Update (March 25): Sony has confirmed that the version 2.5 PS4 firmware will be available for download tomorrow, March 26. In addition to the features discussed below, Sony announced the update will also bring the ability to back up the PS4's internal hard drive to an external USB disk, to find PS4 friends through a Facebook account connection, and to upload recorded videos to DailyMotion in addition to other options. More details are available on the PlayStation Blog.

Original Story (March 12)

Way back in February 2013, Sony's Mark Cerny promised that the PlayStation 4 would include a handy suspend and quick-resume feature. The idea was to pause a game, then leave the console in an "idle mode" that kept the game state in memory, allowing players to pick up later from that exact point with no loading required. Then, just before the system's November 2013 launch, Sony announced that the feature wouldn't be ready in time for the system's North American release.

Nearly 17 months after that launch, Sony is finally ready to make good on its promise. The resume/suspend feature is part of the system upgrades planned for the version 2.50 firmware update, which Sony said will be available "soon." The long-delayed feature will be "supported by nearly all PS4 titles," Sony Director of Product Planning & Software Innovation Scott McCarthy said in an announcement post for the upcoming firmware , dubbed "Yukimura" inside Sony. Microsoft has had a similar "quick startup" feature since launch, as demonstrated in the comparison video on this page

Elsewhere in the update announcement, Sony also discusses new system-wide accessibility options that will be welcome news to those with certain disabilities. Those with vision limitations will be able to take advantage of "text to speech, enlarged text, bolder fonts, higher contrast UI, zoom for displayed pictures, inverted colors on screen," across the platform. The update will also include a system-level button configuration utility, letting players reassign functions from shoulder buttons to face buttons across games, for instance, and "making it easier for users with limited manual dexterity or limited reach and strength to play."

The update also comes with a slight upgrade to streaming gameplay through the Remote Play and Share Play features. That streaming will now be available at a maximum of 60fps, up from a 30fps cap previously. That's a nice upgrade, but you're going to need an extremely healthy Internet connection to take full advantage of it based on our tests.

One final relevant new feature in the upcoming update: the system will now automatically take a screenshot when you earn an in-game trophy. That's sure to help satisfy all those "pics or it didn't happen" jerks on your social media feeds.