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univbee
Jun 3, 2004




EDIT The web and mobile stores are being replaced starting on October 19th 2020. The new stores will not allow purchasing and managing of any games that don't work on a PS4 or PS5 (so no PS3, Vita, PSP, or the PS1 and PS2 classics aside from the PS2-on-PS4 games), but purchasing and redownloading content for PS3 and Vita will still be possible from those consoles directly, as horrible as those experiences are. It's strongly recommended to download any major content you have for those consoles prior to the 19th, especially anything with a lot of miscellaneous DLC (e.g. Pinball Arcade, Zen Pinball, Dead or Alive 5) or delisted (e.g. Turtles in Time Re-Shelled, the Vita Danganronpa games). Note that you can backup a Vita's content to a PC and have an easier time transferring data to and from there.

I've been lousy at keeping these OPs up to date.

Shamelessly basing this off the late Yechezkel's OP, with some edits for the Trump era.




This thread is for discussions about everything involving games that are available on PlayStation Store of PSN. This isn’t going to be as in-depth and detailed as PS Store threads in the past, but hopefully this will be a good source of information for you. This will mostly be written assuming you're using a PS4, although discussion of other PSN-capable Playstation devices is more than welcome and I'll elaborate when I can.

IMPORTANT 2-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION

It is highly recommended to enable this, especially if you have significant investment into your PSN account. Go to this link: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/account-security/2-step-verification/

This works by SMSing you a case-sensitive code for logging into PSN from a PS4 or PC for the first time. For older devices including the PS3 and Vita, you will have to generate a device code and do your PSN login with that (save the password in your console). After that, logins from the console's store if applicable will work with your normal password.

IMPORTANT READ THIS FIRST FAQ

Issue: Download speeds on PSN are slow

Answer:
Yes, they are in some cases, although recent improvements to the network have gone a long way to increasing download speeds to something more reasonable, in most cases your connection should be saturated unless you have gigabit internet. If your download is VERY slow, try pausing your download for 10-20 seconds and unpausing it, sometimes that'll punt you to a different content server to download from which will hopefully be a more reasonable speed. Speed may also be increased putting your PS4 into rest mode.

Issue: Finding past downloads is near-impossible on pre-PS4 consoles

Solution:


A script to sort and parse the download list in the webstore is freely available. After logging into the webstore, you can either use the Chrome extension linked on the homepage, run a userscript or bookmarklet, or enter this script into the URL bar preceded by "javascript:":
code:
$.getScript("//repod.github.io/psdle/psdle.js");void(0);
Click on the blue logo after entering in the link to start the script.

If you really really don't want to use this for whatever reason, the store order is by purchase date, although anytime you add time onto PS+ all of your PS+ freebies get re-flagged as whatever date you renewed PS+ (so if you just did it all your PS+ games will be at the top). Generally it's faster to find the item in the store, although this doesn't help if the store page is removed (as the game is no longer for purchase). Any game which is no longer for sale on PSN can still be downloaded via your history except for P.T. which will still show on your download list but 404 if you attempt to download it. Also, of course, any game whose online servers are down will stay down, so while you can still download the client for some of these games they won't actually do you any good.

Site which tracks PSN prices, shows pricing history etc.: https://psprices.com is a good site to view and track sales on games, past and present, in most major regions. The site also offers email reminders whenever a game goes down in price.



Problems with Credit Cards/Paypal not working on PSN, whether they worked before but suddenly don't, or are newly added: The PSN backend is incredibly capricious and has moments where it just refuses to pull money from these sources. That said, once money is in your wallet there are pretty much never issues buying things with that money from there. Possible solutions:

1. Try funding your wallet or making your purchases from a console directly instead of the webstore.
2. Double-check your billing address. There have been instances where specific lines from your billing info on PSN can get mysteriously erased. Also make sure it's exactly as it shows on your credit card statement. Also note that only payment methods from the same country as your PSN account (which can't be changed) will be accepted.
3. Don't :f5: trying to get your payment through because that'll likely flag your account temporarily and prevent it accepting CC/Paypal funds for a few days (although wallet cards will still work).
4. If all else fails, either wait 2 days or get a PSN Wallet card if you need a quicker fix. Note that any money in your PSN Wallet is there forever until it's spent and doesn't expire. This includes gift/promo codes PSN occasionally sends out; there's an expiry date for actually putting the money in your wallet but if you want to wait from there to buy something that's no problem.

Creating PSN account for the first time, two important notes

There are two things which you CANNOT change in a PSN account so choose wisely when making one:

- Your PSN username, which is what will show in online games
- The PSN country (and language where that's an option, although this generally only affects what language the PSN store shows in and the Movies/TV Show offerings). Unless you are explicitly creating a secondary account for an exclusive import purchase, this should be your home country, although people from Western Europe, Australia or New Zealand may want to create a U.S. account for cheaper titles assuming they know what they're getting into as far as wallet funding being a pain in the rear end.

Cross-region stuff

There are something like 5 or 6 "major" regions, and then there are sub-regions for each country which offers PSN. "Major" regions include:

- The Americas - Most discussion in this thread will focus on this, especially the U.S. and, to a lesser degree, Canada and other American territories. Note that in territories south of the U.S. border, some games may be cheaper but language-locked to Spanish with no way to play in English (e.g. Diablo III) so bear that in mind.
- Developed Western European countries, plus South Africa, the Middle East, India, Australia and New Zealand.
- Other parts of Europe, especially territories where video games and goods in general are significantly cheaper (e.g. Czech Republic, Poland, Russia). Some game offerings in these territories may be language-locked and impossible to play in English. Note that they are not necessarily cross-compatible (e.g. PS+ cards) despite EU membership status.
- South-East Asia, excluding Japan
- Japan

There may be others but it's unlikely to impact anyone in this thread (although I'd like to hear from you if so.)

