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PS4 SDK updates hint at possibly allowing PSN ID changes in the future?

Lirrik

Member
I was reading release notes for Unreal Engine 4.14 (here) and noticed something interesting:

Refactored the PlayStation 4 Online Subsystem engine plugin to support PlayStation 4 SDK version 4.008.061.

Deprecated the use of “Sce Np Online Id,” replacing it with “Sce Np Account Id,” as per Sony's recommendation. Online users are now exclusively identified by their “Sce Np Account Id.”

Simplified the handling of unique net IDs across the PS4 online subsystem.

Switched from “Np Toolkit” to “Np Toolkit2,” to support the new APIs which work with “Sce Np Account Id.”

Added asynchronous name resolution to convert between “Sce Np Online Id” and “Sce Np Account Id,” using Sony's ID mapper web interface.

For PlayStation 4 online users, the “To String” and “Get Bytes” functions in “Unique Net Id” now return the user's “Sce Np Account Id.”

Previously these functions returned the user's “Sce Np Online Id.” Any custom online code or services backend will need to handle identifying users by their “Sce Np Account Id,” as according to Sony's recommendations.

If required, the “Sce Np Online Id” for local users and friends can be obtained via the “Get Display Name” interface in “Online User.”

Looks like Sony is making changes to make sure games retrieve PSN ID via internal account ID which would allow to unbind data from display name. Could this mean we can hope for PSN ID changes in the future? Still a big question on how it's going to be handled for the old titles and platforms, but looks like some progress is being made.
 

Sephzilla

Member
Hmm. This gives my "PSN name changes weren't possible because the actual display name was the primary key in the database" theory some merit.

God I hope PSN name changes are coming.
 

jwk94

Member
Hopefully this also allows you to check someone's name history. I'd hate to have to guess who people are after they change their name.
 

AmuroChan

Member
Good for them if they can finally allow name change. They've literally left millions of dollars on the table by not being able to do this.
 

Hexa

Member
Well shit. If I'm reading that right it probably means that games will need to be patched to support it.
 

mollipen

Member
Desperate to change my name BUT—everything I've done in Overwatch I've done with my secondary account. If this happens, man I wish I could move all of my unlocks over to my main account.
 
THANK GOD!

When I was a religious, youth-group attending teenager, I was part of a Christian clan called Sons of God. My PSN ID is still SOGInferno, despite the fact that I'm a dirty liberal atheist now.
 

JP

Member
If it did happen it's good for people who want it but I can't imagine using it myself, unless they started allowing spaces in your ID.
 

Rellik

Member
I can't wait to change my name to Rellik0248317486312463xXX because Rellik0248317486312463xX is already taken.

Do Sony release old IDs like Microsoft do?
 

wiibomb

Member
Hmm. This gives my "PSN name changes weren't possible because the actual display name was the primary key in the database" theory some merit.

God I hope PSN name changes are coming.

I don't think there is any other excuse to not let this happen, it must be a data binding with the name of the account in their database systems...

I really hope they allow this change
 

dealer-

Member
Desperate to change my name BUT—everything I've done in Overwatch I've done with my secondary account. If this happens, man I wish I could move all of my unlocks over to my main account.

Same, pretty much abandoned my old account earlier this year.

I doubt I'd move back even with a name change but this is great for everyone else if it does happen.
 
I would pay an obscene amount of money to change my completely abhorrent PSN name that I allowed my young cousin to make for me five years ago.

Let me pay you for the pleasure, Sony.
 

j0hnnix

Member
hallelujah-gif.gif
 
About damned time, I've been a man named kitikat getting creepy messages for far too long.

I wonder how much they'll charge though.
 

Sch1sm

Member
Already abandoned the old account since, y'know, I thought 10 years was a long enough wait when I got my PS4 in 2015.

Great, I guess, for those who held out onto their old PSN IDs rather than changing it.
 

Pennywise

Member
Hmm. This gives my "PSN name changes weren't possible because the actual display name was the primary key in the database" theory some merit.

God I hope PSN name changes are coming.

I always get a good chuckle out of it.
Just thinking about the possible scenario when they build it up.

Just how ?
 

Noobcraft

Member
I wouldn't change my ID, but I know a lot of people who want/need to change theirs so this is great news if it is what it looks like.
 

Qwarktastic

Neo Member
For years I wished I could just change my ID. Stupid 13 year old me just wanted to play online and I just hit X and moved the analog stick on every letter... You can pretty much guess the consequences.
 
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