PSN Name Changes Confirmed by Sony, First Is Free, Then You Have to Pay

Took them long enough, but it's great that they're finally doing this.

I wanna change mine but not if it means I can't play some of my ps3 ps4 and Vita games. Don't mind if it only effect some online games as I rarely play online but they haven't said yet.

Huge! Im surprised they didnt save this news for one of their upcoming presentations

@get2sammyb That would sort it. But I think you can only revert back once for free (unless I'm reading it wrong).

Should do a list of known incompatible games.

@get2sammyb no, the fault is on those that chose a name that they didn't want to have.

At least most of the crying can stop.

Jeez, how did they screw up their database that badly? Surely amending a field can't be that difficult, even at that scale?

Having to pay after the first time isn't going to sit well with some people, I can already tell.

Their online infrastructure sounds like a mess if you have to pay to change your PSN name; it should be as easy as picking another name and you're good to go. The fact that it took them this long, and it's a paid option, sounds to me as if there's some coding issue to prevents them from doing this on the fly.

@Deadlyblack It's the exact same as it is on Xbox though.

Awesome. Now let's see what else people will find to whine about the PSN, besides the frequency of which it's down.

@Octane So I'm assuming that Xbox Live is a mess then?

Wait. That compatibility thing sounds really confusing. So if I changed my name (not planning on it), would I be unable to play a game published before April 2018 or it would just show my old username on those games?

I feel like that’s gonna be really hard for the general public to understand.

@IBeAGamer Wow! I didn't know MS did the same.

Why?

Why not add a new name on top of your ID, use that name as your name tag, display name, etc. One you can change on the fly. That way you don't have to mess the underlying PSN ID. Seems like an easy solution, no?

So the user names that you discard will not get put back into the system?

Good luck to those wanting to choose a new user name and being able to find the one be they want.

@Octane You literally need to pay to change your Xbox Live account just like you do here. The only real difference is that it's cheaper with Sony if you have PS+ whereas for Xbox Live it doesn't matter.

@get2sammyb That's a nice work around. I'll definitely be doing it then.

I like that Sony give the first change for free. Then £3.99 for Plus users is a fair price all things considered. Cheaper than a pint in most places.

Cross-Play? Check.
PSN name change? Check.

I’m not really bothered by either of these, but I guess Sony are listening to its community.

Refunds, next?

That’s a feature I would like. Would probably get me to try some games that I would otherwise pass on.

I'm Happy with MightyDemon82 a nod to my favourite comic creation and year of birth what more could i want!

Hmmm... May change Dropout420. Naaa.

Wonder if the technical issues are related to online elements where the stats are kept elsewhere - like cod-net and streetfighter leader boards etc.

umm..so it's not really a name change. they just let you give yourself an ADDITIONAL name that's not even guaranteed to be displayed in older games.

Can't wait to change my ID to xxx_BongRipper420_xxx

Glad they found a way to get it done. Hopefully KnackIsTheGOAT isn't taken

@Octane Because people would change their username whenever they wanted as you cant put the username back in the pool due to potential smurfing.

Putting a price on it means people think twice before changing username and it keeps the possible username pool lower.

@LaNooch1978 correct, that's exactly how it sound.

Bit of a bodge job but given the complexity of the task due to the way it was designed in the first place, atleast its something.

@JoeBlogs It's a weed culture thing.

@IBeAGamer It is? Huh, I didn't know. I never had to change my gamertag with Xbox lol.

im not changing mine. v the final battle.best tv show ever.1983 playa.word up son

@Octane I think MS is even more expensive - like £9.99 in good old GBP.

@playstation1995 Mockingly Word up son, word up son, word up son. Normal mode Dude, do you ever shut up by saying that at the end of your sentences? Sounds like we have a huge trolling PlayStation fanboy who is a disgrace to true PlayStation fans everywhere.

because im the best.im the man with the masterplan.f4om queens ny.been a PlayStation fan since day 1 in 1995.Oviously you dont crap about who i am a black man from queens new york who is highly influenced by old school rap music. nas the g.o.a.t. wu tang clan.best rap group ever.mobb deep.lost boyz.erigc b and rakim.kool g rap. etc.maybe you should go play nintendo.with your avatar.god of war best franchises ever.word up son

@playstation1995 Oh bother. Is all of that true or are you pulling stuff from your behind? Sounds like you have mental problems, dude.

