If you’re a PS4 gamer, you know how important it is to choose a solid online ID. It’s a name that other players will see and associate with you, and it’s plastered all over your account. The only thing is, once that name is set, you can’t change it… that is, until now.
Over the weekend, Sony announced the rollout of a new feature that will allow PSN gamers to change their online ID. Players will now be able to find a new tab in their PS4’s Settings menu or Profile page that will allow them to make the change directly from their PS4. Sony is also offering the option to display your previous ID alongside your new one, to ensure that old friends will be able to recognize the new identity.
It’s a feature that promises to be relatively straightforward to use, but there will be a few catches. First, the ID change feature is currently only being released as part of the PlayStation Preview Program. This is a PS4 software beta program that is, as of now, only available to previously registered users. So, unless you previously registered for the program or a previous PS4 software beta, you’ll have to wait a bit before you can use the feature. PlayStation Preview Program users will have access to the ID change feature until November 2018, with all other users gaining access at some point in early 2019.
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Read now ►The ID change feature is also going to cost a bit. Though your first ID change will be free, any subsequent change will incur a fee. This is to discourage players from frequent name changes; though it may be tempting to roll out a new identity every week, doing so creates a fair amount of back-end inconveniences that Sony is looking to avoid. After that first change, every subsequent change will incur a fee of $9.99. PlayStation Plus users will receive a half-price discount on that fee, coming in at only $4.99.
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Read Now ►Finally, Sony warns that changing your ID may cause compatibility issues with certain games. For now, the issues seem to be limited to games released before April 1, 2018, with the exception of a select few “most-played games” that were released before this date. Though an official list of fully compatible games has yet to be released, Sony has promised to make a list available on PlayStation.com before the feature is made available to the general public. In the meantime, Sony recommends that users experiencing in-game errors and issues related to the ID change simply revert back to their original ID to fix the problem. Users can make the switch back to an old ID for free at any time, though beta testers using the Preview Program will only be able to revert once.
The feature is still relatively new, and Sony will announce updates (including that official list of compatible games) as the ID change feature grows closer to full rollout. In the meantime, PlayStation gamers can start brainstorming that perfect new online ID.
