PS4 Update 5.50 Beta Brings Parental Controls To Limit Kids' Playtime

Those who aren’t in the beta program will get the 5.50 update in the future. Some of the big features coming in the software update include Play Time Management, Library UI updates, enhancements to Quick menu, and more. Play Time Management will probably be the feature that parents of little gamers will appreciate. This feature allows family managers set as guardians over a child’s account to manage when and for how long the kids can play.

This new feature is accessed in Settings – Family management and can be controlled on the PS4 or by logging into the PS account via a web browser on a PC or a smartphone. Sony wrote, "If needed, the family manager/guardians can apply playtime restrictions to make sure that the child is only playing for a set amount of time or within set playable hours. Notifications on PS4 will be sent to the child during gameplay so that he or she knows when they should save and quit. The family managers/guardians also have the option to add extra game time via their smartphone or PC. In addition, the family manager/guardians can choose whether or not to automatically log the child out of their PS4 once their playtime is over."

There is also Library UI update that sees new tabs added with one being a "This PS4" and the other a Name/Avatar tab. The “This PS4” tab will list all the applications that are installed on the PS4 system. The Name/Avatar tab will show all the apps that the player has purchased using their PSN ID. This will make it much easier for folks to find the games they have purchased but didn’t install.

The update also brings with it a PS Plus tab that let you see at a glance what games are in the Monthly Free Games Library. There will be an icon beside those free games to let the user know if their subscription has expired and they need to register again to continue playing. The new update will also allow the user to hide certain apps under the “Purchased” tab is in the Library. This means you can hide all those betas, trials, and demos that you didn’t like.

Sony added a pulldown menu under the Friends tab in the Quick menu that allows you to see which of your friends are online. Sony also made tweaks to the music function, "Whenever you’re listening to music on PS4, you’ll be able to access certain shortcuts from the Quick Menu. If you’re using Spotify on PlayStation Music, the ‘square’ button will serve as the shortcut for volume control. And when you’re on the Media Player or the USB Music Player, ‘triangle’ will work as the shortcut for play or pause, and the ‘square’ button as the volume control."

Other tweaks include the ability to listen to favorite tracks while streaming on PlayStation Now, while notification updates allows you to delete old notifications. Custom wallpapers can be imported via USB and team pages can be customized for tournament play. PS4 Pro users also get a new “supersampling mode” under settings to deliver better visuals for TVs with a 1080p resolution or less.