PSN To Introduce Pre-Loading

[The Wooster]

PSN To Introduce Pre-Loading

PSN users will soon be able to download and install games before they're released.

Waiting for games to come out is aggravating. Waiting for digital games to download is also aggravating. Having to do one after the other? Super aggravating. That's practically like living the dark ages, complete with witches and gout. Thankfully, Sony is about to start offering a pre-loading service. Users will be able to pre-order and download games before their official release date so they're ready to play the moment they're released. Unfortunately, the service will only available for "certain games," the first of which will be the PlayStation Move title, Sorcery, which launches next week.

Indeed, now you can wait while you wait. I'll let someone else whip up the obligatory meme image for that one.

Digital distribution services for the PC have been offering the same service for years now, but given that consoles still mostly rely on the traditional retail delivery model, there's been little motivation for Sony or Microsoft to implement something similar. The increasing popularity and profitability of digital-only titles - like the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft which shifted over a million copies in five days [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/117251-Minecraft-Mines-a-Million-on-Xbox-Live ] - seems to be encouraging Sony and Microsoft to play catch-up with platforms like Steam.

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[ThePS1Fan]

You asked, and you shall receive.

Anyway, this is a good idea I suppose. Consoles starting to catch up to PCs. Now there's only that problem of 6 year old hardware to overcome.

 

[Baresark]

Holy shit... REVOLUTIONARY!

 

[DustyDrB]

That would be nice...it took me nearly three days to download Persona 3 FES*. Though if they are just talking about loading games from disc, then that doesn't really take long enough to be much of a hassle.

*Yes, I'm playing it for the first time and yes I'm loving it. Internet, this is why I don't give you shit for never shutting up about the things you love.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Sounds like a good idea. I mean, the PC elite have had it for ages and it's great that some of their powers are starting to trickle down. Personally though, I'm sticking with the physical media. It won't be so great for DL-only games but I can wait. I can't just read in the bathroom after all.

 

[redisforever]

Now, if only they had this when Journey was coming out. The wait for that was excruciating. Sorry if I misspelled that, I'm using my phone to write this. Looks about right though.

 

[Beautiful End]

GOOD! Now..

Let's get rid of those updates that take HOURS and we're good.

...Or at least let us do something else while we wait.

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

I'm sorry but I have a problem with this. Not what PlayStation is doing - that's cool by me. But as one comedian said before...

Spoiler: I have a problem with this prefix pre, excuse quality of vid plz

 

[BehattedWanderer]

I look forward to the "manually shift the date forward to play early" glitches.

 

[GaltarDude1138]

Oh this sounds like a godsend to PS3 owners.

 

[Gamegodtre]

umm heres the thing i dont get if i download the game a week early but then i cant play it for a week, why the hell can i not play this game?? whats the point in a release date at this point?

 

[The Wooster]

umm heres the thing i dont get if i download the game a week early but then i cant play it for a week, why the hell can i not play this game?? whats the point in a release date at this point?

Welcome to the question PC gamers have been wrestling with for years.

I think Penny Arcade answered it best. [http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2012/05/09]

 

[th155]

I look forward to the "manually shift the date forward to play early" glitches.

That post shows you have no idea how this will work.

The game downloads encrypted, with the decryption key being sent out on the release day. There is no way to "shift the date forward" and play early, and if you did want to glitch it, you would need to hack into MS's servers, find the encryption key (which is probably currently on a server that isn't connected to the outside world - If they have any sense, so impossible without physical access) and somehow trick your PS3 to register that as the encryption key and decrypt the game (probably the easiest part - All you have to do is spoof the date and incoming data).

At least, that's how it works on steam. You would have to be stupid to do it any other way.

 

[malestrithe]

Yeah. That feels stupid. Buy the game early so you can look at it. Because its pretty, I guess.

 

[Xivilixa]

Yeah. That feels stupid. Buy the game early so you can look at it. Because its pretty, I guess.

See, this is just like when they had the SR Third "Initiation Station" oh, okay, so we can go in and look at the SMALLER customization options and create a character that we can end up importing into the game when it does finally come out, as well as download characters that OTHER people made! Only to end saying forget it and just make the character from scratch anyways.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

I look forward to the "manually shift the date forward to play early" glitches.

That post shows you have no idea how this will work.

The game downloads encrypted, with the decryption key being sent out on the release day. There is no way to "shift the date forward" and play early, and if you did want to glitch it, you would need to hack into MS's servers, find the encryption key (which is probably currently on a server that isn't connected to the outside world - If they have any sense, so impossible without physical access) and somehow trick your PS3 to register that as the encryption key and decrypt the game (probably the easiest part - All you have to do is spoof the date and incoming data).

At least, that's how it works on steam. You would have to be stupid to do it any other way.

I have actually shifted the date forward to play Steam games. Albeit, it was when the game was out in another region (so the files weren't encrypted per se), but glitches involving local dates do exist and will be exploited on the PSN.

IT'S THE PLAYSTATION NETWORK! NO-ONE COULD POSSIBLY HACK IT, RIGHT? ...ohh. Waait, noo.