PlayStation 4: B3D User’s FAQ

Gradthrawn

Veteran
This post is for information purposes only. Please discuss/comment/rage elsewhere.

General Information:
This purpose of this thread is to attempt to answer any questions people may have about the console. With the system releasing in NA on November 15th, there will be quite a few of us on B3D who have the system on launch day and should be able to help address topics others may be curious about.

Formatting:
The format of this thread is fairly straightforward. If you have a question, post it. Each question should be clearly separated out into individual questions (even if they're within the same post). For example:

JoeSchmoe said:
What notifications can I change?

What does the menu look like?

If you have the answer, please quote the original question, pre-fix it with a Q, and supply your answer, pre-fixing your answer with an A. If the answer to a question is also available elsewhere, please include the actual answer in your response as well as a link to the supporting article/picture/video.

SallyBeth said:
Q: What notifications can I change?

A: None of them! See my video walk-through of the notifications menu below:

http://youtube.com/?00001

Q: What does the menu look like?

A: Here is a picture provided by SCEA.

The question and answer will be formatted to keep the look consistent, possibly reworded to make it a generic response, and then appended to this original post (you don't have to worry about matching the formatting of the OP for asking a question or supplying the answer). The original responses to the questions will be linked to directly, along with the author who provided the answer.

Q: What system notifications can I change?

A: At present, no changes to system notifications can be made. See the following video(s) for a look at the system menu.

Videos
(System Menu)

Originally Answered By:
SallyBeth

Q: What does the menu look like?

A: The menu, dubbed PlayStation Dynamic menu by Sony, can be viewed in the following links.

Pictures
Dynamic Menu 1
Dynamic Menu 2
Dynamic Menu 3
*The above quote is for example purposes only, and not a factual response.

Guidelines:
Let me make this absolutely clear, the intent of this post is not for the discussion of features or debates around system/company policies. This post is for information purposes only. Please create a separate thread of your own if you wish to comment on something (good or bad). I'm well aware that by keeping discussion out, this will likely be a quiet thread. Which is just fine, as then it should serve as a good reference for new users free of noise and clutter. That said, please feel free to provide feedback about the format and structure of this thread. That type of discussion is more than welcome if it can help make this a more useful post.

General Note:
I'm creating this thread now, in advance of release, since I fully intend to have a PS4 on launch day and would like to get an idea as to what questions people may have that may have not been addressed elsewhere. I'll try to provide video and/or screenshots when possible (but direct captures may not be available for displaying OS related screens). I plan to create a sister thread within the same window in advance of the Xbox One launch. This thread is only for PS4 system, service and feature related questions. Game specific questions should be addressed in game specific threads. Thank you.
 
FAQ Part One:

Q: How do I replace the PS4's hard drive?

A: GameSpot's video walk-through for replacing the PS4's internal HDD can guide you through the process. An overview of the process is as follows:

Procedure:
  1. Lay the system down horizontally.
  2. Remove the glossy plastic cover by applying pressure to it and sliding it away from center of the console.
  3. Locate the the single Philips screw that has the triangle, cross, square and circle PlayStation branding (PS branded screw).
  4. Using a Philips head screwdriver, unscrew that PS branded screw.
  5. The HDD's drive caddy can now be slid out of the system. Before removing it note the orientation of the drive caddy with it installed in the system (the direction it is installed)
  6. Unscrew the 4 black Philips screws that are on the side of the drive caddy. These keep the drive mounted in the drive caddy. Note the orientation of the original drive before removing it (what side of the drive is facing up, and the direction the SATA and power ports face).
  7. Insert the new drive into the caddy, ensuring the SATA data port and power port are in the same direction as the original drive before it was removed.
  8. Secure the new drive in the drive caddy by screwing in the 4 black screws that were previously removed.
  9. Insert the drive caddy with the newly mounted drive back into the PS4. Ensure the caddy's orientation is the same as it was before you removed it (the drive's ports need to face the same direction).
  10. Secure the drive caddy in the console using the PS branded screw that was removed earlier. Do not over torque the screw.
  11. Install the glossy black cover onto the PS4.

Videos:
PS4 Internal HDD Replacement Walk-through (GameSpot)

Originally Answered By:
BoardBonobo

Q: Can the PS4's internal HDD be replaced before updating the PS4's firmware to 1.5?

A: Yes, as confirmed by GameSpot's video walk-through of replacing the PS4's internal HDD.

Videos:
PS4 Internal HDD Replacement Walk-through (GameSpot)

Originally Answered By:
BoardBonobo

Q: Does replacing the PS4's internal HDD require downloading any firmware or utilities separately onto a USB drive?

