Schedule Gameplay Sessions, Remote Play from PC and Appear Offline With PS4 3.5 Update

Sometimes, PS4 updates are rather uninteresting security updates that don't add anything interesting. But sometimes, we get nice juicy wodges of new features. Version 3.5 of Sony's trapezoid-esque black box's software is bringing with it some features that users of the console have been after for a long time. It's available today and here's a reminder of what you can get from it.

The headline feature is the PC/Mac  remote play. Someone's hogging the TV downstairs to watch Peppa Pig? Well don't fret, simply boot up your computer running either OSX 10.10/10.11, Windows 8.1 or later, plug in a Dualshock 4 and get ready to play. Depending on network speed, you can stream up to 720p at 60fps to a compatible PC or Mac.

Other features available today include social improvements such as tagging your friends in uploads and the ability to broadcast to Dailymotion alongside the other services already available. There's a redesigned PS+ hub, making it much easier to check out your free games and discounts.

If you're feeling sociable, there's a new option to notify you when friends come online, this can be set on a friend per friend basis, so you don't have to get constant notifications for that one friend who's got a shockingly unstable internet connection. The option to schedule events is available now too, so you can plan gaming ahead. If you're feeling less sociable though, there's now an "appear offline" mode, meaning you can hide away from the world and binge watch stuff on Netflix instead if you want.