends. Other gamers are now finding it impossible to connect their consoles to the internet.
On the positive side, some fans have reported that the update didn't give them any issues. Still, that doesn't seem to be the experience for a majority of PS4 owners.
Unfortunately for Sony and PlayStation fans, this is the second PS4 update this year that has caused major issues for gamers. Back in April, PS4 firmware update 7.50 was meant to be a minor performance patch for the console, but it ended up being a massive headache. Some gamers reported being stuck on an infinite safe mode loop, wherein the PS4 would request an update via an external memory drive. Following the console's instructions would then result in the system rebooting in safe mode once again, complete with the same error message.
Many other gamers who downloaded the 7.50 update commented that their disc drive no longer worked. Not only did some users discover that they were unable to feed new discs into their PS4, but discs that were still inside the system had to be manually removed.
Even the folks who didn't experience frustrating malfunctions expressed their annoyance with how Sony rolled out the 7.50 update. Some complained about the fact that it was released without any real heads up from Sony. Others mocked Sony for not explaining in the patch notes what the update was even for. Sony seemingly fixed this issue quickly, but it left a bad taste in many gamer's mouths. Some PS4 owners went so far as to refer to that ill-fated update as "a trap."
As for the debacle surrounding the 8.00 update, Sony has yet to respond to the widespread customer complaints. Hopefully gamers won't have to wait too long for a fix. After all, the PlayStation 5 is coming soon. Some annoyed fans have pointed out that it's not the best look for Sony to be dropping firmware updates that immediately render their products useless.