Another noob PS4 question if you'll indulge me...

[Oly J]

Hi all, currently saving for a PS4 since the PS3 release schedule is drying up and just wondered, I have a hell of a lot of digital games on my PS3 that I bought on the PS4, what happens to those? can I re-download them? I assume I can I mean I already bought them digitally on the same account right? so there's no possible reason I shouldn't be able to, but with these companies you never know so I just thought I'd make sure, I'm sure someone here knows for sure one way or the other, so basically yeah do I get to keep the digital content I bought on my PSN account that I will still be using?

 

[OhNoYouDidnt]

Unfortunately, the PS4 is completely devoid of backwards compatibility. Neither physical nor digital PS3 games can be played on the system. If you want to play your 'old' digital content, you'll have to keep your PS3.

 

[Leoofmoon]

Keep your PS3 there is nothing you can really transfer other then progress. I had BF4 on the PS3 and I had to buy a new copy on PS4 but all my progression was saved on the multiplayer mode as well if you have XIV they do offer a free upgrade but as for games whole sale? No not even stuff like Dust 514 is on there.

This was a issue when the new generation on consoles launched because well it does hinder us from buying a new one when are all are old collection will not work on it. If you still want to buy it I would suggest waiting until you see a few games you want on the PS4 are out and maybe even some cheep before you buy it, as well look into upgrading the Hard drive on it the one I got was about 500GB but the PS4 installs the games directly onto it unlike the PS3 so your memory will fill up fast.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

The PS3 and PS4 have dramatically different architectures (so do the xbox 360 and xbox uno), making backwards compatibility functionally impossible. Don't get rid of of your PS3, that's for sure.

I second Leoofmoon's suggestion to wait on getting a new system. At least wait until we find out at E3 if Sony will release a new PS4 SKU with a larger HDD installed. Then you can decide whether to get an older PS4 (which should drop in price) and keep its drive or upgrade it yourself. (It's an easy task for both PS3 and PS4. I put a 120 GB drive in my 40GB model PS3 years ago.)

A major complaint about this generation is both PS4 and xbone have 500 GB hard drives, with maybe just over 300 GB of space open for mandatory game installs (disc or full download, both require large files being on the HDD). The mandatory installs are usually between 30 and 50 GB, so you'll get around 10 games (minus space for patches, DLC and PSN titles) before you have to delete old data to make room for another game. And, if you wish to replay an old game you deleted, you are gonna have to wait for it to reinstall again. It's best to future proof yourself with a larger HDD right off the bat.

Another thing to watch for is that Playstation Now service, the one that let's you stream some PS3 games and PSone Classics to PS4s, PS3s and a few other devices, all from Sony's servers. It's not the best option, since it requires a solid high speed internet connection, probably still has noticeable input delay, and seems overpriced. (Personally, I don't like the concept, but I might as well mention it. It seems to me like a dark sign of a future streaming only generation and "games as a service.")

 

[zelda2fanboy]

This is of little consolation, but a lot of first party digital games have cross buy that also applies to the PS4. When I went into the PSN, I was pleasantly surprised to find I had PS4 download copies of the Unfinished Swan, Sound Shapes, and Flower.

 

[Casual Shinji]

A major complaint about this generation is both PS4 and xbone have 500 GB hard drives, with maybe just over 300 GB of space open for mandatory game installs (disc or full download, both require large files being on the HDD). The mandatory installs are usually between 30 and 50 GB, so you'll get around 10 games (minus space for patches, DLC and PSN titles) before you have to delete old data to make room for another game. And, if you wish to replay an old game you deleted, you are gonna have to wait for it to reinstall again. It's best to future proof yourself with a larger HDD right off the bat.

The difference being that the Xbone and the Wii-U as well are compatable with external hard drives. You need more space, you can just hook up an extra few terrabytes. But for some idiotic reason with the PS4 you need to replace the internal HDD, and I've heard a good number of horror stories of people who replaced it and their console just bricked. So I'm too scared to fuck around with that.

 

[RJ 17]

Hi all, currently saving for a PS4 since the PS3 release schedule is drying up and just wondered, I have a hell of a lot of digital games on my PS3 that I bought on the PS4, what happens to those? can I re-download them? I assume I can I mean I already bought them digitally on the same account right? so there's no possible reason I shouldn't be able to, but with these companies you never know so I just thought I'd make sure, I'm sure someone here knows for sure one way or the other, so basically yeah do I get to keep the digital content I bought on my PSN account that I will still be using?

The good news is that there is indeed a way to play older PS games (PS3 and beyond, actually) on the PS4...but the bad news is that it actually comes in the form of a separate subscription service apart from PS Plus.

