The last generation of consoles brought frequent patches to the forefront of the gaming world. At times it seems as if some games weren't even finished, but rushed to market in order to patch relatively large problems later. In short, it was equal parts exciting and frustrating. Getting new features was great, but waiting for bug fixes before playing your favorite games, was, well... not.

Luckily, your PS4 can take care of the busy work for you; you just have to let it. Here's how:

Head to the Settings menu on your PS4. Under the System entry (near the bottom), you'll see the Automatic Downloads and Uploads page – this is the command center for automating these updates.

By default, not every option is checked, but it's a good idea to enable them all. That way, not only will the PS4 download firmware updates (which can be several gigabytes), but install them so you're ready to go without any delays.

PS4-Automatic-Download

While you're here, be sure that games are getting automatically updated too. Finally, just like you back up your computer, take advantage of PlayStation Plus' cloud storage to back up your saves if catastrophe strikes.

One warning: if you use the PS4's "Rest Mode" to save your place in-game, any system updates will automatically restart when applied. That means you'll lose your previous progress, so be sure to save in-game before you put the system to rest.

If you want to beef your PS4 up even more, consider upgrading its hard drive. Don't forget, there are tons of accessories you can enhance your system with, too!

Do you take advantage of the PS4's auto-updates? Let us know if you've ever been stuck waiting for a patch in the comments!

Image Credit: charnsitr via Shutterstock.com