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Sony possibly changing PS4 OS development processes

A potential move to more Agile development processes for Sony's system software development team.

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Emilio_Estevez3915d ago WhoDisagree(0)Agree(1)
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disgaeapuchi3915d ago
Sureshot3914d ago

Good. Near-annual update rollouts are ludicrous given the popularity of the PS4

butchertroll3914d ago

It's odd that last-gen nobody complained about annual updates for X360's dashboard, but there was complain for more often PS3's updates. Now it is the opposite

LifeInNZ3914d ago

Why does everything on this site get turned into a "when the other one did it no one said anything" discussion. Times change and so do consumer expectations. More frequent rollout of updates is a good thing for all parties.

Sureshot3914d ago

Annual updates for dashboard? It changed 3 times if I'm not mistaken, at least the UI did. 360 had monthly updates too.

Omeganex99993914d ago

I agree, but it's probably because PS3 updates took forevor and were most of the times security updates to prevent hacking, more than something useful for the players. I don't like having to update my consoles every time I turn them on.

freshslicepizza3914d ago

people complained about the updates on the ps3 because most of them didn't add much. just like what we see on the ps4 and so many "stability" updates. the xbox 360 didn't get as many updates but were often major ones. now it seems microsoft is able to add monthly updates on the xbox one that not only fix things but also add new things.

disgaeapuchi3914d ago

Since the Xbox One moved to monthly updates it's probably made the contrast bigger.

PS3 did get regular updates but proper feature updates were few and far between, basically.

RocketScienceLvlStuf3914d ago

It's because xbox fanboys need to find something to attack the competition with. PS4 is besting xbone in nearly every area.

Updates is one of the few things they can find. For some reason getting an update every month is something to brag about. It's laughable really. But I guess it makes them feel a little superior for some reason.

uth113914d ago

@LifeInNZ- constant updates is one of the worst things to happen to software in the past few years. It's annoying that anytime you launch anything you don't use frequently it demands you wait to update before using it- stopping your work dead in its tracks! It also fixes some bugs while adding new ones, requiring yet another update soon after.

@RocketScience - that's pretty much the truth

donthate3914d ago (Edited 3914d ago )

If the Xbox One consistently was "updating" slowly to boot frequently with no visible changes, I think people would complain!

Heck, I would be one of them!

Just like PSN is taken down frequently for maintenance and Xbox Live is maintained while the entire system is running. That is how a cloud is, and the way Sony is doing it is what they did in the late 90s early 2000s.

Point is, people prefer in order of preference:

* fast smaller and frequent update with LOTS OF FEATURES added
* fewer updates with LOTS OF FEATURES added
* fewer updates with LITTLE TO NO FEATURES added
* frquent updates with LITTLE TO NO FEATURES added

The point is, if you are going to interrupt me, it better damn well be worth my time!!!

If you can avoid interrupting me like the standby and instant on mode of Xbox One/PS4 it is best and all of these issues are minimized, but it d@mn well better work.

On the topic, I'm glad Sony is moving to an agile process. The effectiveness of it remains to be seen though, but at least they are making progress. Very happy about this, but I suspected this when I saw the public beta on the OS.

Good job Sony! Give credit where it is due!!! :D

@uth11:

"It's annoying that anytime you launch anything you don't use frequently it demands you wait to update before using it- stopping your work dead in its tracks! It also fixes some bugs while adding new ones, requiring yet another update soon after."

That is definitely not on the Xbox One! I don't use my PS4 enough to say though.

Either way, that is more an issue of the poor programmers not testing their code properly before release. System updates should have both unit testing and integration testing and would yield very few problems. Most of the time it is the integration test that misses and that part is handled by the beta.

ShinMaster3914d ago

My PS4 updates overnight.

There are more update related articles on N4G than actual firmware updates I've had to deal with.

3914d ago
dcbronco3914d ago

Microsoft has changed the way they handle software development. They plan monthly updates on all of their software including Windows. That is why 10 is rumored to be the last release. From now on changes will be made gradually unless they are a security issue. It's also part of the reason to push for subscription based OSs.

UltimateMaster3914d ago

I would be glad if they would get feedback from us to improve the service.

mhunterjr3914d ago

Why do people keep mischaracterizing the OS updates of last gen...

Yes people hated the PS3 updates... But not simply because they were frequent... They also interrupted gameplay sessions, removed features, bricked consoles, sometimes added nothing of use, and took forever. When you have all those issues AND happen frequently, it's annoying...

With the xb1 updates, it all happens in the background, and substantial features are added most of the time... It's completely different from what happened on ps3.
Stop comparing the response to these two completely different situations.