I think they call it PS Now, it's basically a streaming service that you'll pay a monthly subscription for - along with your PS Plus subscription if you're paying for that - that will give you access to a library of games that they add to periodically. Don't know if it's officially out just yet, but that will be the PS4's way of compensating for lack of backwards compatibility.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

A major complaint about this generation is both PS4 and xbone have 500 GB hard drives, with maybe just over 300 GB of space open for mandatory game installs (disc or full download, both require large files being on the HDD). The mandatory installs are usually between 30 and 50 GB, so you'll get around 10 games (minus space for patches, DLC and PSN titles) before you have to delete old data to make room for another game. And, if you wish to replay an old game you deleted, you are gonna have to wait for it to reinstall again. It's best to future proof yourself with a larger HDD right off the bat.

The difference being that the Xbone and the Wii-U as well are compatable with external hard drives. You need more space, you can just hook up an extra few terrabytes. But for some idiotic reason with the PS4 you need to replace the internal HDD, and I've heard a good number of horror stories of people who replaced it and their console just bricked. So I'm too scared to fuck around with that.

I like they option of being able to change out the HDD without voiding the warranty. (But that's coming from a guy who has worked on cars, PCs and home appliances since he could hold a screwdriver.) Though, it would be nice if Sony would also support external HDDs.

Still, I think most of those horror stories are either of people who either tried SSDs or 2TB+ HDDs or 3.5 inch (AKA power hungry) HDDs. (I believe Sony said the PS4 currently supports up to 1.5 TB 2.5" HDDs.) Or, someone was careless with dissipating static charge and touched the contacts, but that's really far fetched. Also, if you use a drive Sony said would work and the system bricks, they should cover it under the warranty.

Really, if it scares someone, it's all the more reason to wait until a PS4 with a bigger drive comes out, and to pester Sony with demand for a software update for existing PS4 owners to use USB drives.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Still, I think most of those horror stories are either of people who either tried SSDs or 2TB+ HDDs or 3.5 inch (AKA power hungry) HDDs. (I believe Sony said the PS4 currently supports up to 1.5 TB 2.5" HDDs.) Or, someone was careless with dissipating static charge and touched the contacts, but that's really far fetched. Also, if you use a drive Sony said would work and the system bricks, they should cover it under the warranty.

Really, if it scares someone, it's all the more reason to wait until a PS4 with a bigger drive comes out, and to pester Sony with demand for a software update for existing PS4 owners to use USB drives.

Well, I think it had to do more with all the shit you have to download off the internet, where you like have to make a seperate file for it and do it exactly right, otherwise your machine won't work. You can't just switch out the HDD, you have to download a firmware update from your computer on a USB, but there's a complication with that if you don't do it perfectly. I watched detailed youtube tutorials and I still didn't understand it

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

Well, I think it had to do more with all the shit you have to download off the internet, where you like have to make a seperate file for it and do it exactly right, otherwise your machine won't work. You can't just switch out the HDD, you have to download a firmware update from your computer on a USB, but there's a complication with that if you don't do it perfectly. I watched detailed youtube tutorials and I still didn't understand it

I remember swapping my PS3's drive, and it seems like the exact same steps for PS4. They didn't exactly make it as easy as they could have, but anyone who does enough research and has a supported drive and screw driver can do it. Though, I can understand people getting nervous about trying it. (Even I get anxious that the power might got out right when I start updating the firmware.)

Two things I've noticed, while reading just now, that can cause some hiccups are the stupidly specific file folder you have to put that firmware file in on a USB drive ({root}/PS4/UPDATE),[footnote]It's just like loading music on my PSP and not finding it since I didn't drop the mp3s in the /PSP/MUSIC folder.[/footnote]otherwise the system won't even see the file, and the firmware file has two versions. One is a partial update for if you just want to go to the latest software without connect the PS4 to the internet. The other is the full software update, that is absolutely necessary if you are installing it on a drive without previous PS software. That second file is also around 1 GB, while the partial update is only about 300MB. I'd bet a lot of people who think their console is bricked just have one (or both) of those issues.

 

[sXeth]

There's a very few "Cross-buy" games that you'll be able to download on PS4 after you get one.

Games with online progress mostly seem to transfer, like GTA or Destiny, though you need a new copy.

A few games have a rebate option to get the PS4 version, like Black Flag.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

Ive been thimking about buying a ps4, so thanks for tip to wait untill after e3 to buy one. Its ridiculous how much these things are 2 years after launch.

Also, I dont give a flip about patches/multiplayer/video streaming services. Can I install from the disk and never, ever connect to the internet?

Yes, all you need is a disc, no internet needed, ever. It's just like MGS4 and a few other PS3 games that needed to install some files, then you have to put the disc in whenever you wished to play that game.

You just have to install games onto the HDD in both non-Wii U consoles because the optical drive's read speeds just can't keep up with the size of the games. If they didn't require installs, games might have load times all over that would make something like Sonic '06 look like it was fast and seamless. (Look up some videos of Sanic '06. It would be a nightmare if most games were like that.)