I'm happy with my psn name. I wasn't one of those who chose 5ghy/"df_ur54 or what ever. Its why our parents choose carefully so we don't have to worry when we grow up

All these complaints. All I can say is make better choices people. Accountability.

@Alantor28 While punctuation me makes me strain a little reading his lists, it’s just his style man. And honestly, word up son actually works for him. He’s got the personality to go with it. Don’t get so bothered by it, it’s just some good fun he’s having. (Not trolling)

@lacerz OK, Dad.

@Alantor28 Leave him alone, that is @playstation1995 thing, and it makes him a unique individual on this site. We all have our thing and should be respected as such.

@Turismo4GT Ok. Sorry about that.

I might go for....

m/Xxxx96COD-Lord5n1P3rKiller-420-69xxxXm/

Has a ring to it... but seriously, nice that the option is finally coming about for people

@Alantor28 that's cool, but the person you should really be apologizing to is @playstation1995. Cheers.

@Alantor28. nah im just the best. dude is a horrible phrase.thats corny as hell
i dont use that word like you do
im chilling.i l💓ve old school rap music. mental problems nah. i dont use drugs.maybe you do.but i dont.haha.word up son

@Turismo4GT i believe he should be a x box man.but he sounds like a Nintendo fanboy.word

@playstation1995 Hey, sorry about insulting you. It was uncalled for. You like Sony and I like both Sony and Nintendo, but not a big fan of Xbox.

@JoeBlogs yeah i love a tribe called quest.im from queens ny.i 💛ve onyx.black moon.slick rick.grandmaster flash and the furious 5.word up son

FYI: I'll be paying $9.99 to anyone who can give me a good PSN ID name.

@adf86 Honestly, I'm trying to work out how bad their infrastructure is and I really can't understand how it's possible to have difficulties changing a single field. My only guess is that they store their database across multiple sites and a poor sod has to manually change usernames using a Sharpie.

@playstation1995 Never change. You're as important to Push Square as Sony themselves. Word up son

@playstation1995 Again, I'm sorry for insulting you, forgive me if I sounded rude or anything.

Awesome. The name I made when I was an immature kid in middle school can finally be changed without losing all my progress. Even better, itll be free. Thank you, Sony!

@WanderingBullet, here's a freebie: $9.99.

I am 99.9% not changing my name. Probably.

@Alantor28. nah its ok playa.we all here to have fun.are you new here.i never seen you here before.anyways whats your favorite video games franchises ever. i been playing video games since 1981 with atari.sega genesis was the best until i got a ps1 day 1 in September 9 1995.word up son

Finally I can get rid of my Willy_Wagger_Dagger username and replace it with Willy_Fandango.

Sounds hassle leave it for ps5

@nessisonett hahaha thanks man.i appreciate that.if it wasn't for PlayStation i would not been playing video games now.PlayStation is a game changer. from syphon filter.to gta vice city.last of us.god of war.its the king.word up son

Oooh, I've got a topic the armchair console spec professors will complain about next...
PS4's lack of Dolby Atmos support.
Although that could be coming in a future firmware update and most likely will be supported day one on the next console.

@Deadlyblack I tried changing mine recently and was greeting with a charge of like £7.99.

£7.99 to change a username??? The price of many a great game on PS Store sales. Don't understand why anyone would want to change names (surely its kinda irrelevant) but how/why does changing a line of text cost so much? ...

Who's dissing my boy from Queens, @playstation1995? Dude is a legend around these parts. Word up son.

@fluggy Xbox fans got by for years.

@ApostateMage. thanks man.i appreciate that.hahaha. queens new york represents.word up son

Yes! So people can finally stop complaining about this topic.

Ok dumb question if this all goes back to the way they set up the database and PS4 back in the day why can't they just build a new version that would allow it if not now maybe with ps5

@Wesker
Now get off my damn lawn!