For the most part, countries within "major" regions are cross-compatible but outside of these isn't, so buying a U.S. disc where you supply digital DLC from Canada will work, but buying a U.S. disc or digital game will NOT work with DLC purchased on a European PSN account.

Wallet-funding cards/codes from stores will only work if your PSN account is for the country the cards/codes are from. PS+ membership cards as well as digital codes for games/DLC are generally compatible within a "major" region (e.g. a Canadian PSN account can redeem US PS+ membership cards and, say, digital game codes from Amazon.com, but couldn't redeem a $20 PSN code from the U.S.). Digital currency codes are offered for most (but not Canada, Japan, and some other locations) PSN territories at cost and are your best bet if the option is there. There are numerous online stores which sell codes for $5-10US above their base cost.

List of PSN wallet code stores:

Most/all regions
eBay: https://www.ebay.com (or your local region's equivalent)
Play-Asia: http://www.play-asia.com/digital_codes/playstation_network/14/711z3
Offgamers: https://www.offgamers.com/

Amazon sells codes in a few regions for cost price in numerous denominations. Officially requires an in-country billing address but usually fudged addresses will work, although they may be flagged for verification which can take a few hours

U.K. https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/PC-Video-Games/PSN-CARD-GBP-WALLET-TOP-Code-account/B00GUXZUSS
France https://www.amazon.fr/Carte-Playstation-Network-Code-Vita/dp/B00OQSZG6U

Japan (I've bought from almost all of these, other than a possible 1-2 day turnaround all have been fine)
Solaris Japan: https://solarisjapancards.com/
Japan-Codes: https://www.japan-codes.com/product-category/playstation-network-card/
Japan Code Supply (haven't bought from them): http://japancodesupply.com/products/playstation-network-card-3000jpy
JP e-cards: http://jp-ecards.ocnk.net/product-list/1

Sales and discounts will generally be universally applied to all countries within a region, with discounts being percentage-based with some possible rounding, so a $59.99US/$79.99CAD game on sale for 25% off will be $44.99US/$59.99CAD or thereabouts.

Bear in mind that while PSN sales can be good at times, usually physical copies of games go on sale more quickly and with deeper discounts, especially in territories where stores typically sell well below MSRP.

Movies and TV Shows are strictly country-locked, so someone in Canada can't access them for a U.S. PSN account, and differences in content and pricing can be wildly different. Also for countries where they have different language PSN accounts (e.g. Canada lets you create either an English or French PSN account and this isn't changeable), this will generally not affect game offerings but will affect the Movies and TV Shows offered (e.g. a Canadian French PSN account only offers movies dubbed in Canadian French, a Canadian English PSN account only offers movies in English).

For games, some countries may ban or censor specific titles (especially Germany for extreme horror and games with Nazi iconography, and Middle Eastern countries for some horror/violent content); if such a game is offered as a monthly PS+ free title, a different title is substituted in for those specific regions. Generally speaking, game offerings within "major" territories are otherwise almost entirely identical, down to language options (e.g. a game purchased on French PSN can still be played in English, German, Italian and a handful of other languages).

Sharing purchases with other users:

- On a PS4, you can designate ONE console as the primary console, either a regular PS4, PS4 Slim, or PS4 Pro. This means that even if that account isn't logged in, others can access its purchases, including games and non-consumable DLC (with some notable exceptions like Street Fighter V DLC). "Consumable" DLC such as in-game currency, certain items (especially consumable ones) and other microtransaction poo poo are only for the purchasing account. So is all Street Fighter V DLC, thanks Capcom.
- Your account can be logged into a second PS4 if someone else is logged into your primary console, and since being logged in gives you purchase access, this effectively means purchases can be accessed from two consoles at once.
- You can deactivate the account from the console itself to activate it on another console. You can also mass-deactivate all devices from the webstore once every six months.

Pre-Orders and pre-loads

In Europe, pre-orders won't pull the money required until about a week before release or thereabouts (and be cancelled if they can't successfully draw the funds).
In most other territories, they must be paid in full when the order is placed and are generally NOT refundable.

Once placed, you can set it up to automatically download the pre-load once it's available.

A few days before release (Sunday in most cases for Tuesday releases) the pre-load for the game will become available; the game will fully download to the console, and will have a timer indicating when the game is allowed to be run (which can't be tampered with by messing with the system clock or whatever). As soon as the timer hits zero, the game will be launchable immediately and nothing has to be decrypted or downloaded from PSN for this to work, it's all handled interally in your console.

Unlock times are generally midnight in the "main" time zone for the country's territory (for U.S. and Canada this is usually midnight Eastern time), although some exceptions do exist including some oddities like 1 P.M. Eastern time (usually with some indie games). This means, technically, assuming a simultaneous release day worldwide, the "earliest" region to get games from is New Zealand, followed by Australia and Asian territories, Europe, and finally North America. This is completely controlled by the purchasing PSN account, however, and can't be circumvented like with PC games via VPN or similar solution.

