Sony’s PlayStation 4 has been on the market for over four years now and in that time, it’s managed to carve out a reputation as the number one gaming console of its generation. With over 76 million units sold worldwide, the PS4 has built an impressive install base and much of that can be attributed to its reputation as a “games first” console. It’s not controversial to say that the PS4 has the best exclusives lineup in gaming right now (although the Nintendo Switch is rapidly starting to catch up) but as with most gaming hardware these days, the PS4 can do much more than just play games. While playing games remain the PS4’s primary (and best) function, Sony’s console has a lot of nifty features under the hood that aren’t always given enough attention. While playing the latest games, you might want to spend some time delving into these really cool features that you may have missed.
Note: For simplicity’s sake, we’ve decided to only highlight features that are possible on ALL iterations of the PS4 hardware. That means that there won’t be any PS4 Pro-exclusive features discussed on this list. If you’re curious about what the benefits of the Pro over the standard PlayStation 4, TechRadar has an in-depth guide breaking down all the differences that you should really check out.