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PS4 Update - Finally External HDD support

MRU

MRU

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Original poster
Aug 23, 2005
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a better place
Well it took it's time, but finally the issue of the PS4 not supporting external HDD for playing games will be addresssed in the 4.50 update. Finally those who keep maxing out their upgraded 2tb hard drives can now have a solution to the persistent issue.

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It's been a little while since we last saw an update for the PlayStation 4, but that doesn't mean Sony hasn't been hammering away on new tweaks for the console. Today, the company unveiled plans for its version 4.50 (codenamed Sasuke) system update, confirming support for some oft-requested and useful new features like external hard drive support for games, custom wallpaper and and the ability to view 3D Blu-rays via PSVR. PS4 Pro owners will also be pleased to know that they may be getting some love too (more on that later).

Although the PlayStation 4 has supported external hard drives for some time now, Sony limited it to system upgrades and media like videos and music, not games. With Sasuke, Sony will let you download and install games directly to USB 3.0 hard drives up to 8TB in size, so if you've converted to an all-digital library -- and still own the basic 500GB model -- you no longer have to worry about constantly managing or deleting old games. Everything you install will appear in the Content Launcher, ensuring apps and games are a button press away.

Like on Xbox One, the update will also enable you to select any in-game screenshot as your home screen background. Sony will offer tools to adapt it to your liking, allowing you to add drop shadows to text and dim the Function Area to make your icons easier to see. Staying with the visual theme, both the Quick Menu and Notification List have been given a tune-up, making it easier for you to invite friends and join parties, and parse Alerts, Downloads and Uploads in one simple list (removing the old tabs completely).

In its announcement, Sony notes that there are more features included in 4.50, but isn't sharing all of them right now. Thanks to NeoGAF, we know that one of those tweaks could be the addition of a new "Boost Mode," which forces the console to support higher framerates for games that have yet to be optimized for the Pro.

If you signed up for the beta update programme, there's every chance you will have been selected to receive version 4.50, which begins rolling out today. For everyone else, additional features and launch timing will be disclosed "in the weeks to come."
Click to expand...
 
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Sensamic

Sensamic

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Mar 26, 2010
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OMG really?!?!?!!? F*** yeah!!!!!!!! So great!! This is the best news I could hear!!
 
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0098386

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
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Very good to hear!
I mean, I don't need more space now but who knows what the storage hungry future will need!
 
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imaginex20

imaginex20

macrumors 68000
Jun 17, 2009
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Glad to hear this is coming. I was going to upgrade my 500GB drive to a 2TB drive but I guess I will hold off
 
maflynn

maflynn

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May 3, 2009
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I'm happy about this, though I upgraded my PS4 to a larger SSD some time ago, and I'm happy with the storage and performance
 
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C

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
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Wow I'm way late, was coming here to post this news.

Also heard about a 'boost mode' enabling more power to be used from the PS4 Pro to unsupported games to provide more stable frame rates and such.

I plan on maxing out the internal then when that gets full I'll go external. This is a long needed update!
 
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Sensamic

Sensamic

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Does anyone know if this feature (installing and playing games off an external hard drive) was also present in PS3?

I believe that it was on Xbox 360.

I'm asking because I'm reluctant Sony will include it in the PS5 on release, and if that will be the case I'm kind of getting tired of Sony and it's restrictions.

Do you guys think that since the PS4 now has it that means the PS5 will also have it from the get go?
 
s0nicpr0s

s0nicpr0s

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Sep 1, 2010
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Sensamic said:
Does anyone know if this feature (installing and playing games off an external hard drive) was also present in PS3?

I believe that it was on Xbox 360.

I'm asking because I'm reluctant Sony will include it in the PS5 on release, and if that will be the case I'm kind of getting tired of Sony and it's restrictions.

Do you guys think that since the PS4 now has it that means the PS5 will also have it from the get go?
Click to expand...
I am not aware of this feature ever existing on the PS3, however PS3 games (at least all the ones I played) never fully installed on the hard drive, except for downloaded games. Something like GTA would install a few GBs, but not the full disc. I still have something like 150GB open on my 500GB PS3 with something like 50 games installed.

Hard telling what Sony will end up doing with the PS5, but if it is similar to the PS4 with the installation requirement, I would suspect they start us off with more than 500GB. If they remove this feature entirely, and don't plan on ever implementing it, it would be a huge step back. It would be nice if they were to use some form of cartridge that wouldn't require us to install the entire game to the console, but that's just wishful thinking on my part.
 
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Sensamic

Sensamic

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I just don't trust them too much in this regard. They could have added this feature a long time ago and they chose not to.

I'd like to bring my whole library of games with me to the next generation (PS5), but that would require compatibility with PS4 games and external hard drive support.
 
s0nicpr0s

s0nicpr0s

macrumors regular
Sep 1, 2010
230
47
Illinois
Sensamic said:
I just don't trust them too much in this regard. They could have added this feature a long time ago and they chose not to.

I'd like to bring my whole library of games with me to the next generation (PS5), but that would require compatibility with PS4 games and external hard drive support.
Click to expand...
Compatibility may be a long shot sadly. Not that the next gen couldn't actually run it, but more that a game may not run perfectly without a patch. That's the reason they gave for the choices made for the PS4 Pro. Exactly double the graphics (by providing an exact copy of the GPU), and using a higher clocked CPU. Less likely to uncover a bug if it is just a slightly stronger system rather than a different processor/gpu.

I would be incredibly happy if future generations of consoles had backwards compatibility with at least the previous generation. Similar to a few past consoles:
  • 360 on One
  • OG Xbox on 360 (to a point)
  • Wii on Wii U
  • DS on 3DS
  • GameCube on Wii
  • GBA on DS
  • Pretty much all Game Boys
  • PS2 on PS3
  • PS1 on PS2
If we can play a game from old gens in the future, people who don't sell/trade old games will have an easier time playing their games. I would love to have a justifiable reason to continue holding onto some of my games from the past.
 
