Sony Tightens Game Sharing Policy, Further Limits Number of Activated Devices
If you currently purchase content through the PlayStation Network and use it across multiple PlayStation devices, you’ll want to pay attention to Sony’s new plan for PSN game sharing.
SCEA and SCEE have announced that a new policy is set to go into effect on November 18th which limits the number of activated systems a game can be played on to two, after previously being five. This applies to both the PlayStation 3 and PSP (and presumably the Vita when it releases), but will only be applicable to every PSN game you buy after November 18th.
Fortunately, Sony plans to offer the ability to change the activation setting on your devices through a newly designed website. This will allow gamers to deactivate particular consoles attached to their username from the comfort of their PC.
To read up on all the details regarding how it can be deactivated currently, you can consult their guide. Thankfully, the process appears to be fairly easy.
While this new move may anger some gamers, many developers will be thankful of this move, with rampant game sharing between different gamers cutting into their sales.
How many consoles do you have activated? Let us know in the comments below.
31 Responses to “Sony Tightens Game Sharing Policy, Further Limits Number of Activated Devices”
I’m pisssed!!!!!!!!!! I have 3 PS3′s.
I don’t gameshare (illegally) anymore, but I do gameshare between my own consoles.
Only thing i dont like about this is-they limit it to 2.
3 would’ve been the sweet spot,IMHO.
5 was too much, but 2′s too little
If I decide to buy another ps3 for my third tv, I’m screwed..?
Unless I’m allowed to download the game first, then freely activate and deactivate whenever I choose-in that case, no issues with this change at all!
Hopefully i can deactivate my old 60GB dead PS3? + if i can use my PSN games on ’2′ PS3′s then that is enough for me.
Same.
yeah,,,,I’m really fond about being able to deactivate things as well. My main account says I have 5 systems on it but I’m positive that the number should only be 3. So to be able to deactivate those things would be great.
As long as i can deactivate consoles at my discretion, im happy. I currently have 5 active ps3′s, two are broken units i sent in for repair. It really rubbed me the wrong way when i couldnt deactivate ones i sent them without deactivating them all.
Including broken replaced ps3s I now have 3 systems linked to my account. Unfortunately Sony wouldn’t deactivate my dead one for me. If this allows me to do that I will be happy…. And slightly annoyed by the fact that I am further limited. Oh well, two is enough I guess.
Just be thankful you’re not under the M$ PC licensing agreement which limits you to one and only the one you originally purchased with the OS pre-installed. If you are able to de-activate machines that no longer function then it should be fine. I have only one machine that is running at the moment and a second 80gb that YLoD from an overheating issue, that machine is registered but the slim is not since that machine was purchased at Best Buy when the price dropped in 09 and the Sony website won’t let me register it. The 80gb was not sent in since there is no guarantee that I can get back another 80gb with the features that I purchased it for (memory card reader).
I will see how this works out when it launches I have never game-shared, when asked I always reminded those that tried that it was against Sony TOS/EULA.
And now finally the “no action lawsuit” clause makes perfect sense.
I’m curious to see how the people will try to change this policy with zero leverage against a corporation.
First take away the OtherOS and now limit my usability between MY very own consoles.
Sony is proving to be the worst, most unreliable, back stabbing company of the year.
The games are the only things still keeping me.
Anons and those hackers better find a way to crumble down this Corporation and the heads giving the green to these shHt policy changes.
Amen to that.
F***, Sony is turning into the very thing I didn’t want to get involved with… And I thought Micro$oft was bad enough. Is Sony trying to be #1 in the “most pissed off users” category? Because that’s where it’ll head soon enough.
Heu… Yes.
I personaly own 2 PS3′s and 4 PSP and also plan to buy the PS Vita
are they all for your self or what? I could not justify buying 4 PSP’s for myself
I have 3 activated systems in my house (1 is a broken piece of you know what that hopefully can be deactivated now) and a PSP. So does this mean I have to decide which 2 of the 3 items I want? Ridiculous. It shouldve been maybe 2 PS3s, one PSP, and one Vita.
Am I reading the guide wrong (from the link in this article) it says a max of 5 systems, which is what its always been?
wow…im already maxed out at 5 activated systems…and only 1 system is alive…this sucks…i really wish they would offer a way to deactivate all systems…ive always been unhappy with that fact, but now it is really a problem
this “guide” you linked only shows how to do it on the actual system…im pretty sure its the same guide thats been around forever
Updated so it’s a little clearer. The PC deactivation hasn’t be released yet.
thanks..i cant wait for the website to be created…ill be sure to check here for when it is available =)
I don’t like the new limit, but it brings the ability to deactivate systems which I am thankful for. My account was hacked into about a year and a half ago and since then, all five of my slots have been taken up. Only two were before then.
I call bullshit on this. 3 systems would have been ideal. also, while the implementation of the activation/deactivation site is useful–they should have included it a long time ago. they would have saved themselves a lot of headaches. now we’ve gotta deactivate and reactivate if we want to use something on our 3rd device. some people have 2 PS3s and 2 PSPs.
I love the fact that there’s going to be a web site to deactivate/reactivate your account, this should have been implemented right from the beginning. I couldn’t deactivate my system a while back because it had broken down.
i have 3 ps3′s and 1 psp.. this angers me especially when im gonna be getting a ps vita
All these comments about having 3 TVs and multiple PS3s have me feeling poor.
A lot of you guys are reading it wrong or not understanding what is being said exactly.
2 ps3s and 2 psp/vitas can be activated at the same time. So if you have a mini or video or whatever that you can use on both a ps3 and handheld you can have it on 2 ps3s and 2 handhelds at the same time.
They are limiting how many ps3s you can have activated from 5 to 2. Now I personally think that it should be at least 3 if they must cut the number at all, which I disagree with to begin with, especially now.
The other thing that you should be aware of is that its not retroactive, so if you have 5 ps3 activated right now your current psn downloads will continue to work on all 5. It is only after the 18th or whatever that FUTURE purchases will be limited to the 2 and 2.
I am not happy about this, but still wanted it to be clear to fight the confusion.
If someone breaks into my house and steals my PS3 and Vita can Sony track them when the thieves try to register them again, or will they just be refused?
Noticed alot of people could not get their accounts deactivated through Sony. Odd, i’ve now had 3 accounts completely deactivated by sony. My main and two subs. Wasn’t much of a bother doing it either. Now with the web site enabled deactivations i can finally get my other sub accounts back. Why so many you ask, ex girlfriends can be very nasty when they have your psn info memorized. Plus being hacked once or twice. Upset about the 2 system thing, guess i have to decide between my system at the current womans home or the one at my mothers my brothers use. Its easier than carrying your system around, and much safer.
Because this only applies to future games and now ones I already own it doesn’t bother me anywhere near as much as if it applied to all purchased games. Still is kinda limiting but since I get a heads up and I’m not boned after the fact I’m not soo upset.
Banana
Yeah, it looks like it is two and two. I wish I could activate each piece of software separately; PS+ is more worth it to me if I can give the kids the stuff I don’t want and put the stuff I do want on my PSP…
I’ll also add that it would be a lovely bonus if they left it as 5 for us PS+ users – at least those of us affected by this would have a recourse (and a very fair one at that).