At long last, Sony announced it will let you change your online ID on PSN beginning on Thursday. That said, before you rush to your PlayStation 4 to change that embarrassing handle you’ve had since middle school, there are just a few teensy weensy caveats to keep in mind.
While Sony says you can change your ID either on the console or via a web browser, it might not stick with every game you want to play. Originally, Sony said the name change feature would be supported by all PS4 games published after April 1, 2018.
However, during a beta preview program in October and November, it found that at least one game didn’t fully support the feature despite launching after that date. So while games published for the first time after April 1, 2018, should all work, not every single one has been tested. That, and the ID change won’t be supported on PlayStation 3 or PS Vita games, or titles that were initially launched before 2018 and then later remastered.
If that sounds like too much to remember, you can check this handy list of tested games and potential issues. Tested titles have been helpfully divided into three categories: Games with No Known Issues, Games with Issues Identified, and Games with Critical Issues.
With the latter two, users may find that after changing their IDs, their new handles might not be visible in some portions of games or that user accounts could be unlinked from game accounts. Games with critical issues might result in lost progress, or they could even lose in-game currency.
Other than that, the feature is fairly straightforward…but not exactly free. While your first ID change won’t cost you anything, subsequent changes will cost $15 — $7 if you’re a PlayStation Plus member. However, you can revert to an older handle for free at any time, and Sony also says your old IDs will never be up for grabs.
Even with all the exceptions, this feature has been long overdue. Everyone knows the pain of being forced to stick with a handle your emo teen-self thought was cool. Bless Sony for finally letting us all erase all evidence of our former selves’ poor taste in memes and pop culture references.
[Playstation Blog via Engadget]