jetsetfluken
Member
I was going to make a big thread detaling all of this in a more proper form, but I'll just throw them out there now, since it seems like a suitable time (post-E3)...especially after all the news.
From E3 I was hoping for some talk of more new features that expanded on what was (in my opinion, pretty comprehensively) shown on February 21. Unfortunately, these two missing features are still a mystery, and honestly, probably something not even on the radar.
Starting rough in the PS3 generation, the PlayStation Network had some issues and limitations that I believe should and can be now tackled, now that new hardware is coming.
The first is PSN ID's being able to be changed.
Microsoft has allowed this freedom since 2005 if I recall.
With MS, there is a $10 USD charge to avoid abuse (and get some profit) of course, but that freedom is very liberating --- that you can devote yourself to a Gamertag and if something arises that you don't want that nickname anymore, you can change it at any time.
With Sony...want a new name? Start a whole new friends list, trophy list, purchase/download history, and so on.
Is that backwards and ancient to anyone else?
Also, if changing PSN ID was to be put in place, it needs to be the way MS currently has it: if the name is changed, the old name becomes available again. That way, the user can start fresh on a new account but then reserve their old name again
The second and personally more important, is ability to change account region.
Microsoft have started to allow this to be done, with I believe a 6-month limitation, in 2012.
In case you haven't noticed, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) is divided. SCEA, SCEE, SCEJ, and so on.
Each region has their own PS Store.
When you sign up for PSN, your account region denotes what Store you are able to access.
Each Store has their own different selections of games.
This is even more of a problem now for gamers who want to access other region digital content on PS Vita.
On PS Vita, it is locked to only one account at a time. Which means content from other regions is actually impossible to play unless the main account's region matches.
Take a look at this:
http://gameavail.wikia.com/wiki/PS_Vita_PSN_Impossible_Trophies_100%_(account_region_based)
That is a list of just different availabilities of digital PS Vita games in Europe, North America, Japan, and Hong Kong.
Besides not being able to play a game if the region isn't "correct", users interested in having a Trophy collection that spans international region games are now left in the dirt.
Besides that, there are many other reasons why this feature is needed. People move. And in different regions (and thus PS Stores), currency is different. Want to buy content using your new credit card in your new region? Make a new account and sacrifice all friends, trophies, purchase/download history, and so on. And on Vita, sacrifice ability to even play the games unless you change to a new region account.
Is that backwards and ancient to anyone else?
I wouldn't have bothered making this thread if I knew certain Sony people didn't read GAF, especially lately post-E3.
For Sony to truly 100% win me over for PS4, account region switching, and also ideally PSN ID changing as well, needs to come to fruition. Bag on Xbox all you want, but currently any region account on Xbox Live can access all games...and if they can't, just change account region.
From E3 I was hoping for some talk of more new features that expanded on what was (in my opinion, pretty comprehensively) shown on February 21. Unfortunately, these two missing features are still a mystery, and honestly, probably something not even on the radar.
Starting rough in the PS3 generation, the PlayStation Network had some issues and limitations that I believe should and can be now tackled, now that new hardware is coming.
The first is PSN ID's being able to be changed.
Microsoft has allowed this freedom since 2005 if I recall.
With MS, there is a $10 USD charge to avoid abuse (and get some profit) of course, but that freedom is very liberating --- that you can devote yourself to a Gamertag and if something arises that you don't want that nickname anymore, you can change it at any time.
With Sony...want a new name? Start a whole new friends list, trophy list, purchase/download history, and so on.
Is that backwards and ancient to anyone else?
Also, if changing PSN ID was to be put in place, it needs to be the way MS currently has it: if the name is changed, the old name becomes available again. That way, the user can start fresh on a new account but then reserve their old name again
The second and personally more important, is ability to change account region.
Microsoft have started to allow this to be done, with I believe a 6-month limitation, in 2012.
In case you haven't noticed, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) is divided. SCEA, SCEE, SCEJ, and so on.
Each region has their own PS Store.
When you sign up for PSN, your account region denotes what Store you are able to access.
Each Store has their own different selections of games.
This is even more of a problem now for gamers who want to access other region digital content on PS Vita.
On PS Vita, it is locked to only one account at a time. Which means content from other regions is actually impossible to play unless the main account's region matches.
Take a look at this:
http://gameavail.wikia.com/wiki/PS_Vita_PSN_Impossible_Trophies_100%_(account_region_based)
That is a list of just different availabilities of digital PS Vita games in Europe, North America, Japan, and Hong Kong.
Besides not being able to play a game if the region isn't "correct", users interested in having a Trophy collection that spans international region games are now left in the dirt.
Besides that, there are many other reasons why this feature is needed. People move. And in different regions (and thus PS Stores), currency is different. Want to buy content using your new credit card in your new region? Make a new account and sacrifice all friends, trophies, purchase/download history, and so on. And on Vita, sacrifice ability to even play the games unless you change to a new region account.
Is that backwards and ancient to anyone else?
I wouldn't have bothered making this thread if I knew certain Sony people didn't read GAF, especially lately post-E3.
For Sony to truly 100% win me over for PS4, account region switching, and also ideally PSN ID changing as well, needs to come to fruition. Bag on Xbox all you want, but currently any region account on Xbox Live can access all games...and if they can't, just change account region.