DarXyde3914d ago

@Omeganex9999,

I REALLY hope you are joking about security updates not being "useful" for the gamer. These are necessary updates as opposed to the ones you appear to be talking about, which sound like extra bells and whistles updates.

Another thing, you don't have to turn your console on to update it; you can easily set up auto update so it does it overnight. I imagine most people with a PlayStation 3 knows this, especially those who are active on internet news sites and are "in the know".

donthate3913d ago (Edited 3913d ago )

DarXyde:

"I REALLY hope you are joking about security updates not being "useful" for the gamer. These are necessary updates as opposed to the ones you appear to be talking about, which sound like extra bells and whistles updates."

When was the last time you or ANYONE for that matter had a security breach on the PS3?

In fact, you cannot find one in the entire console history, because it has never happened.

The major breach that did affect console owners? PSN hack as it almost 80 million people!

In short the breach is far more likely to happen at the server level rather than on your puny console that houses game saves and stores nothing of value (that isn't already in public).

DarXyde3913d ago

Donthate,

Wasn't talking to you, troll harder elsewhere. I'm not even sure what point you're trying to make, but the fact still stands that security updates are useful and I would rather they beef that up than give me features before having their house in order.

I don't care what's more likely. The fact still stands that it happened and Sony needed to improve security as a result. I'm glad they're constantly doing that. Cyber crimes are pretty serious and I'm glad that their effort is going into consumer protection.

donthate3913d ago (Edited 3913d ago )

@DarXyde:

"Wasn't talking to you, troll harder elsewhere."

Of course you weren't talking to me, because I am the voice of reason. How else are you going to pull the wool over people's eyes?

"the fact still stands that security updates are useful and I would rather they beef that up than give me features before having their house in order."

The problem is that there is no security update needed on the console.

What is needed is they fix got dang PSN so it doesn't go down when they need to maintain it like Xbox Live. They need to bring PSN into 2015, and not stay in the early 2000s.

"Cyber crimes are pretty serious and I'm glad that their effort is going into consumer protection."

What are they protecting your console from?

Let's face it, what Sony calls "stability & security" update are bug fixes.

"I don't care what's more likely."

Security is all about risk management as no system is unhackable unless it isn't connected to the world. The way you manage risk is you weigh it against the value of what you are protecting. Consoles stores nothing of value, and you can't really turn it into a DDOS zombie either so little protection is needed.

I am not against security update, but as you say, the house IS IN ORDER!

DarXyde3912d ago

@donthate,

"course you weren't talking to me, because I am the voice of reason. How else are you going to pull the wool over people's eyes?

Nah, you're just trolling. A voice of reason calling themselves a voice of reason is as legitimate as someone who loves gossip telling you that your secrets are safe with them.

"The problem is that there is no security update needed on the console.

What is needed is they fix got dang PSN so it doesn't go down when they need to maintain it like Xbox Live. They need to bring PSN into 2015, and not stay in the early 2000s. "

Says who? **You**? Yeah, the network downtime is a bit of a hassle, but for all we know, updates are security and bug fixes related to network stability. It's unfortunate that it happens, but what isn't there to like about a more reliable, secure network?

"What are they protecting your console from?

Let's face it, what Sony calls "stability & security" update are bug fixes."

Future attacks? Contingencies to deal with attacks?

Let's face it, you don't work for Sony. What you say and what I say are purely speculative hunches. At the very least though, I can somewhat support my statement given Lizard Squad's mention that Xbox Live was much easier to take down than PSN. I'd say that's a testament to Sony's effort in increasing security against attacks.

"Security is all about risk management as no system is unhackable unless it isn't connected to the world. The way you manage risk is you weigh it against the value of what you are protecting. Consoles stores nothing of value, and you can't really turn it into a DDOS zombie either so little protection is needed. "

Never even remotely implied any system cannot be hacked. Nothing every constructed by man has been considered perfect, digital age included. Consoles can totally store information of value. Credit card information stored on servers is one thing, however phishing can be done through connected consoles, as indicated by receiving unusual PSN messages and opening them specifically on a console with credit card information attached to it.

Sony's security updates are important. For all we know, Sony has attempted to stress test/DDOS/hack their own network, found flaws, and continue to update their security measures.

Let's go with what you say for a moment: "no system isn't unhackable" if connected to the internet. So they should just rest on their laurels and say "this is good enough"? "Good enough" rarely ever is. People want to play online, but they want to be able to play knowing there's little risk of their information being stolen. We're paying to play online, but we're also paying to do it securely. If you want to talk about risk management and compromise, look at it this way: the network must periodically go down to ensure the network is secure.