I actually want to add something to my original name. So nice

Changing mine to WordUpSon in show of solidarity

@Octane Microsoft makes you pay too a software company. 😁

@Octane Send them a message. 😁 😜

@Octane yeah my thoughts exactly but I would hardly call myself an expert

I don't like the opinion lots of people have that if someone wants to change their username is because they're idiots who chose a stupid name without thinking things through.
My PSN name is SAMDAN, nothing wrong with it, it's not ridiculous, vulgar or childish, but I am going to change it, simply because 10 years have passed since I chose it and my situation is different.
At the time I shared the PS3 account with my brother and neither of us played online. Then came Army of Two, a game that in 2008 did something that almost no game does now, online couch co-op .
We had so much fun with that game we decided to make a PSN profile to play it online together. We chose a name that was half his and half mine (you can probably guess which half is mine) and on we went.
Later on he made his own account and years later his own PSN profile, and I was left with a username that, while it has nothing wrong in and of itself, is just not right for me anymore.
I don't even dislike it, but I 'd still like to change it and, if possible, to do it without being insulted by condescending tw@s

I will change my PSN name to -
Ishouldofpickedanormalnameinthefirstplaceandnotwastedsonystimeonthis

@Flurpsel Everyone's always saying Nintendo is stupid for doing codes as their ID, but at least you don't get embarrassing numerical codes you want to change

Thank God. I am tired of my name and just wish I could switch it right now

@AFCC Same here, can't wait to change mine. When I first made my name I was under the impression that you could change it, which I should of looked into more at the time, but it didn't dawn on me. There was other applications and stuff that allowed you to be able to on the web, so I thought maybe the PSN did it as well at the time, but man I was wrong. lol

@Matt_Berial and why shouldn't you be able to change it? I don't even get it

@AFCC From what people have said Online is because the way they made their database that made it very difficult to do so. I don't know the details too well, so I could be wrong on that, but it was some thing like that.

I'm just glad we are going to be able to now though.

Is it only free to change your ID the first time if you are a part of the beta?

_{That was out of line the problem was solved already and we don't need you adding your two cents. -Tasuki-}

The moral of the story is think twice before picking your username

@fluggy Since people are so critical & vocal to change their 'mistakenly made' username, I believe they willing to pay that money.

Moral of the story, pick your username wisely...

@Carl-G I do believe that name is already taken, kind Sir. May I suggest WTF@mIgonnadonow_69?

@Ypmud I believe the issue is settled, he apologized earlier and playstation1995 took it in good stride.

@JoeBlogs 420 is the american police code for drugs

@Alantor28 yeah I find him pretty headache-inducing too; not sure why he’s held in such high regard as he never really says anything else than those 3 words and “PS is the best, GOW is the best”.

I mean, he means no harm, but there are dozens of people in here who constantly add something interesting to the conversation, and he’s not one (not saying I am one, at all).
To be honest I’m surprised that this is the first time I see someone pointing it out, as I personally find it a bit grating to read the same 2 sentences over and over with random punctuation.
But then again, I don’t like what he says and how he says it, but certainly he’s a good guy and has never been rude to anyone.
So please don’t shoot me down for pooping on him, cause that’s not what I’m doing 😛

Still waiting for an answer to how this makes the gaming experience any better. While playing a good game I couldn't care less what my PSN name is as it does nothing to enhance any game or app on PS4. Of all the things to harass sony for this is the best the community could do? sad... Sony should charge £100.00 not £7.99

@DanM A name can't and won't stop you from enjoying the games you like to play. This was a big waste of Sony's time.

I guess if you created a really lame tag when you were 12, and are now in your 20s, it might be useful to escape from it. Otherwise not such a big deal.

@Nesstark88
"A name can't and won't stop you from enjoying the games you like to play. This was a big waste of Sony's time."
I never said that, did I? I just said my username is not right for me anymore and that I'd like to change it, that's all.
Nowhere have I said that it detracts from my enjoyment of any game, because, guess what? It doesn't. You're completely missing the point.
And Sony is making a lot of its customers happy and is going to make a lot of money from anyone who'll change their name more than once. Goodwill and money. Quite the opposite of waste.

@DanM Good for you.

Finally