PS4 firmware 5.0 beta rolls out today with PS4 Pro 1080p 60fps Twitch streaming, message and notification improvements

By Stephany Nunneley

The PlayStation 4 system software update 5.0 beta is rolling out today, and Sony has provided information on what’s included.

Beta applications for PS4 firmware 5.0 were taken in July, and just last week, the contents of the beta were acquired early by Eurogamer.

Not much in the way of new information was provided than what was revealed last week, but there are extra details.

As noted below, firmware update 5.0 introduces Family Accounts, friend management, new features for broadcast, notifications, messages and other additions. We’ve posted the notes for you below straight from Sony.

Families on PlayStation Network

When the update is live, it will make it easier to set up PSN accounts for children and customize parental control settings for each user.

Family Manager, parents/guardians and child accounts: Each family on PSN will now have a Family Manager which can promote another adult in the family to be a parent or guardian which can customize parental control levels of each child account. Individual parental controls will also be available.

Friend list management

The Favorite Groups tab will be replaced by a tab called Custom List on the Friends screen. Here, users can create and edit custom lists of friends when can be arranged into specific groups. These can be based on games played or groups such as teammates, or just friends in general. Game invites can be sent to groups as well.

Broadcast feature updates

• Communities: Those who have created communities can now link to live gameplay broadcasts. When a broadcast is linked, a community button appears on the Live from PlayStation spectator screen. This allows any spectator to go directly to the community page to look over details or join.

• PlayStation VR: A new setting titled Display Message to Spectators and Spectators’ Comments has been added, and when enabled, comments sent during broadcast are displayed in both cinematic mode and VR mode.

• PlayStation 4 Pro: Twitch users will find the console supports 1080p 60fps streaming on Twitch.

Message improvements

Music can already be shared on PS4 using Twitter and Facebook via Spotify and PlayStation Music, but once the update is applied, individual tracks can be shared by sending a message on message on PS4. Shared tracks can be listened to directly from the message or through the Spotify app from the PS Messages app on mobile and added to a playlist.

Notifications updates

New setting allows the user to disable pop-up notifications while watching a movie or TV show on PS4. This setting is set to off by default but can be enabled if the user wishes. The update allows for turning off message previews on pop-up notifications. Turning the setting off the pop-up notification will hide the message senders’ online ID showing a generic user icon and message instead. The pop-up color can also be changed from white to black.

Quick Menu updates: The Notifications tab, which shows download progress or new invitations, can now be accessed directly from the Quick Menu without leaving a game. A Leave Party option has also been added to Quick Menu.

Virtual surround sound on PS VR: PlayStation VR now supports 5.1ch and 7.1ch virtual surround sound through headphones when watching Blu-rays and DVDs in Cinematic Mode.

Improved tournaments bracket viewer: A new bracket viewer will show full tournament brackets for Single Elimination and Double Elimination tournaments on PS4.

Updated language support: With firmware 5.0 the PS4 user interface now supports Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Greek, Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese languages.

Those who were chosen to participate in the PS4 firmware 5.0 beta should receive an email with instructions on how to download the update and get started.