The 8.0 firmware update for PlayStation 4 is being poorly received, with users loathing the changes it has made, along with reports of it causing issues.
As previously reported, the 8.0 firmware update for PlayStation 4 changed how Party and Messages worked. When starting a party, users now create a group of friends, or select an existing group that had been made previously.
However, users were quick to condemn a warning message that stated “by participating in voice chats, you agree to your voice being recorded.” This is stated as to “check if there have been genuine violations” of the Community Code of Conduct. Furthermore, SIE notes that “voice chats in parties may be recorded and sent to us by other users.”
SIE would later state they would not spy on users, but that the notification was to inform users it would be “for moderation [and] is a feature that will be available on PS5 when it launches.” This message was given on PlayStation 4 to to let users “know that when you participate in a chat with a PS5 user (post-launch), they may submit those recordings from their PS5 console to SIE.”
To make matter worse, GameRant reports users are suffering from major issues since the update. Citing @Nibellion (a Twitter account dedicated to video game news) they report users have been suffering from “friends list not loading, party system problems, stability issues,” and difficulty connecting to online games.
On the PlayStation subreddit, we found reports of soft-locking, and a PlayStation 4 being unable to accept discs. While users have been warning each other not to install the update, it may be too late for many. As pointed out by GameRant, users will be unable to sign into PlayStation Network until they install the update. This also strips them of other features and services.
As expected, the update has been poorly received due to how Party and Messages now work, the accusation of SIE spying on users, and the update itself causing issues. Along with mockery [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8] users have demanded a rollback from SIE [1, 2, 3], and even started a petition (currently sitting at 314 signatures out of a goal of 500).
Image: PlayStation Blog
