Sony is releasing system software update 7.00 for the PlayStation 4, which includes several enhancements to the console's Party and Remote Play features.

In an article posted on the PlayStation Blog, Sony Interactive Entertainment discussed key upgrades to the PS4's system that were designed to improve users' overall gameplay. Some of the enhancements were already featured in a Party update that was released last summer.

Party Feature

The development team has included several upgrades for the PS4's Party feature. This was done to improve the console's performance during multiplayer gameplay.

Gamers can now host a Party on the PS4 system for up to 16 players, which is double the initial 8-player limit. The console's network connectivity has been reworked to help prevent connectivity issues that were often encountered by users before. The audio quality has also been considerably improved.

For PS4 users in the United States, they now have the option for Chat Transcription via the PS4 Second Screen App for smartphones and other mobile devices. The feature allows voice chat from party members to be converted into text, and for text messages to be read aloud to the team. It currently supports U.S. English.

Players who will connect their smartphones or mobile devices to their PS4 while in a Party will be able to see a new Party tab on the screen. This can be found in devices that support the new Chat Transcription feature.

Remote Play

Update 7.00 for the PS4 also includes better Remote Play option for players who want to stream their favorite video games on mobile devices. The console now supports game streaming via smartphones and tablets that have Android 5.0 OS or higher installed.

To use the feature, gamers simply need to download the PS4 Remote Play app through Google Play store.

For iPhone and iPad users, the Remote Play app has also been reworked so that it would display the console's controller at all times. It also allows the screen orientation to be locked during a play session.

Fans of DualShock 4 wireless controllers will now be able to use them for Remote Play. The controllers can be linked to Android and Apple devices via Bluetooth connections.

Players just have to make sure that their smartphones and other mobile devices are running on Android 10, iOS 13, and iPadOS 13. The feature will also support macOS Catalina once it becomes available.

Sony reminds PS4 users to update their game consoles using wired connection via a LAN cable.