UPDATE: On November 17th (Pacific Time), the PlayStation network will undergo maintenance. Once this maintenance window has completed, the new policy will apply. If you want to purchase content under the current rules, please do so before this maintenance begins on November 17th.
We’d like to inform you of some upcoming changes to the usage policies for PlayStation Network game content. As of November 18, 2011, the number of devices that can be activated on one PlayStation Network account for game content purchased from the PlayStation Store will be updated as follows:
For game content purchased after November 18, 2011, a new policy will apply and the number of devices that can be activated will be as follows:
- PS3: Users will be able to play the game on up to 2 activated PS3 systems.
- PSP: Users will be able to play the game on up to 2 activated PSP systems.
Please note that this update will not affect game content purchased before November 18. The PSP rights include PSP-1000/2000/3000 series as well as the PSPgo system.
PlayStation Network users are able to change the activation setting through each device, and Sony Computer Entertainment plans to provide a new PlayStation Network account management website where users will be able to deactivate particular devices attached to their PlayStation Network account via their PC.
For more details on how to activate/deactivate the devices, please visit here or contact consumer services.
We buy and enjoy consoles for specific reasons and features, and when you guys start modifying and/or removing things a few years after purchasing them it really demolishes all faith for your future products. How about actually improving upon the Sony line of game systems for once? There hasn’t been a single firmware update since the PS3 or PSP’s release that I’ve been impressed with, and it seems like everything you guys do is to limit users more and more without offering anything back in return. The fact that I still can’t even organize my PSN games or XMB in a semi-logical way is astounding, Home is just terrible and a complete waste of development time, and us just now getting a way that lets us handle activation/deactivations after a large percentage have been going through multiple and horrendous experiences with the YLOD for years is mind-boggling. I’ve been a big supporter of Sony’s since the PS1 days, and while I still love the majority of your actual gaming products, I’m really starting to hate the company itself and the decisions you all make.
Okay, so while new games will only be playable on two systems, we get the ability to deactivate systems (READ: I have a dead PS3) through the PC. Is that correct?
Also, what about DLC, such as Rock Band songs? Will that be restricted as well?
Oh my last comment before I go…the deactivation process doesnt break a leg at the least…it’s a few simple clicks from account management on the system. Not that big of a deal. It’s not like they are permanently tying content to a system and only way to play on another system in the household is to purchase again. You have the option to transfer account access on multiple systems. I guess the world wants eveything handed to them on a silver platter
This is the worst thing i seen, i tend to buy especially PSP games in PSN, because i can play with my 2 other brothers, like monster hunter and such, and it happens that in effing mexico you get stolen s**t like it was candies, so i had 2 wasted slots due to stolen PSPs and now the 3 i had left will be lost too? cmon
I seriously hope you can deactivate PSPs from internet too, but i know it wont. And i ‘ll have to tell one of my bros i cant play with him newer games i get after nov 18. And you see they are minors, so you cant just say “buy the game more times”, thats why i liked to get digital multiplayer PSP games, because i could enjoy it way more with them
@MagNuM-OPs: You don’t need to repurchase Ratchet & Clank to play it on another PS3, do you? You bring the disc there. And $10 a game is not $10 profit. To side with Sony on this, at least, they don’t make $10 off each one. They pay the developer. They pay for hosting. That, and you don’t know the figures, so stop acting like you do.
On Android, you can run any game on a device with your account. Same for Apple, and they are the kings of DRM. But on PS3? Nope. On Xbox, ANY Xbox in the world I log into with my account can access any game.
Bad decision, along with all the others. PS2 backwards compatibility. Not any more, so they can release PS2 games on PSN, and you have to buy them again if you want to play them and can’t use a PS2. Want the other O/S feature? Nope. They giveth, and they taketh away.
I have a hard time trusting Sony anyway. They keep lying about what their next systems are capable of to try to get people not to buy the competition, and they keep taking things away. I will not be buying a Vita, as I planned. Not that I even use my PSP.
