The PS4 firmware 1.7, which is the latest of its string of updates, may be dropping in as early as next week, if an insider in the industry is to be believed.

This is further affirmed by Chris Owen, PlayStation Community Manager, as he tweets:

Goodness, so much news coming out this week o/

— Chris Owen (@Envisager_) April 14, 2014

While there is a big chance that this relates to the PS4 firmware 1.7 update, PlayStation Universe reports that there have been previous hints as to the update from insiders. Some of the mentioned PS4 firmware updates include fixes for stability issues as well as what is said to be a new game sorting feature.

The mention of a lot of news coming out may also include the announcement of the date for "The Last of Us" on the PS4, as a number of retailers have leaked a possible June release date.

GameSpot reports that three major retailers, namely Best Buy, Target and GameFly have all listed the game for a June 20 release date. Of course, this could be a placeholder. But if Sony is slating for a lot of news-breaking this week, then including the PS4's version of the much-awarded game would be a good inclusion.

Already, on the EU side of the PlayStation, maintenance seems to be coming up after the holy week holiday. VG 24/7 adds that a 12-hour maintenance may be scheduled on 4 pm BST on Easter Monday that will crossover to 4 am, Tuesday.

The report states that if the maintenance pushes through, the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Home and Account Management may go offline, so users best do their downloading business beforehand.

More PlayStation Now Beta News

After the leaked 19 games that have been found available for streaming on the PlayStation Now, it seems that a comparison of loading times between the first phase games and the second phase beta games has been compiled.

DualShockers has spotted the comparisons of the video loading times for four games:

  • "Shadow of the Colossus," from 53.98 to 46.72 seconds
  • "Shatter," from 39.77 to 38.86 seconds
  • "Disgaea 4," from 47.12 to 33.30 seconds
  • "Dead or Alive 5," from 51.10 to 36.55 seconds.

All of the other games listed load at less than 50 seconds, with the exception of "WipeOut HD," which loads at 57.19 seconds.

According to the report, possible variations in loading times may be affected by the bandwidth of the user (though for the test, the same Internet connection was used). Servers may also be considered for the loading times.

But all in all, the improvements are very much noticeable and welcome, considering that the PlayStation Now is still on beta mode. The launch for PlayStation Now is scheduled for summer, so expect more improvements, perhaps even beyond just the loading times for games.

Read more gaming and tech news:

'Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare's' Zomboss, 'Borderlands 2's' Final Headhunter and 'COD Ghosts'' Soap MacTavish DLCs Teased

'Watch Dogs' Coming to the Wii U on Fall 2014, ESRP Re-rating and Cheat Codes Discussed

'Titanfall's' Next DLC Detailed and the Sweetest 'Titanfall' Bundle Deals to Get

RELATED STORIES