Refunds

They basically don't happen especially in American territories, including cancelling pre-orders for games which still aren't released. Even regions where refunds are legally required can be difficult (Valve similarly refused refunds in Australia before their current policies and got nailed with a $3 million fine, although that took a few years). If you want to try your luck, call or chat with customer support and make your case. They will generally take a few days to make a decision, and will almost definitely be refused if you have any trophies for the game you're trying to refund. Sometimes but not always, they will make exceptions for known problem items (e.g. games which are straight-up broken), but don't except the CS Agent to be aware of it.

END OF FAQ

Use this thread for:
  • Notable release dates, sales, and price-drops on games on PSN, along with the occasional price glitch making an item free or super-cheap.

  • Sales on PS funding and PS+ cards/codes. Sales are rare and are usually 5-10% off or Buy 1 Get 1 10% Off. I would not expect to see $30 1-year PS+ codes ever again.

  • Recommendations and opinions for games on PSN. Please say what region you are in and how much you want to spend, as different regions have different selections of games and prices.

  • Checking whether or not PSN is down for everyone or just you. Known planned downtime due to maintenance will also be posted here.

  • Imports. The PS Import thread was archived due to lack of activity, so go ahead and use this thread for all that. Almost all new PS import games have a download version on PSN now, though that might not be the best option for everyone. Also note that the vast majority of Japanese games become available in English (or at least have some sort of confirmation on a pending release) within 6 months of their Japanese release. This includes the Yakuza games and a lot of "saucy" otaku games (with some possible censorship).


Updates and summaries of PS stores



Instead of 1 or 2 updates a week, PS Store now has multiple updates a week. Major updates still occur on Tuesdays for the NA region and Wednesdays in EU region.

PS Blogs in NA and EU regions put up weekly posts of new games and sales, but they usually miss games released outside of Tuesday/Wednesday.

Store updates (where the new weekly sale is put up) for North America are generally around mid-day some time, it's a bit random but definitely not at midnight.

There is one weekend Flash sale (mid-day Friday to Monday morning) a month, usually the last weekend of the month, although it may be an earlier weekend to correspond with a specific holiday like Valentine's Day.

Some sales (weekly or Flash) may be thematically linked to a holiday, such as Golden Week for Japanese-developed games, Valentine's Day for co-op games, Halloween for horror games etc.

Note that not all sales are actually any good.



Occasionally PSN will offer a one-time-use discount code (usually 10%, sometimes as high as 20%) for a very limited time, usually expiring within a month. This discount code will stack with whatever other sales are going on, so it's sometimes ideal to wait and see for a weekend Flash sale to maximize its use. Shorter-term ones are also included in the PSN Newsletter to entice people into reading the thing; make sure you're at least subscribed to it, as the codes here are unique.

Finally, it is recommended not to make purchases while the store is "updating" to prevent any issues, like if a PS+ game turns out to not be free immediately or a sale price not correctly applied yet. As an extra precaution, you can force a password prompt for any purchase which costs money, although any "purchase" which doesn't require money, including free PS+ games, won't require it.

The webstore at https://store.playstation.com does a decent job showing off new releases and sales, and is the recommended place to view the store.

Not much has changed with PS4 store. A new PS+ section was added to the PS4 system menu bar to easily access PS+ subscription information, notable PS+ discounts, and free games. Some of the front pages in PS4 store now have navigation buttons for specific sections in the store.

PlayStation Now, the streaming rental game service, is still up and running, but is only supported on PS4's and PC's, with support on other devices (PS3, Vita, PSTV, TV apps etc.) having been discontinued. A subscription option was added in last year, but the subscription tier doesn't have access to all games in PS Now. Currently, PS3 and PS4 games are available to stream. Here is a list of noteworthy PS3 games currently missing from PSNow (maintained by me): https://physicalgames.wordpress.com/psnow/, however bear in mind that games are subject to being removed at any time.

There have been many app updates to the PS3 store app, but the drat thing still runs sluggish, no sorting options were ever added to the download list, and it still crashes to XMB without warning. Don’t use it unless you have to. An alternative way to access the PS3 download list without crashes can still be found under PSN on the XMB -> Account Management -> Transaction Management -> Download List.

Vita store is still there. Nothing really changed on that, except for the PS Mobile store section being removed. The download list through the Vita store app still displays PS3 items with no way to filter them out.

PSP store on the console itself is closed. If you need to buy or download games for PSP, do it from the webstore, then transfer them through the MediaGo companion program on PC. PSP games are also still available to purchase, download, and transfer from PS3.

PS Mobile store closed down and all PS Mobile games are no longer available to purchase or install/activate regardless of device.

Other things

PS2 games for PS4 are slowly coming out. Unlike PS2 Classics for PS3, these PS2 games have trophies. Unfortunately, there are no plans to offer discounts on PS4 versions of PS2 games if you own the PS3 version. Also, there are no plans to offer PS2 disc playability on PS4.

Free monthly game offers with PS+ are still around, with at least 2 games for PS4, and until March 2019, there will also be 2 games for PS3, and 2 games for Vita. More might be available for a platform if a PS+ game on another platform has a cross-buy offer, although they usually have to be claimed individually so don't forget to do this. Monthly games are rotated every first Tuesday of the month in both NA and EU regions.

