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Sony has detailed the new features coming to its next major software update, including Remote Play functionality for PC and Mac, and the ability to appear offline while using the console. Sony announced the impending update in February, offering people the chance to beta test it in March.

Codenamed Musashi, system software update 3.50 includes the following features, as detailed on the PlayStation Blog. "We're making it easier to connect and play together with friends and the wider community, as well as introducing some much requested features," said Sony.

Friend Online Notification – Want to know the moment your friends come online? With this update, you can, as we've added an option to be notified when members of your friends list sign in on the network. Notifications can be tailored to certain friends.

Appear Offline – Sometimes you want to play a game or watch a movie without being interrupted. Now it's easier to go incognito as we've added the option to appear offline. You can designate if you would like to appear offline when you log-in or at any time from your Profile or the Quick Menu.

User Scheduled Event – Now it's easier to organise a game session. We've added the ability to schedule a future gameplay session with your friends on the system. When your event starts, users who registered for the event will automatically be added to a party so you can start playing right away.

Remote Play (PC/Mac) – We're bringing PS4 Remote Play to Windows PC and Mac. This feature won't be available to test in the beta, but you can look forward to it soon.

PlayStation Plus – A new option in the PlayStation Plus destination will allow you to easily check and manage your online storage.

Dailymotion, new service partner in Share feature – Dailymotion, an additional live streaming service, will become available for PS4 users to enhance their broadcast experience. Like other live streaming services available on PS4, users will enjoy the following features: Activity Feed, What's New Broadcast Info Tile, Live Detail and Live from PlayStation.

Remote play aside, the best new feature appears to be User Scheduled Events, which will come in handy for organising events with your friends list - with invites scheduled to occur automatically at specific times.

The update's beta program kicks off tomorrow (2 March) so successful applicants will shortly be able to download and try out the new features, except for Remote Play which will not be included.

Remote play has been a feature of the PS4 since launch, but only with Sony's PS Vita handheld. Microsoft's rival console the Xbox One has allowed users to stream Xbox games to play on PC since the new, Windows 10-based dashboard launched last year.

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