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The PS4 will allow you to play digitally-owned games on any console; wait times for installations abolished

The Official PlayStation Magazine UK recently reported that the PlayStation 4 will let gamers sign into their PlayStation Network account on any console to get quick access to their entire digital library of games.

“You can visit your friend’s house, you can log into your account and play any game from your digital library,” Sony engineer Neil Brown confirmed.

The functionality mirrors Microsoft’s plans to give gamers access to all games — digital or otherwise — tied to their accounts on any console, but this has changed slightly due to reversals on disc-based game DRM. This means that both the PS4 and the Xbox One will allow gamers to play digitally-owned games on any console they’re at, provided their connected to the internet and can log into their own account.

The potential difference between the PS4 and Xbox One schemes is that PS4s will allow a user to play the game as it’s still downloading.

“This makes a digital library a practical option in the real world,” Brown said.

This new download-and-play system also means that gamers won’t suffer through long install waits like they did on the PS3. “The game will launch as soon as the disc has been put in the drive,” Brown confirmed. The PS4 will download and install games in the background while you play, meaning that “after the first few minutes, your game can rely on having faster read speeds from the hard drive.”

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Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.