Although almost (but not quite) non-existant on PS4 and Vita, there is the odd game which is only available physically (usually due to expired licensing requiring the digital version to be pulled from sale). I try to maintain a list here (also includes Xbox sections), along with lists of noteworthy PS1 and PS2 games which don't have good digital availability on any of the current Playstation systems: https://physicalgames.wordpress.com/

List of INcompatible games for the PSTV: https://physicalgames.wordpress.com/pstv/

Some but not all indie games offered on multiple Playstation consoles are cross-buy, meaning buying one version (say the PS4 version) entitles you to all other versions (PS3 and/or Vita). In such cases, it will say so on its store page, so double check if this is important. Most retail-tier games don't offer this and each version has to be purchases separately. Even so, they may offer cross-play, which means it's possible to upload/download the same save file between all versions. This is generally done in the game's UI somehow, and doesn't require PS+.

On PS+ membership

PS+ is required to play online with others with the PS4, but not for the PS3 or Vita. That said, some online-only games can still be played "solo" without PS+. PS+ is also not required for No Man's Sky at all, or any F2P game (e.g. Smite, World of Tanks etc.)

PS+ membership will grant you access to the monthly free games, better discounts, and cloud backups for saves (1 gig for PS3, 1 gig for Vita, and 10 gigs for PS4). If your PS+ expires, the saves will stay in the cloud for at least six months, after that it's subject to being removed.

For the free games, once they are "purchased" for free they are permanently on the account, although the ability to run them requires an active PS+ membership. You can only claim games while your PS+ is active. So, for example, if you claim free PS+ games in January, then it expires and you only renew in mid-March, you can re-play the PS+ games you claimed in January (and earlier), as well as claim the new ones for March, but it'll be too late to claim the February games.

On PSN territories with censored content or other age-related issues:

Germany is missing quite a few zombie games, namely the Dead Rising series, as they are banned due to being too gory/violent. Games with Nazi elements (Swastikas, famous Nazis, "Heil Hitler" salute, SS symbol etc.) are required by law to have this content removed, and some games have special German-only versions, such as Wolfenstein: The New Order which replaces the Nazis with "Das Regime" and uses generic subtitutions for Nazi elements. Finally, "18+" content is required by law to have a pay gate, so games with this rating which are "free" in most regions will generally require PS+ membership.

Middle Eastern territories (e.g. UAE, Egypt, Lebanon) are absent multiple games which are more violent in nature. When such a game is offered as a PS+ free title, a substitution title (generally a sports or kid-friendly title) is offered instead as a replacement in these territories.

Australia until recently only allowed games to top at a 15+ rating so some older more violent titles are either missing or censored. Also, they have strict content rules stating, among other things, that a game cannot show a character taking drugs with no negative consequences. As such, Saints Row IV has a unique version in Australia which is missing a few missions and incompatible for playing multiplayer with the normal versions of the game available elsewhere.

Japan's highest age classification (CERO Z, 18+) requires ID by law, and as such any game with this rating can only be funded directly with a Japanese credit card. Wallet codes or existing wallet funds cannot be used, and this makes such games nearly impossible to get digitally for people who aren't Japanese citizens. Games automatically get CERO Z if they have a lot of red blood (hence why many Japanese games will color it differently), and if they allow you to harm innocent people without consequences, so some games you wouldn't except that have only T ratings in the US, like the Infamous games and Retro City Rampage, are gated this way. Any time there's a game which is "free" in other territories but rated CERO Z in Japan, it is instead offered at a very low price (usually 50-150 yen, around 50 cents to a little over a dollar) but the same credit card requirement applies.

On game languages:

A few games let you select game language from within the game's settings menu (including, sometimes, the possibility of separate languages for audio/menus/subtitles), although most of the time language is determined by your console's settings, with a default fallback language if your console is set to a language not included in the game (almost always English is the fallback language). Sometimes you can end up with oddities like needing the "default" setting for the specific language (e.g. French (France) will work but French (Canada) won't). Exceptions are plentiful but this is usually how language options break down for AAA games (note that smaller-scale niche Anime games like those from XSEED and Atlus are usually English and Japanese only, but bigger deal titles from Square Enix and Bandai Namco will usually offer more):

Americas (ESRB Rating System): English, French, usually Spanish (Latin American if it's distinct), sometimes Portuguese (Brazilian if it's distinct)
Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Middle East (PEGI and German USK Rating System): English, French, Spanish (Castilian if it's distinct), German, Italian, sometimes other languages like Portuguese (European if it's distinct), Danish, Dutch, Finnish and Arabic (especially kid-friendly and sports titles which are popular in Europe like soccer games)
Japan (CERO Rating System): Japanese only with limited exceptions. Japanese releases of Western games will usually offer English.
Other Southeast Asian territories (Game Software Rating Regulations and other region-specific ones): Varies heavily and there may often be multiple SKU's both in stores and on PSN to cover the language options, with some games even being Japanese-only, although many games will offer SKU's with English, Chinese (usually Traditional, although Simplified turns up sometimes too) and/or Korean. In these cases, language options are clarified in the title of the item on the store.

Most games include all languages when installed, although there is the odd game where it only downloads the language files it needs and will download new ones if you change your system language or choose options in the game menu. A few games, such as Danganronpa 3 on Vita, Horizon: Zero Dawn on PS4 and Assassin's Creed: Origins on PS4, will offer extra languages as free DLC on the PSN store.

Has the game of the generation been offered as a PS+ Free game yet?

YES available February 2018.



(images found on PS Taiwan Facebook account by "iimAn", text added in by Yechezkel)

Link to PS Store 2016 thread

univbee fucked around with this message at 14:16 on Oct 9, 2020

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univbee
Jun 3, 2004




PS+ Free Games for April, must claim by between April 2nd and May 6th



The Surge
Conan: Exiles

univbee fucked around with this message at 17:34 on Mar 27, 2019

univbee
Jun 3, 2004




Notable import games, I will retire any game from this list which gets a confirmed Western release unless there's some drastic change.

