PlayStation 4 leverages social side in 2.50 update

Two main features mark a significant update being pushed out to PlayStation 4s on March 26: a long-awaited suspend and resume function for games in progress, and a range of socially oriented additions that help make sharing with friends a cinch.

That suspend and resume feature has been a long time coming -- first announced alongside the PS4's unveiling in February 2013 -- and brings the PS4 level with a similar function on Xbox One.

It means players can pause a game, put the PS4 into low-power hibernation, and come back to it at their convenience, where game software allows: "nearly all" PS4 games will, according to Sony.

Facebook integration will make it easy to find friends that also have PS4s, a screenshot will be taken automatically every time an in-game trophy is earned so players can share the moment if they so choose, the ability to upload gameplay clips to Dailymotion is being added (YouTube and otheres are already in), and both saves and settings can be backed up to USB storage.

And a "Friends Who Play This" function cribs from Steam by showing who has a game in common, with the friend request process also tweaked so that online handles and given names can be paired together in the same introductory message.

Users will also be able to customize text presentation, color choice, picture display and button assignments in line with their preferences as part of a suite of options designed to enhance accessibility.

Meanwhile, there'll be a new way to identify users who hail from the industry side of things -- from community managers to developers and designers -- as they'll get verified accounts and be able to apply a new badge illustrating their status.

The full rundown is available from the PlayStation Blog.