PS4's 4.0 update is out now - bringing HDR, folders and quick menus

PS4 update 4.00 is rolling out today, and you won't need one of those fancy PS4 Pro systems to enjoy most of its new amenities (though it certainly wouldn't hurt). We've seen bits and pieces of the updated feature list before, including vastly improved sorting functions and a Quick Menu that's actually quick, and a new post to the PlayStation Blog adds improved Spotify controls and dashboard revamps to the lineup.

The biggest unannounced feature is that update 4.00 (codenamed Shingen after the Lord Takeda Shingen, if you're following the feudal Japanese naming scheme) will take advantage of the faster-launching, less-screen-obscuring Quick Menu with a dedicated Music section. From there you can pause, skip, and otherwise control your tracks and playlists. Try queuing up our very own GamesRadar+ Spotify playlist as you trawl for new exotics in Destiny.

The What's New and Content Info Screens have also been polished up to display more useful options faster. And you can start taking advantage of HDR displays (and HDR-compatible games) no matter what kind of PS4 you're on as Sony announced last week. New 1080p/60fps streaming options for Remote Play and Share Play have been added as well, though you will need a PS4 Pro to take advantage of those.

If you're still not sure about HDR then check out these two GIFs from Watch Dogs 2. The top is on a pro, the bottom on a normal PS4 without the HDR update. You should be able to see a difference in the black, shadows and contrast. 

If you're planning to get a PS4 Pro (or just to slim down with a new PS4), then you're the target demographic for this last new feature: data transfer over a wired LAN connection. This means you can move your user info, games, and saved data from your old system to your new one without the slow cloud solution or hard and/or thumb drive swapping ritual required before.

Seen something newsworthy? Tell us!

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.

Latest in Games
Dragon Age Inquisition
Dragon Age actor says the last time he played Inquisition, he upheld the RPG tradition led by Baldur's Gate 3 actors and romanced his own character: "Which is the best — the best"
Monster Hunter Wilds
Capcom promises "this is just the start for the next generation of Monster Hunter" as Wilds shatters sales milestones: "The Guild authorizes this celebration!"
Lester sitting at a computer in some artwork for GTA Online
Some GTA 5 players can't bring their characters to the new PC upgrade, and the open-world game's mixed Steam reviews are hammering FPS caps and a lack of text chat
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Assassin's Creed Shadows is the first game in the series with "a fully customizable sandbox" as your base, which is where Yasuke and Naoe hang out and pet baby animals
Monster Hunter Wilds screenshot of spider boss Nerscylla
Monster Hunter Wilds takes an infamously rare and annoying material from the old games and absolutely buries you in it – and also buries you in tiny spiders
Marvel Rivals Clone Rumble
Marvel Rivals' new Clone Rumble mode sounds like the kind of absolute chaos multiplayer games need more of
Latest in News
Dragon Age Inquisition
Dragon Age actor says the last time he played Inquisition, he upheld the RPG tradition led by Baldur's Gate 3 actors and romanced his own character: "Which is the best — the best"
Monster Hunter Wilds
Capcom promises "this is just the start for the next generation of Monster Hunter" as Wilds shatters sales milestones: "The Guild authorizes this celebration!"
Lester sitting at a computer in some artwork for GTA Online
Some GTA 5 players can't bring their characters to the new PC upgrade, and the open-world game's mixed Steam reviews are hammering FPS caps and a lack of text chat
Kamala Khan holds Jean Grey's body in an homage to the cover of Uncanny X-Men #136
45 years after the original Dark Phoenix Saga, Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan will travel back in time to save X-Men history
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Assassin's Creed Shadows is the first game in the series with "a fully customizable sandbox" as your base, which is where Yasuke and Naoe hang out and pet baby animals
Monster Hunter Wilds screenshot of spider boss Nerscylla
Monster Hunter Wilds takes an infamously rare and annoying material from the old games and absolutely buries you in it – and also buries you in tiny spiders