PlayStation 4 users can now change their PSN name
It's long overdue
Sony has announced that PlayStation 4 users will finally be able to change their PlayStation Network Online ID.
According to a blog post by Sony's Social Media Director, Sid Shuman, the "online ID change feature on PSN is officially launching to all PlayStation 4 owners later today".
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You'll also be able to change your online ID via a web browser later today (April 10 for the US and April 11 for Europe) – you'll simply need to sign in to your PlayStation Network account to do so. The feature appears to be set for release worldwide, but Sony hasn't announced official pricing in Australia yet.
Sony says that "the change can only be made through a PS4 system or web browser", so you won't be able to do it on a PS3 or the now discontinued PS Vita.
Potential issues
Sony says that the first time you change your ID the service is free, but after that you will need to pay $9.99 / £7.99 (around AU$15), unless you are PlayStation Plus member, in which case it will cost you $4.99 / £3.99 (around AU$7).
Not all games will support the online ID change feature. Sony says while "all PS4 games originally published on or after April 1, 2018 have been developed to support the online ID change feature", it found an instance where a game "did not fully support the feature" during its beta preview program last year.
Sony also warns that there are a few issues that could arise as a result of changing your online ID, saying you could "lose progress within games, including game saved data, leaderboard data, and progress towards Trophies".
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For this reason, the company has released a list of tested games that definitely support online ID changes, and says that reverting back to your old ID should resolve most issues that arise.
Olivia was previously TechRadar's Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she's a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She's previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.