Assuming that you have about as much patience as a Venus flytrap, you’ll be able to buy some of this year’s biggest PlayStation 3 games safe in the knowledge that it will only cost you $9.99/£9.99 to upgrade to the PlayStation 4 version. However, as part of a detailed explanation on the PlayStation Blog, Sony clarified that you’ll need to hang on to your original Blu-ray discs in order to take advantage of the offer, as the cheap-and-cheerful next generation downloads won’t work without them.
In truth, the promotional pathway is a little convoluted, so you may want to give your eyeballs a good rub before you proceed with this paragraph. If you purchase a retail version of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Watch Dogs, or Battlefield 4 on the PS3, you’ll find a code in the box which can be redeemed on the PlayStation Store. This will notify the PS4 – when you receive it – that you’ve already purchased the game, and will allow you to download it for a discounted price on the next generation system. From there, you’ll need to insert your original PS3 disc into the PS4 in order to run the game on the new console.
If you purchase a digital version, then you’ll be able to skip most of these steps, and the title will simply appear discounted on the PS4 store. We assume that the complicated retail procedure is designed to stop the used market from being flooded with current generation games once everyone’s unlocked their discounted next generation upgrade. It’s not an ideal system, but it seems fair from where we’re sitting. It’s especially interesting that the new console will be able to read current generation discs – we wonder if that will have any advantages when Gaikai eventually rolls out.
For those of you that are staring at this article with a puzzled expression, you may want to turn your attention to the PlayStation Blog for a more detailed account of what to do. As for the rest of you, feel free to let us know whether you intend to take advantage of this offer in the comments section below.
[source blog.eu.playstation.com, via blog.us.playstation.com]
Comments 20
I can see why they went this way and don't really see how this could be an issue.
If this is how Gaikai works, then I'm all for it.
@Lelouch I don't think it will — there's still massive costs on Sony's end to run the cloud servers, after all — but I do think that the PS3 disc reading functionality is interesting.
@get2sammyb That makes me wonder why they aren't running dedicated servers. Personally, I never saw much of a difference, but they can't let Microsoft have the online advantage again.
I, er... I think I get it. I suppose there's no other way around it, realistically.
@Lelouch Tons of PS3 games used dedicated servers, Microsoft's just decided to turn it into a marketing bullet point for Xbox One. There will be PS4 games that use dedicated servers.
@get2sammyb This. Ps3 had tons of games that used dedicated servers while MS was using P2P for its biggest franchises i.e. Halo, Gears of War etc. This gen MS has decided to cash in on the years of XBLG fees to fund a supposedly more robust server farm. Sony is not ditching dedis. In fact now that Sony has decided to make online multiplayer a premium we'll no doubt see Sony games running dedicated servers just as they did in the past. The third party titles might be an exception though.
Odd to see the 3 greediest publishers on board with such a gamer friendly plan. But I suppose since these publishers are known for their DLC they can only make money with this idea.
@Lelouch Having dedicated servers was not the reason why Microsoft had the online advantage and as stated before Sony has dedicated servers as well. Also, this promo has nothing to do with Gaikai.
Yay. Just download it and skip all the nonsense. I'm really glad they include digital copies (seems way easier to just update the files) Happy camper, here
@get2sammyb
I would imagine the disc will just have a little bit of code on it that the PS4 can read.
@Madd_Hatter401: "Gamer-friendly?" All I see here is publishers milking impatient gamers for $10 per game. After all, the PS4 games cost the same at retail as PS3 games, so this program is designed to get people wasting money in a rush to get the game fast. Whole thing is incredibly stupid, IMO.
@JCE: Ah-hah, somebody else thought of this! I'm quite certain that is the case...no reason the PS4 would need to read all the PS3 code just to do this.
@Stuffgamer1 lmao I love your state of mind... Great input!!!
So basically I can get Ghosts on the ps3 and ps4 for $70.
@Stuffgamer1 How is this milking? It seems there's lots of people out there who don't want to wait out for the next gen version of a game. Probably, publishers could sell them both versions without offering the possibility to upgrade...asking for 10 bucks for an upgrade isn't too much, imo. You basically pay a tenner for being able to play the game a few weeks before the next gen version...if you'd rent the game, you'd pay more.
It's not for me, because I have no problem to wait for the next gen version(s) in the first place, but for those who want to start early, the possibility to upgrade and in most cases even transfer your progress is a good thing, me thinks.
@get2sammyb
That could just be because their normal blu-rays, but it is interesting that the PS4 can detect what game it is at all.
They could use it in some way to bridge that gap between consoles though. Allowing people to play games they own free would be a stretch but they could allow people to "upgrade" their PS3 games for a small fee, like Nintendo is doing with transfering Virtual Console games from the Wii to Wii U.
Beats double-dipping for a full priced game at least.
You left out NBA 2K14 for the EU/UK though the US blog photo is better than the EU layout.
I'm surprisingly ok w/ this (I think my Wii U purchase is making me soft.)
I think this also helps Sony steer people to DL. If you buy the disc then you need it in your PS4 while you play, if you buy the DL a sibling or roommate could be playing on the PS3 while you play on the PS4. Since the PS4 isn't BC I'm guessing some people will keep them. So I don't think an extra $10 is too much for a 2nd copy of the game, 1 w/ enhanced graphics and all the social media support. (Nintendo is charging $50 for a new coat of paint on a 10 year old game.) Unless Sony somehow makes the PS3 version unplayable once you upgrade. Might be a problem for B4 and Ghosts w/ such an online emphasis but Watch_Dogs and AC4 should be playable offline.
How about including a reversible sleeve in games with the upgrade code. That way the game can move from the ps3 collection into the ps4 collection.
@Reverend_Skeeve: I get the feeling from all of this that more people are going to take the impatient route than otherwise would because they see this as a value...and THAT makes this whole thing an evil genius money-making scheme.
Really, it makes no SENSE to buy current-gen and upgrade in less than two months, IMO. So you're going to start playing the inferior version and then try to switch up partway through the game? I'd rather play the better game all the way through, thanks.
So PS4 can play PS3 games
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...