PlayStation 4’s Next Big Update Coming Soon And Sony Is Looking For Beta Testers

Hoping for some new PlayStation 4 features as we head into the back half of 2017? Well, you're in luck, because Sony is prepping its next firmware update, and, apparently, its big enough some serious testing.

Sony has announced PS4 firmware update 5.0 is coming soon, and PS4 owners can sign up for a chance to become a beta tester. Be forewarned, untested firmware could gobble up your saves or brick your system, but that's price to pay for getting to try out fancy new system features first. North American PS4 owners can get on the beta list right here, and European owners can sign up, here. Beta testers will be randomly selected by Sony – signing up doesn't necessarily mean you'll be picked.

Sony hasn't elaborated on what PS4 update 5.0 will bring, but you can count on some pretty major stuff, since it's a big even number. The system's last big patch, update 4.50, added a ton of long-awaited stuff, like external hard drive support, custom wallpapers, an improved Quick Menu, and Boost Mode, which improved the performance of older games on the PS4 Pro.

Honestly, update 4.50 cleared up a good portion of the PS4's longstanding shortcomings – what more could Sony add? I'd love to see backwards compatibility, but Sony has been somewhat dismissive of supporting older games. Maybe they were just throwing us off the scent, but I have my doubts we'll ever see backwards compatibility on the PS4. The beta begins in early August, so expect details about new features to leak out then.

Beta testing for major firmware updates usually takes about a month, so expect PlayStation 4 version 5.0 to arrive sometime in early September, just in time for the holiday game season.

You can check out WWG's latest PlayStation 4 coverage here.