Last week's PlayStation 4 firmware update brought a host of nifty new features to the console, but now users report that the upgrade also brought a slew of problems.
One of these problems is fairly major, at least for video gamers using Share Play. Some players saw files erased by their friends. There also are issues with Evolve test and rest mode, so read on.
The bug allows players using Share Play to delete files from their friends' consoles. The Share Play feature is like a virtual couch, Sony says, that lets PlayStation 4 owners with a PlayStation Plus subscription hand off control of a game to another player in a different location, even if the other player doesn't own a copy of the game.
There is currently no fix for this issue, so in the meantime, only use Share Play with friends you trust with your game files.
The most widespread issue after the upgrade, though, also seems the most prevalent. Most PS4 users are reporting issues with the console's rest mode. Many PS4 users who upgraded their firmware to 2.0 recently put their consoles in rest mode, and then were unable to wake the consoles up afterward.
One such fix for this problem is forcing your PS4 to reset, either by holding the power button down or by unplugging the power source and then plugging it back in. However, this is not recommended as doing so can damage not just your files on the console, but also the console itself.
After acknowledging the problem, Sony suggests starting the PS4 in safe mode and then rebuilding the database. You can do this by pressing the power button on the front panel and waiting for the console to turn off. Once off, press and hold the power button until you hear two beeps. This takes about 7 seconds. Connect the DualShock 4 controller via USB cable to the unit. The PS4 will boot up and you'll see several options. Choose "Rebuild Database" to continue.
It's also been suggested that you can change the settings for rest mode, but if your PS4 is not waking up from rest mode, this isn't much of a solution. However, if you want to take a risk and use rest mode after the update and haven't done so already, go to "Settings," and then "Power Save Settings," followed by "Set Functions Available in Rest Mode." You'll then want to set "Supply Power to USB Port" to "Always."
Most experts, however, are recommending that the only thing you can do here is leave the console off and wait for Sony to fix the issue.
So the most obvious and realistic solution is to not use the PS4's rest mode until Sony fixes the problem.
The PS4 update also affected the alpha version of video game "Evolve."
"Following the recent PS4 2.00 firmware update, we are experiencing difficulties with the Evolve Big Alpha on PlayStation 4," 2K Games writes. "As a result, the test on PlayStation 4 is postponed."
It seems the update wasn't quite ready for real world use, but let's hope that Sony issues a patch with fixes for these problems soon. The alpha is still available on PCs and Xbox One.
Photo Credit: Evan Amos, Wiki Commons