I have 4 PS3s active on my account, how do I know which one is which? I couldn’t find a way to tell them apart on the Qriocity website. Please help me!
soooo there is still no way to deactivate a ps3 that you DO NOT have access to…as in….my friend gave my pass to one of his friends so they could get burnout paradise -.- …never trusted him again, but now my shares are full because of that, and there is no way to deactivate them, great.
@ 350.
Should your cable provider charge you for each tv in your house?How about the Phone company and all the phones in the house?
Maybe the Lucky Charms guys should limit how many bowls we can eat before the charge us for the second half of the box huh?
I paid for my games.
I paid for every Sony product in my house.
The fact that I “game share” with my kids (on PSPs that I paid for) was a feature that helped me decide what handheld I should get for them.
I understand that the “5 system rule” has been abused, but it is also a selling feature that sold me on an additional THREE PSP systems! – but hey- who was it again that decided on the 5 system rule in the first place?
oh yeah….
Sony really needs to lose the “got their cash already- now screw ’em” attitude!
Well this sucks… for my friends lol I don’t have a problem with this since I’m the one who buys games all the time. In response to comment #50 though, thay kinda sucks that the Vita will fall in that category but oh well.
OH! And thanks for putting up a website for deactivating, that will help a lot
Thanks for the heads up and the upcoming site to de-activate the device (needed that site for a long time).
I’ve got 2 PS3s and one PSP so far, but getting the Vita when it’s out. (I think 2 consoles and 2 portables are plenty).
I’m fine with this change and can understand why Sony wants to control this feature.
The minimum must be 3. Obviously
Hey, when will the new website be up?
why are you guys doing this?!? gamesharing is legal. it’s not iilegal it’s called copying to a different system. i mean the people who i share with are poor and there my online friends first you guys get hacked and now this bullcrap i’m really really getting pissed off right now i want to drop kick a midget and a baby. i would of not minded 3 but come on do something for PS+ members anyway… like give us one more slot. i’m a ps+ member so i think we should get one more slot. still a big mistake on your part.
Way to go SONY lets see u Gordon Gekko urself out of this one u greedy bastards… Im not spending another dime on u fools. Im moving to 360 at least i wont have to worry about there servers crashing every few rounds that i get into… SONY has become a control freak n i for one am sick of it. F U SONY and more to come
please answer IF i get psn + now will 5 systems still be able to get the free games if its after nov 18?
What a shocker! I cannot believe you are doing this! Are we becoming greedy lately, Sony? Keep in mind that having 5 activated PS3s for each game was one of the selling points for me buying PS3 instead of 360.
It looks like I won’t be buying any content from PSN ever again. In fact I am considering asking other PS users for a boycott to stop buying content from PSN to give you a nice lesson. Do not underestimate the power of social media, Sony! Do not underestimate it…
Sony just keeps hurting themselves huh? More and more slaps in the face. Only 2 active slots? IT’S A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD! It’s not like a physical copy where you can take the game down a few family members or friends house. It’s already enough trouble downloading on PSN’s slow servers. Let’s say it’s $60 retail digital game, now who’s gonna pay full price and it can only be played on 2 ps3’s at a time? You take away backwards compatibility on slims so you can start releasing ps2 classics on PSN. You let all our personal information to get into the hands of who knows who and give a couple of games like nothing happened. Good way to treat your longtime supporters since PS1 days. I’m pretty sure they build these consoles to fail within 3-4 years too. Not a single retro console has failed on me within 3 years nor has any of my computers and ect but my 2 ps3’s have. When PSN officially becomes pay to play it’ll be time to go back on everything i’ve said the last few years and go ahead and get ready to make the switch next gen. It was a fun run while it lasted though but with all the online passes, subscriptions, DLC’s, gaming will be dead soon or piracy will be at an all time high and you will be able to blame it on greed.
How can you take, take take???? How can you sleep at night??
You best provide a path for those like me that does not include buying everything twice from now on!!!!!!!!
Have a method to prove personal ownership of these systems to eliminate the scammers who gameshare.
