A new PlayStation 4 firmware update is now live in all regions.
The new firmware update, update 5.53, is around 440 MB and it seems like it doesn't introduce any major new feature, with the patch notes mentioning only the usual system performance improvements.
The previous big PlayStation 4 firmware update, update 5.50, introduced a variety of new features such as Custom Wallpapers from USB, Play Time management, and Library improvements.
Custom wallpapers from USB
One major feature that was included with the 5.50 update beta trial was the ability to customise the PS4 home screen with your own images from a USB stick.To get started, save your pictures into a folder named “IMAGES” on your USB stick. Ensure this folder is at the top of the USB directory, i.e. not saved within another folder. Note the max image resolution is 1920×1080 for PS4 and 3840×2160 for PS4 Pro.
Then with the USB stick connected to your PS4, select Settings > Themes > Select Theme > Custom > Select Image > USB Storage Device. Once your image is selected you can zoom and crop it, all while seeing in real time how it looks on the home screen.
You can also customise the thumbnail of group message threads with images taken from USB. Select Messages > Select Message > Group Settings >Image> Change Image> USB Storage Device
Play Time Management
Another major update is Play Time Management. This feature gives Family Managers (and adult family members set as Guardians), the ability to control when and for how long each individual child can play for. Playtime can even be set to vary depending on the day of the week, for example you could allow your child to play for two hours between 4-7pm during the week and then for 4 hours between 8am-8pm on the weekend.This joins a long list of parental management features already available, including the ability to individually set what each child in your family on PlayStation Network (PSN) plays, watches and accesses online. All these features can be accessed on your PS4 via Settings > Family Management.
What’s more, you can also monitor and change these settings on the go from your PC or Smartphone via the PSN account web portal – giving parents greater flexibility and peace of mind.
Library improvements
New tabs and filters are also being added to the Library, to make it easier to organise and find content.New “This PS4” and “Name/Avatar” tabs allow you to split content between everything you own and what’s currently installed on your PS4.
There is now a dedicated PS Plus tab too showing all Monthly Free Games you have access to, along with the ability to hide certain apps under the “Purchased” tab – such as old trials or demos of games.
