Top New Features in the April 2016 PlayStation Update

Scheduled Events

It often happens that one would like to enjoy an evening of video games with friends online, but planning this virtual get-together used to be a chore, as one had to resort to email and social networks to schedule the event. Not anymore, as Sony has added a new feature to the PlayStation Network that lets users schedule an event online to play a specific game, setting the time and date of the event and number of players, and letting your friends register ahead of time to join in the fun as seen in the video above.

This feature will no doubt be a godsend to those with busy schedules who want to be able to schedule multiplayer sessions quickly and easily and is clearly a welcome addition to the PS4’s social features list.

Play Together & Extras

Many times one would like to take a quick look at what their friends are playing online, so that you can join in, taking part in multiplayer matches of games that tickle you fancy. And the new PS4 “Play Together” feature allows just that, letting gamers see which games their online friends are playing and being able to join them in multiplayer matches (if the other party agrees to this).

And now that the PlayStation Network has the new “appear offline” feature, it is great that Sony has added a complementary feature which lets users be notified when their friends go online, which should work together well with the new “Play Together” and schedule gaming events features.

The PS4 update also added a few extra hidden features as reported on website Tech Times, like support for big 4 TB external hard drives and the custom music feature which lets players listen to their own music in video games, a handy feature that makes a welcome return with this update.