Fortunately it's become particularly rare for noteworthy games to go without an English release at all, even for niche products you wouldn't expect. It may take several months or even a year or two to even get confirmation of a Western release, but they've been happening, and are more often than not extremely close release dates if not day-and-date with the Japanese release.

If you are resisting the new generation of consoles, a few 2014-2016 Japanese games have releases on PS3 and PS4, while the Western release does not get the PS3 version. Examples include Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, Dragon Quest Heroes 1, Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza 0. That said, even in Japan the PS3 appears to have mostly been phased out and the newest (late 2016 onwards) games no longer have PS3 versions.

Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 (PS4 and PS Vita) is available in two SKU's: Japanese region which has Japanese text, and Asian region, which has text in English (yes, really), Chinese and Korean. It is a loving moneypit in terms of microtransactions but the "base" content is normal game price, and there's a free-to-play client if you create an appropriate region PSN account, and can purchase some content a-la-carte. Note if you expect to dive into microtransactions, they are treated as account-bound consumables so you can only use them if you play using an appropriate region PSN account, you won't be able to do this with an American or European PSN account.

Taiko no Tatsujin has a PS4 game available in Japan (Japanese language only), as well as a Southeast Asian release which has English support. Updated Taiko drum controllers for PS4 are also available.

By and large, you will need very high Japanese skills for any game listed here:

- There are a handful of Yakuza (a.k.a. Ryu ga Gotoku) games which take place well into the past, like pre-electricity Samurai time periods: Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan on PS3 and Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin on PS3 and PS4. So far, none of these have been made available overseas or in English, however every "modern times" Yakuza game is either available or is confirmed to be on its way.

- Summer-Colored High School, although it's about taking upskirt pictures of high school girls and running from the police if you get caught so expect to get on a list if you buy it.

PSVR titles

Summer Lesson and certain other dubiously pervy VR games. Available in a-la-carte form in Japan (Japanese only), and in an expensive "complete" package in Asian territories (playable in English/Chinese/Korean).

univbee fucked around with this message at 16:31 on Mar 27, 2019

univbee
Jun 3, 2004




How to play each console's games digitally without hacking. :retrogames:

Note that in most cases, expect titles heavy on licensing, especially music-wise (e.g. Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Dance Dance Revolution and other rhythm games), as well as licensed sports games, to not be available digitally (a few surprises do exist, however). Legalities are a clusterfuck and expensive to solve, and for PS1- and PS2-era games this is largely not worth it.

PS1

A decent chunk of its library is available digitally with a few notable exceptions, especially Square Enix games featuring English voice acting, possibly due to a VA contract issue (although many of these titles are available on Japanese PSN if that works for you). Fortunately, the bulk of "high value" rare games are available digitally, including Suikoden 2 and the Mega Man Legends games.

Digital PS1 games are a one-time purchase and can be downloaded on any compatible device without having to pay extra. That said, there is no way officially to "trade in" a physical copy for a digital one, although in almost all cases you could resell a physical version of a game for several times its digital cost. They do not feature any enhancements whatsoever over the original versions. Graphics are still very low resolution and load times aren't increased so some games notorious for issues with this (e.g. Chrono Trigger) will still have them. At least you can't scratch them?

Digital games include digital manuals if you go into the system menu from within the game (the infamous "package" for Metal Gear Solid is in the manual), and multi-disc games can have their discs switched from this menu as well (it is not done automatically). Note that the Strider Collection needs to have a disc change to change games, for some reason they didn't make each game a separate install item.

These digital games can be played on a PS3, as can all legitimate copies of physical games on any model PS3 for the corresponding region. To clarify, physical games are NOT region free and retain their original region locking, however digital games are region free. The only thing to be aware of for playing cross-region games is that if you're not using HDMI for your PS3's video signal, it'll output the native signal of the game (either NTSC or PAL) and your equipment must support the relevant standard.

The PS4 does NOT support playing PS1 games, either physically or digitally, unless a game has a specific PS4 HD remake for it (e.g. Parappa the Rapper).

All digital PS1 games can be played on-the-go on PSP, and most can be played on PS Vita systems. Note, however, that some games may not be downloadable directly on a PS Vita, but can be transferred from a PS3; no idea what's going on there, but it's true, and a few games (in NA territories, namely Crash Bandicoot and Spyro games) don't work at all. The PSTV is slightly further restricted but also mostly works.

PS2

There are two non-portable (and zero portable, excluding actual ports) options with vastly different libraries of available titles. Also note that many "major" PS2 games have had some form of HD re-release on PS3 and/or PS4.

For physical games, only "fat" model PS3's are compatible (with some later "fat" PS3's having no compatibility at all) with region locking retained. The model numbers CECHA and CECHB have almost 100% compatibility. The CECHC and CECHE models removed the physical emotion chip and replaced it with somewhat wonky software emulation, giving them roughly 85% compatibility with a handful of remaining titles having some issues like slowdown not present on a stock PS2 and/or lockups. All later models removed all PS2 hardware to cut down costs and are no longer able to play physical PS2 games, although digital ones work.

For digital games, any PS3 model can play them and they are region free (although if not using HDMI, you will need equipment to handle its analog NTSC or PAL display format). They feature no enhancements over their original versions in terms of resolution or performance including load times.