A: Yes, according to SCE's documentation the system (PS4) must be initialized when you replace a hard drive. Initializing the PS4 and performing a new installation of system software (PS4 firmware) requires that the firmware be downloaded to your computer first. You can download the firmware from the links provided on this SCEA support page. Links for other regions will be forthcoming. The process for initializing and updating from USB is below:

  1. Ensure you have a USB storage device formatted with FAT32 with adequate free space (roughly 1 GB).
  2. On the USB storage device, create folders for saving the update file.
    Using a computer, create a folder named "PS4". Inside that folder, create another folder named "UPDATE".
  3. Download the update file, and save it in the "UPDATE" folder you created in step 2.
    Save the file with the file name "PS4UPDATE.PUP".
  4. Turn off the power of your PS4™ system completely.
    Check that the power indicator is not lit. If the power indicator is lit up in orange, touch the power button on the PS4™ system for at least 7 seconds (until the system beeps a second time).
  5. Connect the USB storage device that the update file is saved on to your PS4™ system, and then touch the power button for at least 7 seconds.
    The PS4™ system starts in safe mode
  6. Select [Update System Software].
    Follow the screens to complete the update.

Q: Does replacing the PS4's internal HDD require any additional steps to be taken on the original drive to ensure content, bonus content or services carry over to the new drive?

A: The PlayRoom, currently the only bonus content that's pre-installed with the system, is included with the fimrware that is installed when you replace the PS4's internal hard drive. If you have any save games, you'll want to copy them to external storage. At present, you can copy saved game data to USB drive (formated as FAT32) or to your PS+ Cloud Storage, if you are a PS+ subscriber.

Q: Is PlayRoom, the PlayStation camera demo application pre-installed at launch, available from the PlayStation Store?

A: The PlayRoom is pre-installed in the firmware. So, after you upgrade your PS4's internal hard drive you don't have to do anything extra to get the PlayRoom back. However, it does not appear to be currently available on the PSN store at this point. A day one update is also available for it and will queue up automatically for download and installation.

Originally Answered By:
Gradthrawn

Q: What are the "Intellectual Property Notices" in the system menu?

A: The intellectual property notices in the system menu all relate to the various registered marks for the 3rd and 1st party technology that the PS4 uses. For example, the Dolby and DTS logos and their registered mark info, along with numerous other companies are there. Here is a sample screenshot of the IP notices section. There is an entirely separate section, at the end of that notices screen, for the Open Source software. .

Originally Answered By:
Gradthrawn

Q:How long are the supplied USB micro and HDMI cables?

A:
USB Micro Cable: ~5.5 ft
HDMI Cable: ~6 ft
Originally Answered By:
Gradthrawn

Q:Does the browser work on youtube/dailymotion/html5 video?

A::
YouTube: Going straight to YouTube with the standard Flash based player enabled by default the page loads very poorly. Smooth navigation is all but impossible (scrolling down a page is very clunky and jumpy) and videos will of course not play. Going to the YouTube HTML5 allows you to enable the HTMl5 player as well as check your browser's level of support. Here are the results for the PS4, as you can see It's missing quite a few features. After enabling the HTML 5 player and then going back to the YouTube homepage the experience is much improved. Navigation is decent and video playback is smooth. Video playback was briefly tested with a regular windowed video and that same video in full screen mode with HD enabled.

DailyMotion: Page navigation is quite clunky and jumpy, experiencing similar page scroll issues as YouTube with the default player but not nearly to the same extent. Vvideo playback, however, is surprisingly smooth. Seems to default to the HTML 5 player without any additional setup steps

Navigation overall is clunky due to the lack of mouse support..

Originally Answered By:
Gradthrawn

Q: What does it mean when the power light is red instead of blue?

A: According to the PS4 online manual provided by SCEA, a red power indicator light means that the PS4 has overheated.

The PS4™ system is overheating.
Turn off the system, and wait until later to use it.
.

Originally Answered By:
Gradthrawn

Q: Does the system still upscale DVDs? Is it better/worse/equal to the excellent DVD upscaling the PS3 does?

A:

Q: Can the PS4 play media files off of the USB drives? Can those media files be copied locally to the PS4 as they can on the PS3?

A: No, there is no USB media support. Further, there is very little local media playback support of any kind at this point. Captured screenshots and video do have a "preview" mode, but that's the extent of it and is only access from the storage management or share upload menus. Essentially, the only real media support is streaming media support from the half dozen online services that are currently available (e.g. Netflix, Hulu, Music/Video Unlimited, etc). The PS3's Video, Music and Picture sections are entirely absent at present. Only the TV/Video Service section remains.

Originally Answered By:
Gradthrawn

Q:How can I test the touchpad on the DS4 to ensure that it is working?

A: Touchpad support varies game by game. There is currently no OS level support that has been discovered, and that includes the browser. There' is a demo available for Trine 2 that you can download to test with if you like.

Originally Answered By:
Gradthrawn
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I will swap out the 500GB HDD for a 480GB SSD(Applies to larger HDD and SSHD too), so I have a two part questions:

Q: Is it a straight forward swap that requires no back up data from the previous drive or a USB containing PS4 updates?

Q: If it is a straight forward swap, are there anything in the HDD being swap out that needs to be taken care of first such as a free game or some registration for launch day owners for bonus stuff?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Q. When you replace the HDD is it like the PS3 in that it formats the disk and that's it. Or do you need to download any extra firmware. Also is the PlayRoom available from the Store or is it only accessible from the original HDD?
 