And for what it's worth, PSN going down relative to Xbox Live is comparable to Xbox One sales relative to PS4. The problems with both Xbox One's sales and PSN are grossly exaggerated and only appear dire when compared to the better-received competition. PSN isn't really down that often at all and, if it is, it isn't down for too long.

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iTechHeads3914d ago

iOS gets 1 "major" update a year and that works incredible well for them.
I don't see why the PS4 would need to be constantly updated. If there's some useful features to give users then by all means update it.

Sureshot3914d ago

Maybe because it's still missing key features like folders, friend notification options and appear off line mode? You have to wait so long for these features if its annual. And plus, iOS was designed to be noob/old people friendly, they need to be spaced apart updates.

x_RadicalAura_x3914d ago

In terms of software development methodologies though, the waterfall model is going the way of the dinosaur. Agile/scrum is taking over by force. There's no reason for Sony not to follow suit.

Sly-Lupin3913d ago

iOS is more or less a complete operating system. It doesn't need frequent updates.

The XMB was (more or less) a complete operating system, so its constant updates were annoying.

The PS4, however, has frequent updates, is years old, AND its OS is still pretty damn incomplete, which--at this point--is just insulting.

nitus103913d ago

I actually run Fedora 22 (Linux) on my PC's and have never been inconvenienced with an update in over 15 years.

Since Fedora is a developmental OS I get updates pretty much every day and in one week it is nothing unusual to get over 200 updates. I can automate the update process or manually (GUI or command line) do it which I prefer to do, although when I update I do it at my convenience and even when updating the process does not stop me from doing anything.

If I get a new kernel I know a reboot is necessary for it to take effect however I have full control as to when I do that even though it only takes about 90 seconds.

I don't have any issue with any console that gets regular updates although I do suggest that you manually update rather than automate the process. Set aside about 10 minutes a month or even a week to do an update check and if required check on the Internet that there are no issues and if none then update at your convenience.

@Sureshot

I have not touched IOS for years although at the time it did appear that it was designed to be "noob/old people friendly" and was IMHO embarrassed to be actually based on BSD Unix although if you knew were and how to look all the Unix commands were actually there.

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alabtrosMyster3914d ago

Honestly, I don't really care for them, now that it plays media I got what I wanted most... the rest is quick and does the job (it's snappy, which is a great feature in and of itself).

I would gladly take an icon grid for my games/apps like the grid view in Steam, that would let me see almost all my games at one time.. I could press X to see the current "details" screen or square to launch a game directly!.. plain and simple!

But honestly, the way I use the console it really makes a small difference (I am barely ever on the OS menu, once I launch something I'm in there for hours at a time)... its more important to keep things simple than to add bloatware that makes the whole navigation complex and eventually slow down the menu so much that transitions become jerky.

PSIN4MANT3913d ago

@Sureshot I guess you forgot about the Spotify update, and the DLNA update, and the daily motion update and the suspend / resume feature. USB and HDD backup.

PSIN4MANT3914d ago

We've actually gotten a handful of updates this year alone, Near-annual is a bit of hyperbole.

Sureshot3913d ago

Oh yes I remember now... One stability update caused some issues with logging in lol.
Handful of updates and what's to show for it?

PSIN4MANT3913d ago (Edited 3913d ago )

You know features, and not just stability updates.

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DrumBeat3914d ago

Good news for PS4. I too, would like to see more significant updates to the OS, and released faster.

Though I will say, I actually like the PS4's OS. The only troubling thing is the What's New section, which is kind of a mess. It would serve all of us if Sony drew inspiration from Xbox One's activity feed here.

KwietStorm_BLM3914d ago

Really should have been on this path quite a while ago. Thought they would have learned from PS3. Obviously they can do more with PS4 now, but the actual development seems to be just the same.

Brettman20083914d ago (Edited 3914d ago )

Too few updates and yet too much focus on media/social media updates. Sony need to focus on core functionality like friend notifications, proper game folders and ability to change PSN IDs.

ocelot073914d ago

I do agree with some people here. On the PS3 it was getting updates every 2 or so weeks. Sure most of the time was stability updates. But some of them did as new features. Yes people complained because because all of the updates.

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80°

Playstation Plus Monthly Games for May: EA Sports FC 26, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, Nine Sols

All available May 5.

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Community11d ago
FPSRUSSIA11d ago

What's Point in commenting your basicly closing down the site.

LiViNgLeGaCY11d ago

I'm surprised it's still the old site. I thought he said starting today?

