Question....(PSN)

[4daLuLZ]

I just got a PS4 (1TB) and I’ve gotten a bit too happy buying digital games. I think it’s near full already.

Question is, if I buy more games n don’t download them or clear out old games, will it be available to me for the next 5 years or whatever ?
Or is there a term limit / games disappear from the store because of Sony withdrawing / removing them ?

 

[rob mafia]

I just got a PS4 (1TB) and I’ve gotten a bit too happy buying digital games. I think it’s near full already.

Question is, if I buy more games n don’t download them or clear out old games, will it be available to me for the next 5 years or whatever ?
Or is there a term limit / games disappear from the store because of Sony withdrawing / removing them ?

no one knows.

as long as the games are still supported by sony, you can download them from their interface. but there's no guarantee that they're going to maintain their library, and the future seems more uncertain in this regard than ever.

there doesn't appear to be a term limit of sorts, although it may be convoluted due to the game game appearing on multiple sony platforms. ie: the ps4 version of game x may or may not be supported by the ps5. the ps5 may have its own version which would require yet another purchase.

shit like this is why i prefer to get the discs, when possible/convenient.

 

[HereticBD]

I just got a PS4 (1TB) and I’ve gotten a bit too happy buying digital games. I think it’s near full already.

Question is, if I buy more games n don’t download them or clear out old games, will it be available to me for the next 5 years or whatever ?
Or is there a term limit / games disappear from the store because of Sony withdrawing / removing them ?

I think you're good. Only thing that would really eliminate the access would be if Sony stopped supporting the console, and removed the PSN service from it.

AFAIK, they're still supporting the PS3, so I don't think you'll have to worry about a scenario where the game you purchased will be unavailable for download, anytime soon. There are rare occasions were a game will get taken down though. I remember that "Scott Pilgrim" game got removed for whatever reason, but that's the only game I can remember that was flat out taken off the service.

I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[GSP_37]

I thought I read certain games you had were no longer re-downloadable due to expiration of licenses.

 

[Valhoven]

I just got a PS4 (1TB) and I’ve gotten a bit too happy buying digital games. I think it’s near full already.

Question is, if I buy more games n don’t download them or clear out old games, will it be available to me for the next 5 years or whatever ?
Or is there a term limit / games disappear from the store because of Sony withdrawing / removing them ?

You're good. The way it works is you download titles you've purchased to your library, which has an icon carouselled on the homescreen so pop in and browse your collection whenever. Ready to play? Find the title from your library and install it, which will populate the carousel with your title's application icon.

The PS4 library is effectively a depository or game archive insofar as you download to, install from, play, delete to; find from library a year later and re-install, pick up where you left off, trophy-hunt or go for coveted platinums, whatever; delete. PS stores installation and application save data separately so your char, progress, trophies et cetera are never deleted when you delete the corresponding title from your carousel (to free up drive space, for example).

To your second concern and FWIW, I've never had a game corrupt or timeout from my library. Heretic probably answered the five-years-from-now best by looking at Sony's treatment of previous to current gen. You're good, dude. The conversational pivot into 'what we truly own' is another discussion.

Does that help? And congrats on the PS4 purchase!

 

[4daLuLZ]

Does that help? And congrats on the PS4 purchase!

It fried within 3 weeks.
Power surge, I think. No light but eject button beeps. Out of warranty. Tried everything even, changing the Power Supply Unit.
Now I have to send it to get the motherboard looked at but the area I’m in right is locked down.

Reason I asked is they’re so many good deals on PSN, I just cant say no. Even though my PS has been fked since 2 weeks <45>

Thinking maybe buy a brand new one and repair n sell this one later.

 

[4daLuLZ]

You're good. The way it works is you download titles you've purchased to your library, which has an icon carouselled on the homescreen so pop in and browse your collection whenever. Ready to play? Find the title from your library and install it, which will populate the carousel with your title's application icon.

The PS4 library is effectively a depository or game archive insofar as you download to, install from, play, delete to; find from library a year later and re-install, pick up where you left off, trophy-hunt or go for coveted platinums, whatever; delete. PS stores installation and application save data separately so your char, progress, trophies et cetera are never deleted when you delete the corresponding title from your carousel (to free up drive space, for example).

To your second concern and FWIW, I've never had a game corrupt or timeout from my library. Heretic probably answered the five-years-from-now best by looking at Sony's treatment of previous to current gen. You're good, dude. The conversational pivot into 'what we truly own' is another discussion.

Does that help? And congrats on the PS4 purchase!

Well, I couldn’t take it anymore and went and bought another PS4. This time brand new. Got a good deal on it with just the console in the box and the dealer keeps the wires, remote and accessories.
I’ll get the other one fixed when I can and sell it.

Back in action, baby !
Now I’ve got about 20 games on the download queue.

 

[mb23100]

I got a 5tb external HD for around $100 off amazon. It works great and I never had to delete a game again.

I kinda wonder how this new generation of consoles is gonna go as far as data storage. Games are gonna get bigger and bigger. Also data limits and overages with downloads will be an issue.

 

[blaseblah]

They will most certainly be available for the next 5 years. The real question with digital games is if you will still be able to download and play them decades later. Also with certain games like the GTA series where they use copyrighted music and the rights will expire at some point. I know you can no longer play GTA IV with the original music.