I bought a device which you had me sign away, and now you take arguably the largest feature away from us!!!!!
Sony you are in the red for a reason, keep it up and my kids will likely be like “Whats a Sony???”
Like the polar bear, you my friends are nearing the end with practices such as these.
Loyal Sony fanboy, even though you frustrate me so, signing out.
Cheers while you still have jobs.
I Never said that selling games was a $10 profit. I used that as an example. The gist of things. No I don’t know exact figures on what goes on between devs and Sony. I simply made an example of the situation of how devs get cheated out of sales when people leech games to other devices without having to pay. Yes i know you can log in anywhere. Yes I know you can activate/deactivate. It’s the people that feel that they should pnly have to pay for a game ONCE and share it with their friends/family so they can all play it. If I bought a disc based game and wanted to play by my friends house id have to take it out my system and bring it over to my friends house or if I wanted to play on my bros ps3 if have to bring disc to his ps3. Digital content rules out of having a physical copy but doesn’t change the fact I only purchased the game once. If I bring a disc to friend/ family ps3 and pop it in..does it magically become 2 discs and I can play on mines and theirs?…no its still one disc…one purchase. They still allow you to use digital content after nov 18 on 2 consoles..u can still share between 2 active systems of you choose so but anything beyond that you will have to do a few extra clicks to use it.
I litterally just bought a full year iof PS plus and now find out my kids cant enjoy any new content gained from said purchase!!!!
Or seeings how my psplus was bought before Nov any content gained from PS plus in the next year falls under the heading of “purchases before nov 2011”?????
If not I want my $50 back!!!!!
Listen I have three kids, and a wife who like to game on my account.
I have a PS3 in my game room, one in the bedroom and one for the kids.
So now that one for the kids is restricted to old ashed purchases?????
I want my money back for that one ps3 and the purchase of PSplus which has 60% less value after the 18th of this month.
You guys really want to mess with Anon again hey? Well I dont want my service down for months again you need to sort your crap out.
Here’s whats gonna happen, and you have yourselves to blame.
People will sell off and obviously never be buying that third ps3.
People will stop buying digital downloads from the PSStore as much due to extremely limited use after the 18thof this month.
People will stop buying PSPlus as much due to the extremely limited use after the 18th of this month.
People like me will stop buying Sony products all together, excluding that one or two special exclusive games that come out each year, but be sure mine will all be on disc from the 18th on. (this hurts you guys as I have atleast $1000 spent in the store and continue at several purchases a month, no longer!!)
Out of spite people like me will be very vocal with what Sony is doing and recommend to our friends and families that Sony as a company cannot be trusted.
Merry Christmas Sony, you lose.
IM SOO GLAD I DINT RENEW MY PS+!!!!!
OMG THANK YOU!!
@ karen
it’s funny how people comment but yet, they don’t understand the post. i read most of them and they are funny.
(no need to reply as i can imagine whats going on in your head) once they see the light at the end they will understand. (i hope)
When will the website be available to deactivate accounts via PC? Will it be before November 18th? I hope so, I got a dead PS3 i’d like to deactivate.
seriously how can i get back my 20$ in my account. i have in no way the intention to spend it on your PSN.
Well atleast this clears up my Christmas list, scratched off all the Sony products I wanted and my list is almost completely empty now, LOL.
Well i just got a new gaming laptop, guess this forces my hand a bit.
For the record I will be playing BF3 very soon, on my PC, thanks for nothing Sony!!
Hey also, where’s my $10 refund for spending $75 last month!!!!!!!!
Oh well you let me see that I was a blind fanboy and you are just gonna keep taking until there is nothing left.
This is wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
you can keep my promised november 10$ voucher & stroke yourself with it
It should be 3 at the very least it’s cool that you can activate and deactivate consoles online but I know some people who have 3 PS3s for different rooms in the house.
The shear amount of stupidity that these comments are producing is baffling to say the least. The people complaining just don’t get it.
