Hidden PlayStation 4 features only power users know about

Sony’s PlayStation 4 console has many great features, a number of which are hidden deep in the sprawling branches of its menu structure.

Some features are completely obscure, with no visible menu options to speak of, and its only documentation is available online… if you know what to search for.

Here are some of the coolest features of the PlayStation 4 you might not know if you are not a power user.

Turn on the TV along with your PlayStation 4

Using the HDMI Device Link option, you can control your PlayStation 4 with the remote control of a HDMI-CEC television.

Functionality differs between apps and brands, but at the very least you will be able to turn on your PlayStation when you turn on your TV, and vice versa.

Listen to music from a USB drive

One of the PlayStation’s hidden features – if you don’t create a “Music” folder on your USB drive, then the music player won’t even appear on the console’s home screen.

After creating the folder, you can copy music files into it and these files will be available to play through the PlayStation 4’s built-in music player.

M4A, MP4, 3GP, and MP3 files are supported, so long as they were encoded using AAC or MP3.

Maximise the battery life of your DualShock 4 controllers

The light bar on the front of the DualShock 4 is a drain on the battery. You can minimise the drain from the light by dimming it.

To do this, hold the PlayStation button on the controller, select “Adjust Sound and Devices”, then scroll down to the brightness setting.

Use your phone as a keyboard

If using the DualShock 4 to type is cumbersome, using its analogue sticks or motion control capabilities, you can always use the PlayStation smartphone app instead.

To do this, download the app to your Android device or iPhone, then link it using the PlayStation App Connection section in the console’s menu.

Quick-switch between games and applications

Everyone should know that pressing the PlayStation button once will pause your game and return you to the menu.

Pushing and holding the PlayStation button will bring up the controller settings and power menu.

What you might not know, is that double-tapping the PlayStation button will quickly switch between the two most recently open applications.

Play remotely on your Windows or Mac PC

Sony introduced a new feature in a recent patch that lets you play on your console from your computer.

To use remote play, you will need to download the client for Windows 8.1 and 10, or OS X Yosemite and El Capitan, and connect a controller to your PC with a USB cable.

Record and edit video, and capture screenshots

The PS4 has the ability to record gameplay footage and capture screenshots. You can also edit everything together using the ShareFactory.

By default, pressing the Share button on the DualShock 4 controller will take you to a menu where you can save screenshots and recorded video of gameplay from the past 15 minutes.

To take a screenshot, push and hold the Share button. To start recording video from a specific point, press the Share button twice quickly.