The system manual for the PS4 states the following:

Intellectual Property Notices

You can view the intellectual property notices associated with the PS4™ system. Select [System] > [Intellectual Property Notices].

Q: What are "Intellectual Property Notices" in this context? Is this a DMCA thing to do with streaming maybe?
 
Q. When you replace the HDD is it like the PS3 in that it formats the disk and that's it. Or do you need to download any extra firmware. Also is the PlayRoom available from the Store or is it only accessible from the original HDD?
I would like to know this as well. AFAIK, you need to download the firmware to a USB stick if you're replacing the HDD. And Shuhei said that you will get Playroom again, so I dunno if that means that it will be on the store or it's just included in the firmware/system. Would like confirmation, too.
 
I would like to know this as well. AFAIK, you need to download the firmware to a USB stick if you're replacing the HDD. And Shuhei said that you will get Playroom again, so I dunno if that means that it will be on the store or it's just included in the firmware/system. Would like confirmation, too.

The question is answered by the Gamespot HD upgrade video. You need to download the PS4 system firmware. It's 859MB. I guess you would then need the 1.5 update from the same place. I don't know if that also recovers the PlayRoom. At 859MB I would certainly hope so!!
 
I will swap out the 500GB HDD for a 480GB SSD(Applies to larger HDD and SSHD too), so I have a two part questions:

Q: Is it a straight forward swap that requires no back up data from the previous drive or a USB containing PS4 updates?

Q: If it is a straight forward swap, are there anything in the HDD being swap out that needs to be taken care of first such as a free game or some registration for launch day owners for bonus stuff?

Q. When you replace the HDD is it like the PS3 in that it formats the disk and that's it. Or do you need to download any extra firmware. Also is the PlayRoom available from the Store or is it only accessible from the original HDD?

The system manual for the PS4 states the following:

Q: What are "Intellectual Property Notices" in this context? Is this a DMCA thing to do with streaming maybe?

Good questions, adding them to the OP. Some of them I'll be able to address fairly quickly since I'll be replacing the hard drive after I do an initial boot and setup.
 
What happens if you tried the swap if your PS4 haven't been updated to 1.5 yet? Is it safe to do it from 1.0?

That seems to be addressed in the GameSpot link BoardBonobo posted. They seem to have replaced the drive without FW 1.5. I'm also curious about replacing the drive after 1.5, to see if the process is the same. Do I still need to download the firmware separately online? What happens if I just boot up directly after replacing the drive? I'll be testing both of those tomorrow.

  1. Initial boot and setup of PSN/network.
  2. Online update to FW 1.5.
  3. Replace HDD.
  4. Boot normally and see what happens.

The question is answered by the Gamespot HD upgrade video. You need to download the PS4 system firmware. It's 859MB. I guess you would then need the 1.5 update from the same place. I don't know if that also recovers the PlayRoom. At 859MB I would certainly hope so!!
 
Umm...Shu had said they have kept a surprise feature in the PS4 they haven't talked about yet. People who have got their PS4s, an you tell what it is ?

ALso, does the video recording keep happening in the background, like they had mentioned earlier? Can u have youer previous 15 mins recorded anytime?
 
Q: How long does it take the PS4 to boot?

A: From a cold boot (system off): 22 seconds. From standby, 29 seconds. This was tested across 3 separate runs from each mode on firmware 1.5 with the stock 500 GB drive. The numbers are not reversed (a cold boot is consistently a few seconds faster than a wake-up from standby. This will be retested with an SSD to see if there is any difference.

Q: Can USB keyboards and mice be used?

A: Yes, at least at a system level. The OS will recognize USB keyboards and mice as of firmware 1.0. Firmware 1.5 seems to add additional interactivity between keyboards and the OS. Game support will vary from game to game.

Q: How does the OS handle keyboard/mice?

A: After attaching a keyboard or mouse, the login screen is shown. It states that a Keyboard has been detected, and asks what local user profile is using the device. The process is repeated for any additional attached peripherals. Before 1.5, a keyboard cannot be used to navigate the menus or do direct text input. Direct text input meaning entering text directly from the keyboard without the onscreen keyboard also being displayed. After the 1.5 system software (firmware) update, the PlayStation Dynamic Menu can be navigated directly from the keyboard, and text can be entered directly into text boxes. Once a text box is highlighted (using the arrow keys), pressing enter will allow for direct text input without an on screen keyboard. Mouse can be registered but appear to have no interaction with the OS, including the web browser.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
To answer part of one of my previous questions, if you boot the PS4 up normally after replacing the drive you're directly to Safe Mode. It will tell you need to attach a USB drive with the system software on it. In my case it said I need 1.5 (probably since I had updated to 1.5 before installing the drive).
 
To answer part of one of my previous questions, if you boot the PS4 up normally after replacing the drive you're directly to Safe Mode. It will tell you need to attach a USB drive with the system software on it. In my case it said I need 1.5 (probably since I had updated to 1.5 before installing the drive).

So does that mean you only need the 1.5 update and not the full firmware file? And do you need to boot at least once from the stock drive before you update?
 
Back
Top