If Sony was smart they would have done this after VITA came out, who will be buying this now?
Gluttons for punishment and suckers only.
PS4, LOL, yeah right…
What do they say again??? Oh yeah fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me,
There will not be a twice!
I want my $50 back for PS PLUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just bought it Oct 31st!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where’s my $10 too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
while it doesn’t affect me at the moment I think it isn’t cool, and as many point out I guess 3 is the right number
With sony we’ve lost during this generation: PS2 backwards compatibility, Linux support, being able to play online used/borrowed games, personal and credit card information, and now this
This won’t last long. Just look at all the hate comments. This WON’T increase sales Sony. Your just adding fuel to the fire with your valueble customers. After the year you’ve had Sony and you want to do this? Smart. Playstation will be no more when they start to make us pay for PSN. Sony is already cheap and let’s Xbox buy out exclusive games, DLC. If I didn’t have to worry about my trophies and purchased content, i’d make the switch right now. I guess i’ll have to hold off until next gen and I’ll only buy MAJOR disc titles from now on, no PSN Content.
I love how the lunatic fringe, namely the same 3 people posting under multiple shill accounts come on here defending this fascism and have the gall to accuse us the legitimate customers of somehow being greedy criminals. Lucky for me I don’t have their nerve in my tooth. As for sony when one looks at their corporate behaviour it not only smacks of fascism but something far worse. That something is usually a form of goverment that has failed or is failing everywhere its been attempted. That being communism. Its ugly, intolerable and unjustified except in the demented minds of Sony. What will happen is people will simply stop buying off psn en masse. Developers who are considering future digital distrubution should not forget this. Sony has alienated you from your future sales on anything playstation. but to be brutally honest the psn store has been really miserable since day 1.
Well ain’t this a crock. I just bought a third system with the Uncharted 3 bundle. Now I have to manually activate and deactivate one of the systems whenever I want to switch? Had this info been announced earlier I wouldn’t have bought it.
@PirateHarlock
you are just so right!
Everyone just copy and paste this:
Three, oh, it’s the magic number,
Yeah it is, it’s the magic number
Somewhere in that ancient mystic trinity
You get three
It’s the magic number
With the past and the present and the future
And faith and hope and charity
And the heart and the brain and the body
It’ll give you three; it’s a magic number,
It takes three legs to make a tripod
Or to make a table stand
And it takes three wheels to make a vehicle
And call it a tricycle
Every triangle has three corners
Every triangle has three sides
No more, no less
You don’t have to guess
That is three, can’t you see?
It’s the magic number
A man and a woman had a little baby
Yes they did,
There were three in the family
That’s the magic number
-Blind Melon
WE NEED 3 ACTIVATIONS SONY!
So on Tuesday, I called Sony to have my account deactivated because I somehow reached the max (I knew of 4, don’t know where the 5th one went) and one of the PS3s I had my account on broke. I called in to get that broken activation back and they gave me the one time courtesy deactivation which I’m very grateful for, but I’m curious if my call had anything to do with the recent cut.
As far as that goes, will this cut affect EVERYTHING purchased on PSN after 11/18? I could understand Sony’s stand on this for games, but what about add-on content such as Rock Band DLCs? I primarily had my account on multiple PS3s for that reason. And also because my friend and I split costs for songs as we download each others songs. Will those be affected as well? And I too think 2 is too little. 3 would be VERY ideal.
DO THE MARK SANCHEZ!!!!!!
exactly jemin2009
costumer who actually pay real money for games and dlc’s will just stop buying over the PSN
and maybe some will wait for “game of the years edition” and get all dlc for free
and start being really cheap just like the Corps above our heads trying to make US FEEL LIKE CRIMINAL BC WE share games and DLC with familiy memembers
I’m also in the camp of having 3 PS3’s in my house, I liked Sony making a device that is my entire entertainment center. I use netflix, stream my music, pictures etc. and of course play lots of games. I’ve bought over 100 PSN games and of course I’m a PS+ member. Why not at least give us the option that if you are actively logged into the purchasing PSN account you have access to the content? I will say if this doesn’t change I won’t be buying anymore content on PSN.
