10 Cool and Lesser Known PS4 Features

The PS4 can update your software any time. Literally any time. This includes but is not limited to: when the console is off, when you are in the menu, when you are actually playing the game that is being updated, and more. It appears as if the only thing that is required is an internet connection and a plugged in console. A 10 Cool and Lesser Known PS4 Feature? You betcha.

The PS4 will allow for voice, text, and video chat across games. Since the PS4 can run multiple apps at the same time, this means that you can show your game, your video, and your voice stream to other gamers while playing whatever you want.

The PS4 will allow you to tag consoles as, “home machines”. These will allow you to access all of your digital content while offline. Essentially, home machines work a lot like PS3s do now, allowing you to download content and access them whenever you like.

You know how the 3DS can close without shutting off? The PS4 can do that too. It can suspend any game you like, anywhere you like, at any time. You can then turn off the machine and start up your game again wherever you left off. It’s a bit less useful since the PS4 isn’t portable, but it’s still cool.

Many people think that the Xbox One will be making exclusive use of tablets and smartphones but Sony also has a cool and lesser known PS4 feature that does the same thing. Sony will be releasing a PS4 app that will allow tablets and smartphones to interact with the PS4. They will be able to act as separate game screens, or simply extra monitors for info and menus. Essentially, it will do everything the Xbox Smart Glass does, and some of the things that the Vita does when connected to the PS4. It’s great for users who don’t have a Vita but still want to access touch screen features in games.

This is a pretty simple entry in our list of 10 Cool and Lesser Known PS4 Features. Sony has always been big about making everything on their controller a button. The analog sticks were buttons in the past, and now the Dualshock 4’s touch pad is also a button. It basically feels like clickable touchpads do on laptops. Hopefully it will be a little bit more accurate than that, though.

PS4 game access will actually be handled a lot like Steam. As long as you can log in, you can access your digital library on any PS4 in existence. Friend’s house? Sure. Vacation home? Sure. Random PS4 at a convention? Sure! There’s no more of these console activation limits that we have futzed around with on the PS3.

Finally, Sony is being nice enough to include an HDMI cable with their HD console. Granted you can get one for five bucks on Amazon, but it was incredibly annoying to have to go out and get another cable before finally hooking up your brand new console. Also, this prevents people from stupidly spending 50 dollars on an overpriced HDMI Monster cable.

Just like the PS3, the PS4 has an easily replaceable hard drive. Just slide the old one out, slide in the new one, run a backup program, and BAM, instant upgrade. Of course, the PS4’s hard drive is 500 GB large, so it’s unlikely that you will have to upgrade very often. Then again, who knows how big PS4 games will be? Maybe we will need a terabyte of memory, who knows?

Finally, there is the final entry in our list of 10 Cool and Lesser Known PS4 Features that will make a lot of obscure game importers really happy -- no region locking. A PS4 game is a PS4 game no matter where you are in the world. Live in the UK and want to play that awesome Japanese fighting game that never got here? Go ahead and import it. Looking to play the latest Final Fantasy before it is localized? Import away. Heck, you’ll even be able to browse the PS4’s digital store in other countries as well, much as you can now on the PS3.