Sony has confirmed that you’ll be able to access your game library from any PS4 console as long as you log in. Account and play any game from your digital library.”. To “Play As You. He doesn't have a PS+ account, and I don't have a PS4, so I activated it as my primary PS4. Based on what I've read on the FAQ, any user can play my digital games and do online gaming since I activated the system as my primary PS4. A friend offered his account so we can play his digital games. He has a primary PS4 activated.
By Luke KarmaliSony has released a new FAQ detailing how digital game sharing will work on the PlayStation 4
The FAQ explains that you'll be asked to register one PlayStation 4 as your primary console. Doing so will mean anyone playing on that console on different accounts can play games and apps you've gotten from the PS Store and make use of PS Plus benefits, or you can connect to it over the internet with your Vita to make use of Remote Play.
Registering your PS4 as your primary system will allow other users who play on the same console with different accounts access to any games you've downloaded without you having to log in. Additionally, if you have PS Plus and register a PS4 as your primary console, then every account that plays on that system will be able to make use of certain benefits like online multiplayer even without their own PS Plus subscription.
If you want to play on another PS4 that isn't your primary console, you can download any game you've bought on the PS Store as long as you sign into PSN. Only you'll be able to start the games you've downloaded, and you can only be logged into two consoles at any one time: your primary PS4 and one other secondary one (like a friend's). The good news is there's no limit on the number of systems you can download your games to. You have to be logged in in order to play, but from the sounds of things this means you can share digital games with as many mates as you like, though only one of these secondary consoles will be able to play a title at any given time and you'll have to tell them your password so they can log in.
As has been mentioned before, the situation with discs remains the same as ever. Sony has reiterated that, 'You can share disc games with your friends and play used disc games on your PS4 system just like you can on a PlayStation 3 system. You do not have to connect to the Internet or pay any usage fees to play used games.'
The PlayStation 4 will be available in North America on November 15 and in Europe on November 29.
Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Junior Editor. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.
Thanks to the PlayStation 4's Play As You Download feature, PS4 gamers will be able to play any of their digital games from any system without having to wait hours for a game to download.
“You can visit your friends house you can log into your account and play any game from your digital library, which is good," said Neil Brown,
Brown went on to note that a similar system is in place for physical Blu-ray games.
Chunks of data "are automatically copied to the hard drive in the background. This means that after the first few minutes your game can rely on having faster read speeds from the hard drive. Which provides a better experience for players, and this is a completely background process for the player. They don’t have to wait for anything to install before playing the game. The game will launch as soon as the disk has been put in the drive.”
The instant boot-to-game functionality of the PS4, combined with the background downloading and installing, are what make the PS4 truly "next-gen" in my book, more than simply the improvement in graphics.
Of course, better graphics and more RAM are huge parts of what will make the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 desirable for gamers, but it's these little details and conveniences that will bring "instant gratification" to gamers on next-gen systems.
Ultimately, making digital distribution of games affordable, convenient, and consumer friendly will make these platforms more popular and profitable. The war for America's living room will largely be fought on this battleground---and even larger battles over the future of successful tech companies will be fought along similar lines.
Follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Read my Forbes blog here.
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Brown went on to note that a similar system is in place for physical Blu-ray games.
Chunks of data 'are automatically copied to the hard drive in the background. This means that after the first few minutes your game can rely on having faster read speeds from the hard drive. Which provides a better experience for players, and this is a completely background process for the player. They don’t have to wait for anything to install before playing the game. The game will launch as soon as the disk has been put in the drive.”
The instant boot-to-game functionality of the PS4, combined with the background downloading and installing, are what make the PS4 truly 'next-gen' in my book, more than simply the improvement in graphics.
Of course, better graphics and more RAM are huge parts of what will make the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 desirable for gamers, but it's these little details and conveniences that will bring 'instant gratification' to gamers on next-gen systems.
Ultimately, making digital distribution of games affordable, convenient, and consumer friendly will make these platforms more popular and profitable. The war for America's living room will largely be fought on this battleground---and even larger battles over the future of successful tech companies will be fought along similar lines.
Follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Read my Forbes blog here.
Related on Forbes: