A PS4 name change feature will launch later today, it has been announced. PlayStation 4 owners will be able to change their User IDs on console and via a web browser.
PlayStation announced a beta program for the feature last year which ran over October and November. The feature will be as simple as visiting your “Account Management” page and entering a new online ID. The first PS4 name change you make is free however further changes will cost $9.99 (£7.99) for regular users and $4.99 (£3.99) for PlayStation Plus members.
PlayStation users are even able to change their minds for free. To revert to an old online ID costs nothing and can be done by contacting PlayStation support. If you are worried about confusion with friends over your name changes, you can also display your old PSN User ID alongside your new one for added clarity.
Not all PS4 games support the name change feature. PlayStation states that during tested “a large majority of the most-played PS4 games” did support the PSN User ID change. This point is further clarified by PlayStation who set a date of April 1, 2018, for when a game must have been published after to support the feature. PlayStation recommends reading its list of tested games to check if the feature is supported as well as if it may cause any other issues. PlayStation admits “we expect major issues to occur only in a small number of games.”
This latest PlayStation 4 update comes after Sony looked to acquire even more goodwill from a positive change to its refund policy. The change allows users to cancel pre-orders and gain refunds within 14 days of purchase, as long as they haven’t streamed or downloaded any of the content. The positive moves may counteract some of the negative responses PlayStation received for its first-ever State of Play game showcase event.