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Sensamic

Sensamic

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s0nicpr0s said:
Compatibility may be a long shot sadly. Not that the next gen couldn't actually run it, but more that a game may not run perfectly without a patch. That's the reason they gave for the choices made for the PS4 Pro. Exactly double the graphics (by providing an exact copy of the GPU), and using a higher clocked CPU. Less likely to uncover a bug if it is just a slightly stronger system rather than a different processor/gpu.

I would be incredibly happy if future generations of consoles had backwards compatibility with at least the previous generation. Similar to a few past consoles:
  • 360 on One
  • OG Xbox on 360 (to a point)
  • Wii on Wii U
  • DS on 3DS
  • GameCube on Wii
  • GBA on DS
  • Pretty much all Game Boys
  • PS2 on PS3
  • PS1 on PS2
If we can play a game from old gens in the future, people who don't sell/trade old games will have an easier time playing their games. I would love to have a justifiable reason to continue holding onto some of my games from the past.
Click to expand...
I think the director of Xbox, Phil Spencer, said that they envision the future of Xbox where you can take your whole library with you moving forwards. That's their goal with Scorpio at least. I read it online I think.

If that's the case with Xbox then Sony could surely do it also. If not, then that's another point in favour of Microsoft for me to go with them now with their Xbox One S and Scorpio instead of staying with Sony.

I don't like losing all the games I've invested money on (and I don't want to go PC).

This and external hard drive support are very important for me moving forward.
 
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Tsuchiya

Tsuchiya

macrumors 68020
Jun 7, 2008
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About time. My PS4 is constantly running out of space, but I didn't want to swap out the drive and lose the P.T demo or have to go through the hassle of reinstalling and updating everything.
 
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C

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
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Sensamic said:
I think the director of Xbox, Phil Spencer, said that they envision the future of Xbox where you can take your whole library with you moving forwards. That's their goal with Scorpio at least. I read it online I think.

If that's the case with Xbox then Sony could surely do it also. If not, then that's another point in favour of Microsoft for me to go with them now with their Xbox One S and Scorpio instead of staying with Sony.

I don't like losing all the games I've invested money on (and I don't want to go PC).

This and external hard drive support are very important for me moving forward.
Click to expand...

Prior to the PS4 games ran off the disc. Compatibility was broken with the PS4 due to Sony going with x86 for better and easier coding which was a necessary evil.

Moving forward I think there will be select system with backwards compatibility. As you can see with the PS4 Pro they needed to have a standard PS4 inside of it just to maintain compatibility. So it's no easy or cheap process.

However for most people that want to play their old games they just don't get rid of there old console. While an all in one would be nice sometimes it's not worth it. Imagine a PlayStation 5 with a playstation 1, 2, 3, 4 and 4 Pro built in to make everyone happy? Cost a mint.
 
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Sensamic

Sensamic

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cynics said:
Prior to the PS4 games ran off the disc. Compatibility was broken with the PS4 due to Sony going with x86 for better and easier coding which was a necessary evil.

Moving forward I think there will be select system with backwards compatibility. As you can see with the PS4 Pro they needed to have a standard PS4 inside of it just to maintain compatibility. So it's no easy or cheap process.

However for most people that want to play their old games they just don't get rid of there old console. While an all in one would be nice sometimes it's not worth it. Imagine a PlayStation 5 with a playstation 1, 2, 3, 4 and 4 Pro built in to make everyone happy? Cost a mint.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I know. I just don't understand how this is possible with PC and not with consoles.

I can play a 15 year old PC game I have still with my current desktop computer.

For me it's important because I don't want to lose my whole game collection, in which I have invested a lot of money. Usually I don't keep old systems but I guess I will have to from now on if I don't want to lose those games.

It's hard to tell the future. Will Sony for example keep the PS4 online store active in 20 years if I keep my PS4 and by then they are at PS6? If not, how do I download all my games again if my hard drive fails?

So many doubts...
 
C

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,156
Sensamic said:
Yeah, I know. I just don't understand how this is possible with PC and not with consoles.

I can play a 15 year old PC game I have still with my current desktop computer.

For me it's important because I don't want to lose my whole game collection, in which I have invested a lot of money. Usually I don't keep old systems but I guess I will have to from now on if I don't want to lose those games.

It's hard to tell the future. Will Sony for example keep the PS4 online store active in 20 years if I keep my PS4 and by then they are at PS6? If not, how do I download all my games again if my hard drive fails?

So many doubts...
Click to expand...

Sometimes it's tough even on PC getting older games to run mostly due to the OS. We need to rely a lot of devs and the modding community. For example I needed to wait for a Steam release of Fate of Atlantis because I couldn't get the original to work, even with 3rd party patches sound wasn't available. Soundblaster or Adlib wasn't up to par I guess lol.

Daggerfall is another example, Bethesda released it for free but still requires some hoops to jump through using DosBox and such.

Those things aren't possible on consoles without a dedicated re release. Steam really helps out the PC for compatibility but still requires repurchasing the game.

Funny we are talking about this... here is a review of Grand Theft Auto 4 on the Xbox One, originally released on the 360. Frame rate is better but otherwise runs like crap and is recommended to be played on the 360 vs One.

 
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Sensamic

Sensamic

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Update coming tomorrow at long last.

Don't know if I should buy a 3TB or 5TB external hard drive. The 5TB one needs external power supply and it might be too much.
 
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Sensamic

Sensamic

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Mar 26, 2010
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I just went and bought a 3TB hard drive. I hope it's enough for the future. Will download the update now.
 
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