PS4 Release Date News: DRM For New Console Arrive In Form Of Account Locked PSN Games

Well this is one giant step back for Sony and the PlayStation 4. It has been revealed that Sony's digital DRM policies are less than friendly to those interested in sharing games. If you purchase a game on the PSN right now with your PS3, anyone who has access to the console also has access to the game. The purchasing system on Sony's PS3 is fairly lack when it comes to sharing. The system originally allowed anyone who purchased a game on the PSN store to share the games location on at least five systems, which was brought down to two recently but with the PS4 it looks as if that two is being shared to only one.

So here is the issue, the way Sony has created the social networking-esque layout to the PS4 makes it obvious that most people aren't going to want to share their accounts. Especially seeing how they are linked to personal statuses and other personal aspects. Although this is a nice updated feature for the PlayStation it also means people will want to keep their accounts private. The issue becomes when purchasing a game from PSN linked to your account players will either have to buy the game twice or share your account in order for anyone else to play whatever game you buy.

This is similar to the Xbox 360 and next-generation Xbox One. The Xbox One family sharing system will provide a more functional experience for how things are shared between Xbox Live users. Although Microsoft and Xbox have made this functional feature Xbox Live users will not have access to full games so it's still not a win for the Xbox One console either.

It is an interesting development to watch as Sony takes this obvious step backwards as they were at the head charging against Microsoft and the Xbox One for their strict DRM policies. It will be especially interesting to see how Sony handles the backlash that is coming, because you know there will be some.

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