 

[HereticBD]

They will most certainly be available for the next 5 years. The real question with digital games is if you will still be able to download and play them decades later.

My guess is no. Although, I'm not ruling out a system that is entirely backwards compatible with digital downloads, or at least mostly BC. Or some kind of network that lets you retrieve past purchases.

As it is right now, I just try to keep as many purchased games on my hard drive, and let the Game Pass(or PS NOW games) fluctuate.

 

[rob mafia]

They will most certainly be available for the next 5 years. .

https://www.psu.com/news/every-ps3-ps4-ps-vita-game-delisted-from-the-ps-store/

 

[blaseblah]

https://www.psu.com/news/every-ps3-ps4-ps-vita-game-delisted-from-the-ps-store/

Can't you still redownload most of these if you already own it? I know P.T. is one of the exceptions.

 

[blaseblah]

My guess is no. Although, I'm not ruling out a system that is entirely backwards compatible with digital downloads, or at least mostly BC. Or some kind of network that lets you retrieve past purchases.

As it is right now, I just try to keep as many purchased games on my hard drive, and let the Game Pass(or PS NOW games) fluctuate.

I almost always buy physical copies for this reason.

 

[rob mafia]

Can't you still redownload most of these if you already own it? I know P.T. is one of the exceptions.

yeah, they can be redownloaded... with maybe some other exceptions. i think some f2p games that went kaput/sony cutoff can't be downloaded anymore.

 

[method115]

shit like this is why i prefer to get the discs, when possible/convenient.

This is how I used to feel. Being able to switch games though without ever getting up and changing the disc though has become to valuable to me to the point that I don't care about losing access to all my digital games in some unknown future. Gaming is one of those things though that I just throw money at and I don't care. It's what I enjoy. I've owned all the systems this gen at some point and still have my gaming PC and PS4.

 

[rob mafia]

This is how I used to feel. Being able to switch games though without ever getting up and changing the disc though has become to valuable to me to the point that I don't care about losing access to all my digital games in some unknown future. Gaming is one of those things though that I just throw money at and I don't care. It's what I enjoy. I've owned all the systems this gen at some point and still have my gaming PC and PS4.

this is like the 2nd time in 2 or 3 days... it's sad that people truly are this lazy.

 

[method115]

this is like the 2nd time in 2 or 3 days... it's sad that people truly are this lazy.

Nah man the way I play games it would be a joke if I had all my games on disc. It's very common for me to get on my ps4 and call my cousin to play games but he doesn't answer so I hop in whatever single player games I'm working on at the time. Then my cousin maybe 5 mins later calls me after I've already started playing my other games. So now he gets on and we decide to play a game so I start that game. Then someone else hops in our party chat and we switch games cause the third person doesn't have the game we have but we all three have another game we can play online. It wouldn't be uncommon for me to get up 3 times in 30 mins to switch games. One time we had to switch games like 5 times in 10 mins but that's a whole other story and not very common. Also once I built my gaming PC everything is digital there anyways so it just seemed silly to worry about Sony's digital library.

 

[blaseblah]

Nah man the way I play games it would be a joke if I had all my games on disc. It's very common for me to get on my ps4 and call my cousin to play games but he doesn't answer so I hop in whatever single player games I'm working on at the time. Then my cousin maybe 5 mins later calls me after I've already started playing my other games. So now he gets on and we decide to play a game so I start that game. Then someone else hops in our party chat and we switch games cause the third person doesn't have the game we have but we all three have another game we can play online. It wouldn't be uncommon for me to get up 3 times in 30 mins to switch games. One time we had to switch games like 5 times in 10 mins but that's a whole other story and not very common. Also once I built my gaming PC everything is digital there anyways so it just seemed silly to worry about Sony's digital library.

You and your friends have ADD. Also it takes 10 seconds to change a disc. I can't imagine being so lazy that getting off the coach for 10 seconds becomes a hassle.

 

[method115]

You and your friends have ADD. Also it takes 10 seconds to change a disc. I can't imagine being so lazy that getting off the coach for 10 seconds becomes a hassle.

It's not laziness it's convenience. You guys are calling this lazy like getting up to switch CDs makes you a hard worker. Why do it if I don't have to do it? What purpose does it serve other than to physically own it which is not something that even really matters to me. It's not providing me some sort of workout. I get my workouts in at 530am m-f.

I think the difference here is some people are so obsessed with this concept of ownership that they wont go digital until they are forced to. I do understand that line of thinking it's just not that important to me. Then when I went back to PC gaming it wasn't even an option to go physical so at that point why even bother? Half my library is already digital between PC and PS4 might as well go all the way.

 

[blaseblah]

It's not laziness it's convenience. You guys are calling this lazy like getting up to switch CDs makes you a hard worker. Why do it if I don't have to do it? What purpose does it serve other than to physically own it which is not something that even really matters to me. It's not providing me some sort of workout. I get my workouts in at 530am m-f.

I think the difference here is some people are so obsessed with this concept of ownership that they wont go digital until they are forced to. I do understand that line of thinking it's just not that important to me. Then when I went back to PC gaming it wasn't even an option to go physical so at that point why even bother? Half my library is already digital between PC and PS4 might as well go all the way.

Gaming is already insanely convenient. Why is saving 5 seconds to change a game out so important to you?

You say it doesn't provide a workout but its been proven that sitting for long periods of time without taking a break to move is bad for you.