PS4 has its own separate library. These versions offer trophies, as well as increased resolution and performance, although no other enhancements; it's effectively like using an emulator on a PC with extra resolution options, so expect issues like outdated control schemes (e.g. triangle as "back" in menus, inverted camera controls) to still be there. All of that being said, there is no discount or cross-buy offered with the PS3 counterpart, although many of the titles are unique to the PS4. Note that GTA: San Andreas has a more limited song library due to licensing issues.

PS3

The vast majority of its library is available digitally, although exceptions exist. All PS3 games, physical or digital, are region free except for Persona 4 Arena (Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is region free)

Digital and physical versions of PS3 games aren't playable on any other device including the PS4. However, Sony offers a subscription service in some regions called "Playstation Now" which is essentially Netflix for Playstation games. This logs you in to a special Sony server where you are "Remote Desktop" connected, and can play any of a few hundred games, including some which were only available physically before. Sony occasionally offers a yearly subscription for $99.99, although its regular offerings are either $19.99 a month or $44.99 for 3 months.

This can work very well (I can't readily distinguish it from playing locally) but it requires a persistent internet connection and a very good one at that; bear in mind that "ping" is a huge deal for this and turnaround time to Sony's servers is probably the biggest deciding factor in how workable this system will be for you, and you are almost guaranteed to need all of your equipment to be hardwired to the internet to work well, as wireless is problematic for signal reliability.

Currently, this service is only supported on PS4's and PC's (the ability to use it from PS3, Vita, PSTV and certain smart TV's has been disabled).

Although Sony could theoretically load PS1 and PS2 games onto these servers, this hasn't happened yet and the PSNow library is currently native PS3 and PS4 software.

PSP

The vast majority of its library is available digitally, although a few notable exceptions exist (e.g. Crisis Core Final Fantasy). All games are region free, however "UMD" physical copies of movies are region-locked.

For a stock PSP or PSP Go, it is no longer possible to download software to it directly, as its storefront has been shut down. You can transfer software with a USB cable using either a PC with Media Go software, or a PS3.

You can hook up any PSP model except the original "fat" models to a TV using either composite or component cables, however the picture will output in 4x3 letterbox so modern TV's will need to "zoom" into the picture for it to fill the screen.

The PS Vita supports all digital PSP games, and even allows for controls to be customized including mapping the right analog stick in various ways, which is a godsend for games which attempted to do this on PSP.

The PSTV supports most digital PSP games, although exceptions exist. All games will natively output in proper screen-filling widescreen.

It is NOT possible to play any PSP games natively on PS3 or PS4, although a few PSP games have had HD re-releases for these systems.

PS Vita

Every PS Vita game except for I think two with expired licenses are available for purchase digitally. That said, you can only tie one PSN account to a Vita or PSTV and switching is a massive pain, so for import games it's recommended to get physical copies (which are always region free) and forget about their region-specific DLC.

The PSTV supports a decent chunk of games, but many are incompatible, either because they rely too heavily on touch, need the Vita camera, or they just never got whitelisted for PSTV compatibility.

Some games, especially indie games, are cross-buy, granting you their PS4 (and PS3 if it exists) versions for free. A few games are cross-play, meaning if you also have it on PS3/PS4, its save can be uploaded to a game-specific cloud from the game's UI, and progress can be shared between all consoles. Rarely, this can also mean ability to play multiplayer together. Not all of these features are guaranteed to be offered together, some games are cross-play but not cross-buy, so you have to separately obtain copies for each console you wish to play on.

PS4

A handful of titles, especially launch window titles, are available on PS Now, a subscription service which, if you have a very good internet connection, is somewhat like a Netflix for Playstation games, and accessible using either a PS4, or a PC with a Dualshock 4 controller connected. It is not possible to download the PS4 games to play locally unless you explicitly pay full price for the normal digital version.

If you have a PS4, it is possible to remotely connect to it using a PS Vita, PSTV, PC with Dualshock 4, or Xperia smart device (with a Dualshock 4 paired to it ideally). This is not restricted to your internal network only, you can remote from anywhere in the world. Although many have been pleasantly surprised by how well it works even from the other side of the world while travelling, don't expect performance to be amazing; you're not going to be playing games competitively. That said, some people have adopted their game strategy around this, for example using their remote time for low-risk resource gathering in Final Fantasy XIV, saving the serious raids for when they're at their PS4 locally.

univbee fucked around with this message at 20:11 on Feb 20, 2018

univbee
Jun 3, 2004




Troubleshooting store purchases (on PS4)

A game you purchased has a "lock" on it on an account other than the purchasing account, or when offline


- You need to activate your PS4 as the "primary" console for the purchasing account: this will then allow other users to use the content, and make the game launchable if you're not connected to PSN. If everything is set correctly but the lock is still there, try Settings>PSN>Restore Licenses.

If you're not able to activate because a previous PS4 was activated, you will have to manually deactivate the original PS4. If this isn't an option because you traded it in or whatever, there's a "deactivate all devices" option via web browser in your PSN Account Settings, but bear in mind you can only use this option once every 6 months.

Base game works but it doesn't recognize DLC you own

Bear in mind that DLC is region-specific, so if you have a North American base game, do not buy DLC on the European store (or vice-versa).

Note that some season passes may be account-specific and won't work on other accounts, you may have to investigate to clarify for specific titles (I believe Battleborn and Street Fighter V might be this way for the extra characters at least, possibly some other games like Destiny and The Division might only allow the purchasing account to access expansion packs).

