PlayStation 4 Update 1.7 Coming Soon, adds SHAREfactory

Sony announced their next major PlayStation 4 update a few weeks ago, and although that already feels like a lifetime, a little more patience will be required. It’s not quite ready to go, but the House of Kratos has revealed a bit more about what you can expect in the next big set of firmware, including a little more information on the new video editing suite.

1.7 is all about sharing, which is of no surprise. The share button has been pressed an unbelievable amount, if Sony’s early numbers are anything to go by, and people have been asking for fixes and expansions that’ll make forcing gaming videos on your friends easy as kick ass pie. The largest addition to this is SHAREfactory – the new program that means transitions and cuts are doable from the PS4 – but those with more professional set-ups will be happy to know that they’ll now be able to take proper 1080p video from HDMI capture devices. It’ll be possible to turn off the HDCP in the new update.

SHAREfactory is a new app that will enable PlayStation 4 users to properly toy with the video and pictures they’ve taken. From the official PlayStation Blog:

With SHAREfactory, you can now easily combine your captured video clips for editing, personalize them with special effects using filters, transitions, and themes, as well as share them with your friends and social networks. SHAREfactory also allows you to personalize your videos by adding text, stickers, and a set of included audio tracks, as well as video commentary with picture-in-picture capability with PlayStation Camera. It also allows you to import your original music to add to the custom soundtrack for your video.

You won’t be able to upload directly to YouTube, although 1.7 does bring with it the chance to export video to an external drive. By doing that, you can put your video wherever you want. 

On top of the sharing stuff, there’s also a new option to pre-download games you’ve ordered ahead of their release date. These will be automatically transferred to your system when it’s in standby so that, as soon as the release date passes, you’ll be able to play your new game. This is a brave move, since a similar feature on PS3 effectively leaked Grand Theft Auto V weeks early, but it’s hard to imagine Sony won’t have learnt from their mistakes.

SHAREfactory isn’t the only major new addition to 1.7, although it’s the only one they’ve properly described. The official post says there’ll be more reveals closer to release, although doesn’t specify. The Japanese version of the blog post revealed a date of April 30th, although this was removed. If Sony aren’t ready to reveal the release, you can bet nothing is exactly set in stone. For that reason, you’ll want to hold off on getting to excited when the month starts winding down.