Eonjay11d ago

Its like the final episode of the Sapranos. You gonna go to make a comment and when you click add th-

Profchaos11d ago

Timezone thing maybe.... RIP

darthv7211d ago

Insert the Ferris Bueller end scene... "You're still here? It's over.."

LiViNgLeGaCY11d ago

I think the only game here for me is Nine Sols. Was always interested in that game.

TheColbertinator11d ago

Glad I don't buy FIFA games anymore

Rebel_Scum11d ago

Hey now! Thats a great month.

Nacho_Z11d ago

Good month for me, I wanted that particular footy game and thought it might be due. Anyway who cares, shame about the site I'll miss the comment sections. All the best everyone.

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70°

Naughty Dog Was Reportedly Divided On Joel's Controversial Fate During Development Of TLOU Part 2

Naughty Dog was reportedly divided on the controversial fate of Joel in The Last of Us Part 2 during the game's development.

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SimpleDad12d ago

NO, that can't be... No! I can't... Really?/s

Cacabunga11d ago

They for sure chose the worst way to deal with it

-Foxtrot10d ago

Funny considering Bruce left half way through development and now we get told there was an internal conflict with the story direction.

Makes you think…

HectixRose12d ago

I think it was good decision, if he was still alive, he would have been a mascot just like Kratos, drake and many others. These old dudes gotta die for new characters to take center stage with their own storyline. They keep dragging the emotional baggage into many sequels and eventually the story just turns into absolute shit show.

JEECE11d ago

It was ironic because people complained heavily about the story in the Uncharted games not having sufficient stakes because all the key characters always survived, despite the dangerous situations they were always in. Then ND killed a character in a more serious series and everyone lost their minds. Just shows that people don't always really want the thing they say they want.

CantThinkOfAUsername11d ago

I thought the more common complaint about Uncharted franchise was how the main cast are the good guys acting so nonchalantly while killing hundreds in cold blood (aka the dissonance between gameplay and story cutscenes). They just did it again in Part II.

Soy11d ago

Didn't have to kill him. Just have them part ways or Joel can "retire," whatever.

DarXyde11d ago

I don't think he would necessarily need to become a mascot (and besides, technically, I'd say Ellie is... So regardless, someone was going to be).

From a narrative perspective, I do think it has a similar effect to Ricky dying in Boyz N Da Hood: very likeable character, and you're really motivated to see the get back—in this case, it's more intense because it's an interactive experience. Most people hated Abby, but I get what they were after with portraying the cycle of violence and revenge—unfortunately, the game appears to want to take the side of the bad people.

But I will say that if Joel survived, it does become harder to tell an interesting story. What COULD have happened is an exploration into the rift between Joel and Ellie after the trolley dilemma events of the first game. It could have been interesting to see Abby out for revenge at the same time Ellie hated Joel.

Ashunderfire8611d ago

Sorry just had to say this lol! RICKYYYY!

Man Cuba Gooding Jr was miscast in that movie, but that part was cringey it was sad and funny at the same time man.

Ashunderfire8611d ago (Edited 11d ago )

I understand but the way they went about killing Joel, was poorly executed. Even the show of the Last of Us games tried to improved it, but it was just as bad. Well at least Joel got to know the reason why he had to die, before the death happened in the show. That part gave us the full context, but the game just let it happen with no pay off.

Joel death should have been a midway thing through the story, so we at least get to play him a little more with Ellie. Abby didn’t need to be this Hulk looking woman, but more like the show Abby which is a beater idea in my opinion.

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InUrFoxHole11d ago

The only ND game that was so disappointing to me I couldn't finish it.

pwnmaster300011d ago

Honestly as much as I loved the game, they could have just not killed him off.
I get it creator vision and all but killing a character that made you millions is just wrong imo. At least have him go down fighting.

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60°

Final Fantasy X 25th Anniversary Website Launches With New Nomura Artwork and Merchandise

Square Enix launches Final Fantasy X 25th anniversary site, revealing new Nomura art, books, music releases, and merchandise.

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-Foxtrot12d ago

Look I know VIII has its issues and all that but how on earth can the do big anniversary events with new artwork and merchandise for VII, IX and X yet VIII got sweet f*** all.

They could have given it something during its 25th anniversary yet all it got was a single Happy Anniversary post on their social media.

solideagle11d ago

they should know that we are OG fans of VIII as it sold truckload as well. not as much as VII or X. I personally didn't like IX but X and VI are my personal fav.

Shadow Hearts 2 covenant is another game I love. I hope one day someone can make remake, I would be delighted

Relientk7711d ago

Final Fantasy VIII is great and you are always the first to defend it in the comments