That said, if no accounts including the purchasing one are getting access:

- If you purchased a Season Pass for a game or some other grouped package, especially if some of its contents are to be released at a later time, you may have to "purchase" the individual items as well, which will now be listed as free, and then download them, in order for the contents to work; buying the Season Pass or pack may not be enough on its own for the whole thing to work.

Highlight the game on the PS4 XMB and press down. This should load the game's online profile, scroll to the last option which lists all DLC for the game. Grouped at the top will be all DLC you own, and any DLC you don't own (and its price, including free if applicable) will be listed below it. Ensure there are no "free" items straggling that are relevant to what you're missing like characters, map packs etc. Once this is confirmed you can select the top cluster of all the DLC you own, which will load in a (potentially massive depending on the game) list of all the DLC you own for the game, and show you what's installed, and have an arrow next to items you can download. Note that some items don't require downloads, especially things pertaining to online profiles, they should just "work".

A few games can operate on strange principles as well: for example, the Dead or Alive games have "free" Costume Catalogs, which are required for costumes to work but don't actually grant you permissions to choose the costumes in the catalog. The paid costume downloads don't require any extra installation, they just download the license granting you costume access, but you have to ensure you have the relevant catalog for the costume as well (usually this gets added to your account with the appropriate costume purchase but may have to be manually downloaded). Due to the ridiculous number of costumes in these games, there are a few dozen (yes, dozen) catalogs which substantially increase the size of the base game. Happy downloading!

If everything is installed and it's still not working right, do a quick check online and see if it's a known issue, especially if the DLC was just released or some such, it may be a question of waiting for Sony to unfuck something on their end. Otherwise, there are two things you can try:

1. Go to settings, PSN, and then select "restore licenses", which should take a few minutes. This should re-sync with your PSN account and confirm ownership of all items including DLC.

2. If that still doesn't work, a slightly more extreme approach involves rebuilding the database (you may wish to delete the offending item completely, rebuild the DB, and then redownload, but it may work regardless) is to turn off your PS4 (not sleep mode, fully off so the glowing bar isn't on at all), then press and hold the power button until it beeps twice (there'll be a few seconds between both beeps) and then let go of the power button. This will boot the PS4 into emergency mode, requiring you to hardwire your DS4 controller. Select option 5 (Rebuild Database) and let it do its thing. Although it says it may take a few hours, I think you're more realistically looking at 10-20ish minutes even with tons of stuff installed. Once this is done it should reboot normally; if you'd grouped items into folders, you may have to re-add items to folders, especially if they were on external storage, but it shouldn't erase anything unless something was seriously wrong.

I don't know of anything which hasn't worked after doing these steps, although there's always the nuclear "format everything" option if things are really messed up. Note you can transfer games to external storage, wipe your internal hard drive, and then copy them back if it comes to that.

univbee fucked around with this message at 14:58 on Mar 6, 2018

univbee
Jun 3, 2004




Reserved 5

Ineffiable
Feb 16, 2008

Some say that his politics are terrifying, and that he once punched a horse to the ground...


Ground floor on this shiny new thread.

How long is that Odin sphere game? Trying to decide if I should just wait for it to be cheaper.

elf help book
Aug 5, 2004

Though the battle might be endless, I will never give up
I got a PS4 for Christmas so I need this thread 50% more than ever.

kirbysuperstar
Nov 11, 2012

Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I possess.

Ineffiable posted:

How long is that Odin sphere game? Trying to decide if I should just wait for it to be cheaper.

HowLongToBeat pegs it at 30-40 hours.

dont skimp on the shrimp
Apr 23, 2008

:coffee:
I'm looking for a decent online co-op game to play with some friends, and Magicka 2 is on sale on the EU store for next to nothing. Is it worth getting and convincing my friends to get too?

axelblaze
Oct 18, 2006

Congratulations The One Concern!!!

You're addicted to Ivory!!

and...oh my...could you please...
oh my...

Grimey Drawer

Ineffiable posted:

Ground floor on this shiny new thread.

How long is that Odin sphere game? Trying to decide if I should just wait for it to be cheaper.

loving buy it!

It's easily worth full price and is soooo loving good.

Volfogg
Dec 19, 2010

Some say she was raised by sentient birds, and that test subjects replicating her equipment were horribly broken.

All we know is she's called
The Hunter


I like to think that Yech is somewhere out there having a drink with AmazonTony. They weren't the deals guys we deserved, but they were the ones the world needed.

Here's to another year of the PS Store thread.

ethanol
Jul 13, 2007



it's 2017 and sony's servers are still rear end

univbee
Jun 3, 2004




ethanol posted:

it's 2017 and sony's servers are still rear end

Harsh but true.


I updated the main OP and will slowly get the other posts put in, is there anything super-important missing from the main post or that might need clarification/correction?

In Training
Jun 28, 2008

univbee posted:

Harsh but true.


I updated the main OP and will slowly get the other posts put in, is there anything super-important missing from the main post or that might need clarification/correction?

The Battleborn Flash Sale pic.

univbee
Jun 3, 2004




In Training posted:

The Battleborn Flash Sale pic.

Ah yes. Link, anyone?

Kenny Logins
Jan 11, 2011

EVERY MORNING I WAKE UP AND OPEN PALM SLAM A WHITE WHALE INTO THE PEQUOD. IT'S HELL'S HEART AND RIGHT THEN AND THERE I STRIKE AT THEE ALONGSIDE WITH THE MAIN CHARACTER, ISHMAEL.

univbee posted:

Harsh but true.