I have 4 psn accounts, and two system get YLOD and other get Red Screen so is dead too, in this moment i’m playing in a new slim with plus and the plus is going to over in 15 days so i’m have to wait to this NEW WEBSITE to deactive this PS3 units and get my PLUS again????
When the PS4 becomes available to the public masses, will we have to deactivate our PS3 account in order activate the PS4 with our current PSN ID? Oh yeah, read up on Foxconn contract manufacturing. It is quite interesting.
This sincerely bothers me Sony. I mean, one of the conveniences between me purchasing online video game content from the PSN were that they would never get lost/damaged, and that quickly continuing my game over at another PS3, such as my girlfriend’s house, was convenient. I am a Playstation Plus member, you gave us Cloud support for saves, so tell me what use that has now on just 2 PS3’s. I’ll admit I used up to 4 at a time, my house, my parents house, my girlfriend’s, and my best friends where I end up spending a lot of time. I download my save on the cloud, play the games I purchased, and upload them when I’m done.
I understand the content before November 18th will be safe from these “updates”; however, what about the free purchases that came in hand when I signed up for Playstation Plus on day 1 back in June? Are those allowed to be downloaded on up to 5 systems? $50 made before November 18th say yes. What do you say? I love Sony, and this was one of the main advantages I sought over the lame XBOX competition. It’s system for syncing achievements and XBLA downloads is horrid. If anything, can there at least be some modifications to the wonderful update? How about us Playstation Plus members get 3 systems, huh? It’s a nice medium, considering we were not informed of this back in June.
Can you please confirm that you can deactivate systems via a website and not via PC software, like Media Go? I’m on a Mac and can’t use your software. Thanks.
And please see it from my perspective, I am no idiot. I realize the real reason for this lies in the future of the PSVITA. I mean, 5 PSP games on each portable device…sounds a little crazy, especially if there are plans for crossplay copies with the PS3 and VITA, like with RUIN. But why not just 5 on the total. iTunes does 5, Netflix does 5, every service keeps it up to 5. When I pay $50 bucks for a game, I expected this. 99 cents, maybe 2 doesn’t matter. But $50 or even $60? Come on Sony, I expected more out of one of my favorite video game companies…
Sony, at first I was mad about this, but after thinking it through, the pros are definitely higher than the cons. So I wish you luck in keeping the crazy PS3 owners in line.
The problem i have with Sony is the lack of foresight – i mean it is inarguable that we’ve abused the loophole but to think that Sony didn’t consider the possibility of gamesharing on a grand scale is quite ridiculous and to start tinkering with it now is even more ridiculous. This will not only hurt small developers but it will have an adverse effect on revenue unless a more reasonable price point can be reached on a few of the higher priced games and downloadable content. Sometimes i really do question the business acumen of the people at the helm – this new rule will likely cut my PSN spending in half and i know that is the case for a lot of PS3 owners. I love you, Sony, but i don’t have to like you right now
If EPIC FAIL were in the dictionary u can bet ur sweet a$$es SONY’s name will be all over it… Thanx for the early Xmas gift SONY. U sure know how to be a winner just like Charlie Sheen *WINNING* Here’s an idea for Comedy Central how about doing a roast on SONY??? Anyone agree??? lol… I would pay good money to watch it… But also I want to be paid for the idea as well xD
LMFAO I love how so many of you clowns all of a sudden rave and rant about how you have “4 PS3s/PSPs” or whatever. Admit it, you’re afraid that you won’t get to gameshare.
While it is slightly unfortunate that they’re doing this, I’m am ALL for it, as I’ve had 2 PS3’s crap out on me in the past and had used my account at a couple friend’s places before understanding how this share thing worked. I’ll be able to get my games back from accounts I had thought were lost causes. So I guess this is slightly a win/lose situation but for myself (as I’ve bought well over 100 PSN games), I’m all for it. Kudos, Sony!