A new PlayStation 4 system software update is launching today globally, Sony confirmed.

　　The system software 8.00 update, which is the first major update in a good while, will come with the same new features that were found in the beta version of the firmware, including updates to Party and Messages and new Avatars.

　　Updates to Party and Messages

　　Following this update, Party and Messages will be more tightly linked together and you will see changes to the UI. Both apps will now use the same ‘Groups’ of players for Party voice chats and message exchanges, instead of having different groups setup across the two apps. So now you can start a Party chat or send a message to the group you’ve previously chatted with across PS4, as well as PS5 when it launches.

　　New Avatars

　　We’re expanding the collection of pre-set avatars for players to showcase on their Profile. An array of new avatars from your favorite games will be available, including Bloodborne, Journey, Ghost of Tsushima, God of War, The Last of Us Part II, The Last of Us Remastered, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and many more.

　　Mute all Mics from Quick Menu

　　We’ve added an option to “Mute all Microphones” in the Quick Menu, so you can easily mute your mics while gaming.

　　The PlayStation 4 system software update 8.00 also includes updated parental controls,  enhanced 2-step verification, updates to the Remote Play app, and more.

　　Simplified and more flexible Parental Controls

　　Under Parental Controls, we’re combining the ‘Communicating with Other Players’ and ‘Viewing Content Created by other Players’ into one setting – ‘Communication and User Generated Content’-  to cover both areas of communication and UGC sharing. This offers a simpler setting that’s easier for parents to understand and apply to their children.

　　 In addition, children can send a request to their parents to use communications features in specific games. When a child sends this request, the parent will receive an email notification and can choose to make an exception for that game and allow the child to use its communications and UGC features. This will provide more flexibility to both parents and children.

　　Enhanced 2-Step Verification

　　The 2-Step Verification (2SV) feature on PS4 will be enhanced to support third party authenticator apps as an option during the activation flow and 2SV sign-in across PS4, mobile and web.

　　Removal of Event Creation and Private Community Creation

　　After 8.00, you will no longer be able to create Events or access existing Events created by other users.

　　We’re also removing the ability to create private Communities under the Community app on PS4. If you already have existing private Communities, you can continue to access them.

　　Updates to Remote Play App on Mobile and PC

　　At the same time as 8.00, the existing PS4 Remote Play app on mobile (iOS/Android), Windows PC and Mac, will change its name to PS Remote Play, and the option to connect to PS5 will be added. You’ll need to sign in to PSN from your PS5 to be able to access the feature, so sit tight until PS5 launches this November!

　　The PlayStation 4 System Software Update 8.00 goes live today worldwide.