I updated the main OP and will slowly get the other posts put in, is there anything super-important missing from the main post or that might need clarification/correction?
Maybe something about refunds and how they basically never happen.

Thanks for the new thread univbee.

univbee
Jun 3, 2004




Kenny Logins posted:

Maybe something about refunds and how they basically never happen.

Thanks for the new thread univbee.

Good idea. Done.

Admiral H. Curtiss
May 11, 2010

I think there are a bunch of people who can create trailing images. I know some who could do this as if they were just going out for a stroll.

univbee posted:

Ah yes. Link, anyone?

TenTwelveTwelve
Oct 12, 2012
A link to that list of games that are only available digitally or physical.

What Vita games are actually supported on PSTV.

Thanks for taking over.

Rirse
May 7, 2006

by R. Guyovich
OP also needs Knack Game of the Generation image as well.

Awesome!
Oct 17, 2008

Ready for adventure!


i am sad i couldnt lol at the idiot at the end of the last thread that said this is like a redundant ps4 thread so i will do so here instead

lol

Snyderman
Feb 23, 2005
I know a fellow goon maintains the one in the OP but this is still the best and most up to date list for PSTV compatibility. Stuff does still get added from time to time.

http://www.reviews2go.com/playstation-tv-compatible-games-north-america/

The list of non-compatible PSTV games.

http://www.reviews2go.com/playstation-tv-non-compatible-game-list-north-america/

Quantum of Phallus
Dec 27, 2010

Change the drat icon

morallyobjected
Nov 3, 2012

Snyderman posted:

I know a fellow goon maintains the one in the OP but this is still the best and most up to date list for PSTV compatibility. Stuff does still get added from time to time.

http://www.reviews2go.com/playstation-tv-compatible-games-north-america/

The list of non-compatible PSTV games.

http://www.reviews2go.com/playstation-tv-non-compatible-game-list-north-america/

not just a fellow goon but the OP himself

Real hurthling!
Sep 11, 2001




Univbee is a nerd god

Real hurthling! fucked around with this message at 23:59 on Jan 1, 2017

univbee
Jun 3, 2004




Snyderman posted:

I know a fellow goon maintains the one in the OP but this is still the best and most up to date list for PSTV compatibility. Stuff does still get added from time to time.

http://www.reviews2go.com/playstation-tv-compatible-games-north-america/

The list of non-compatible PSTV games.

http://www.reviews2go.com/playstation-tv-non-compatible-game-list-north-america/

Oh good, seems to have extra stuff there I didn't know about. Thanks!

univbee
Jun 3, 2004




Quantum of Phallus posted:

Change the drat icon

But we must believe Yechezkel will return. And that Knack will be free.

Also only a mod can change it.

elf help book
Aug 5, 2004

Though the battle might be endless, I will never give up
Can't wait for the Knack Trilogy Remastered release for PS7.

morallyobjected
Nov 3, 2012

elf help book posted:

Can't wait for the Knack Trilogy Remastered release for PS7.

we will have the same discussion then as with every other trilogy:

"the first one is rough so if you don't enjoy it, just skip it and move on to the second"

see: Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank, etc.

Oxxidation
Jul 22, 2007

Ineffiable posted:

Ground floor on this shiny new thread.

How long is that Odin sphere game? Trying to decide if I should just wait for it to be cheaper.

This is probably the best you're ever going to get. Discounts for this game have been really rare.

CrashCat
Jan 10, 2003

another shit post


univbee posted:

I updated the main OP and will slowly get the other posts put in, is there anything super-important missing from the main post or that might need clarification/correction?
Might explicitly add where you can get instant Wallet codes for people having trouble with CC/PayPal. I always use Amazon but I'm sure there must be others

Also since we basically mothballed the import thread, a collection of places to get foreign wallet codes with your own domestic money would be useful. Would take some digging

CrashCat fucked around with this message at 19:58 on Jan 1, 2017

morallyobjected
Nov 3, 2012

CrashCat posted:

Might explicitly add where you can get instant Wallet codes for people having trouble with CC/PayPal. I always use Amazon but I'm sure there must be others

Also since we basically mothballed the import thread, a collection of places to get foreign wallet codes with your own domestic money would be useful. Would take some digging

aren't the two places basically Amazon and PlayAsia?

Saoshyant
Oct 26, 2010

:hmmorks: :orks:


Alas, Yechezkel, taken too soon from us.

Demicol
Nov 8, 2009

Last time I bought Japanese wallet/psn codes PlayAsia was the cheapest

CrashCat
Jan 10, 2003

another shit post


morallyobjected posted:

aren't the two places basically Amazon and PlayAsia?
If I knew for sure I wouldn't ask but I believe there's more

Mithaldu
Sep 25, 2007

Let's cuddle. :3:
Buying mostly US codes from Germany, and https://offgamers.com has been quite solid.

univbee
Jun 3, 2004




CrashCat posted:

Also since we basically mothballed the import thread, a collection of places to get foreign wallet codes with your own domestic money would be useful. Would take some digging

I've now listed five sources for Japanese codes, although PSN prices for Japan are kind of poo poo and they're very retail-obsessed, so unless you need your game right the gently caress now it's likely more cost-effective to import from Amazon Japan even after paying for EMS shipping.

Real hurthling!
Sep 11, 2001




something is broken in my brain and i like being thrifty

Real hurthling! fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Jan 22, 2020

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univbee
Jun 3, 2004




Real hurthling! posted:

something is broken in my brain and i like being thrifty

drat, this should have been the thread title.

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