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While the PS4 has been out for a while now, Sony have been working hard to make sure that their software updates add new features to the overall experience. With that said, many of these features have been put in place to make our lives easier, and with those features come new ways to get the most out of your PS4. As a PS4 gamer, here are some tips I have uncovered that will make your life easier.
1. Delete Multiple Saves to “Save” Space
One of the worst things about the PS4 is the save support. After three years with a PS4, my games saves have reached over 12GB of space. That is a lot of storage space I could be using on other things. Luckily, Sony have improved the save deletion feature, as before it only allowed you to delete one save at a time, and you would have to reload the whole list again to delete another.
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This was a tedious process that took forever. Now all you need to do is head into the Save Data Utility>Saved Data in System Storage>Delete>press the options button> Select Multiple Applications. Now go through the games you will never play again, and those that you have platinum-ed etc. You will see that some games have massive saved files like Little Big Planet, Ark, and Final Fantasy XV. Select all those games you think will be worth deleting, and then delete them. I freed up 5GB by just deleting old games I will never play again.
2. Take Better Screenshots
By default the PS4 takes screenshots in full HD, and 4K on the PS4 Pro, but in a JPEG format. This means that your screenshots are heavily compressed and lose quality when you taken them. There is a way to change that and get the best quality screenshots out of your game. It involves heading into your Share Menu and selecting Sharing and Broadcast Settings, head down to Screenshot Setting, and change it to PNG. You can also change the resolution to 4K on the PS4 Pro in this menu.
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You PS4 will now take PNG screenshots when you earn trophies, or press the Share button. Keep in mind that this file type is much larger than the JPEG, so your screenshots will take up more space. You are looking at 5-7MB for HD, and up to 20MB for 4K screenshots, so make sure you have enough space and that you copy your screenshots off your PS4 to back them up before clearing the folder out.
3. Make use of the Apps
Sony has some cool apps available on both Android and iOS. There is the dedicated PlayStation App that lets you view your friends list, trophies, communities, and connect to your PS4 using your smart phone as a second screen, or remote play. This app is great if you want to do something on your PS4 while in a game. It also shows your friends' activities and lets you see what is on sale in the PlayStation Store.
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Then we have the PlayStation Messages App that lets you chat to your friends through the PlayStation's text service. We all know how tedious texting can get while using the DualShock 4 controller, so this makes your life much easier by letting you reply to messages and create new ones from your smartphone. These apps are a must for any PS4 owner's smartphone.
4. Hide Offline
I make use of the feature quite often. I sometimes just need an hour to play a game without my Overwatch friends spamming me with invites to a chat party and game. Sometimes I need a moment to record gameplay without being overwhelmed with notifications too. This Hide Offline feature lets me pretend I am offline on the PSN, so my friends, and sometimes family, cannot see me. To them my presence will look like I am offline, but I will be online and I can see what they are doing.
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Too make use of this feature, just hold down the PS Button and head to Online Status. From there select “Appear Offline”, this will now let you carry on without your friend ever knowing you were online. If you want to log into your PS4 in offline mode, just press the options button on your profile picture when looking at the start page on the PS4. Here it will give you the option to log in while appearing offline.
5. PS4 Web Browser is Better than you think
Something that I never utilized until a few months ago when I realized just how great the PS4's built-in web browser actually was. Anything you want to do on the net, can be done on that browser, even while playing a game. Looking for a guide on how to collect all the Royal Arms in Final Fantasy XV? Do it on your console while the game is running. It saves you from going to your PC or reaching for your phone.
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You can stream videos off of it too, so any video guides you are looking for will play as well. The browser is very fast and smooth, even while you have your game running in the background. Give it a go and see how it makes searching the web, and getting trophy runs done, so much faster.
Do you have any other great tips for getting the most out of your PS4? Share them with us in the comment section. ICYMI, check out our PlayStation 4 Pro vs. PlayStation 4 video below.
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