PS4 social features and trophies detailed

In an earlier Kotaku report, Jason Schreier noticed that that the PS4 trophies don’t just come in ratings like Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum like with the PlayStation 3. They also come with a rarity meter, depending on how frequently the trophy is earned. The meter ranges from Common, Rare, Very Rare and Ultra Rare. According to Schreier, the ratings can change over time. This is somewhat similar to how TrueAchievements and TrueTrophies operates, except this is calculated internally by Sony and not through volunteers like the TrueAchievements and TrueTrophies system. 

According to a recent report by Polygon, the PlayStation 4 will not let users look at their Friends List or Trophies when the console is offline. As has also been noted from the Polygon report, trophies aren’t automatically synced in the background like achievements for the Xbox 360. Rather, like its predecessor the PlayStation 3, trophies require a manual sync with Sony’s servers. Unlike the PlayStation 3, where users  can view their trophies offline, Polygon reports that the PlayStation 4 does not, instead providing an error message saying:

[Connect to the Internet] is turned off.
(NW-31484-0)

According to the Polygon report, the PlayStation 4, when offline, is unable to view both the user’s friends list and the user’s PSN profile. When offline, according to Polygon, the user can check bookmarks saved onto the browser and messages received and sent.

Also according to Kotaku, the PlayStation 4 will allow users to divide their friends into two groups: regular and “true” friends. Regular friends will have their PSN ID shown, while “true friends” will have their real names shown. Another thing noted by Kotaku was that there’s a system in place for multitasking for the PS4. Simply double-tapping the PlayStation button on the Dual Shock 4 controller will allow users to swap between their last two applications. Also, reported by Polygon, the number of friends a user can have has been updated to 2,000 the PlayStation 3, Vita and PlayStation 4.