Sorry for delayed responses, but let me hit the highlights.
Submitted in a few weeks, barring some last minute snafus. Still some other stuff to get in, final tests, etc. Once its at MS/Sony... the timing is out of our collective hands as to how long they take to review, what they want fixed, etc... which is why we cannot give you "this is the date!" yet.
I would put that in the "very likely" camp - so definitely keep a close eye out.
1.4.0.5
Work on parity for Mobile and Console will begin once Console hotfixes (there are ALWAYS some things missed) and then Switch are done. No idea of the ETA on that yet.
My PERSONAL preference for that parity update would be to have all platforms ready at once. That is just me speaking personally, though... I will have to see what DR thinks about the feasibility of that.
I will never say never on mods beyond PC. However, there are many, many obstacles to that... so that will have to be a "maybe someday, but cannot say yes" thing.
"Dash Button" has been a common request, so I know the team is aware of the desire. Can't promise what or when beyond that at this point.
I would say that "we are about to submit to MS/Sony" is a pretty substantial difference than a nebulous "progress is good, cannot give a date" comment. The uncontrollable timing of that review process is all that prohibits a date being given, really.
Not that I've seen in the options. I have shared it with DR, however - but to be fair, they have much bigger fish to fry (not discounting your issue, just saying).
The Alpha went out recently, yes. However, it bears repeating 1000x over that it is intended for DEVELOPERS and anyone using it should do so with a heavy dose of caveat emptor.
More details here >
TML 1.4 Alpha & Progress Summary [01.08.2021] :: tModLoader General Discussions
I can 100% guarantee you the launch version will have some bugs. Every piece of software does, no matter how hard you test it. The key is getting those fixed up well and fast.
There is a LOT more going into this console update than what you would see with a "1.4 > 1.4.1" change.