Sony to allow PS4 players to change their PSN Online ID
Hasty handle choosers rejoice. Sony has announced that Playstation 4 players will finally be able to change their PSN online ID from early 2019 with a trial period in November this year.
The feature will be available in the PlayStation Preview Program in November before rolling out publically next year. The first name change will be free, but to discourage abuse, each further name change will cost £7.99 or £3.99 if you are a Plus subscriber.
You will be able to display your old username alongside your new ID in order for friends to recognise you online.
Since the PlayStation Network went live in 2006, players have been unable to change their online username for Playstation games, which has become a bone of contention for older players having chosen their handle at a more delicate age. So 24 year-old TW33NY_BOppErZ can now rest easy that they can change their handle to something more palatable in the new year.
Microsoft has offered the ability to change your Xbox Gamertag for several years, leading many to wonder why Sony could not do the same. But in a blog post announcing the news, Sony said that the name change will only guaranteed to be compatible with games published after a certain date, while older systems may not support the change, suggesting the feature was a lot more complex than just flipping a switch.
“This feature is compatible with PS4 games originally published after April 1, 2018, and a large majority of the most-played PS4 games that were released before this date,” said Sony. “However, please note not all games and applications for PS4, PS3 and PS Vita systems are guaranteed to support the online ID change, and users may occasionally encounter issues or errors in certain games. If for any reason you experience issues after changing your ID, you can revert back to your original ID for free at any time.”
The welcome news for online ID changes comes after Sony also relented on its stance on cross-play with other formats. PS4 players of Battle Royale phenomenon Fortnite can now play with users on other devices, such as Xbox, Switch and mobile, as a trial period that may roll out to other games in the near future.
