Real Name Requests And Other Ways You'll Connect With Friends On PlayStation 4

Game Informer: We've known that the PlayStation 4 will offer the option for users to share their real names with friends. Today we saw one way that will work.

[RedHawk02]

Sony making the PS4 to be a social console was a really great idea. It's much better than a media console in my opinion.

[M-M]

I agree, they're playing it real smart this time around. In this day and age, people are always on social networks and are usually connected in some way. Sony also noticed that a lot of people have smartphones, tablets and so on, so they added a touch pad to the controller to bring a similar experience that smartphones bring.

[Shad0wRunner]

Funny you should bring this up...

Because PS3 had PlayStation Home, that featured fully customizable avatars in a completely immersive 3D world and environment. It was the equivalent of Second Life, for PS3...minus the adult themes and nudity and it was the maximum essence of SOCIAL integration. It was a venue for finding other gamers, around the country and world...making friends, hanging out and talking to them, all the while enjoying the mini games and exciting new spaces together. It brought people you never knew, together and closer to one another...in more ways than one.

Yet, because it remained in a perpetual Beta state for nearly 5 years, was heavily bogged down by numerous microtransactions and harboured some of the most ill behaved people (trolls, pervs and just plain idiots) Home was shunned and treated like Sony's little bastard child. And since the majority of you have been SO vocal on how much you despise it, were now faced with the possibility that PlayStation Home, will never make it to PS4.

Home was the ultimate SOCIAL app, and you people spit on it. Screw Facebook.

[Pixel_Enemy]

I agree that social functions are more important than media functionality but there is room for both. Sony can EASILY add more media options through firmware updates just like they did with PS3. When PS3 launched it didn't have half the media capabilities as it does today.

People need to remember that consoles are no where near their prime at launch. The features will evolve and the games will start to take better advantage of the power over time.

[Prime157]

@Shad0wRunner

I agree, Home was a great thing, in premise. Hear me out.

From a gamer standpoint, home was bogged down by clunky interfaces, load times, and complicated learning curve. Edit: It also had amusing facebook-like games that I found fun when I didn't know what I wanted to play.

From a social person who just wanted to go into home and collect all that I could, build my apartment, and go everywhere, it was awesome. Completely awesome.

I was really hoping that the PS4 would incorporate the Home in some way as I figured the processing power could. However, the fact that home was scratched from Japan seems to beg to differ.

I mean, it never left beta! :( Can we get the full version on ps4?

[abzdine]

will PS4 make me care more about the gaming social part and multiplayer experiences? Let's see because so far i am mainly only enjoying single player experiences.

[SolidStoner]

I just hope I could register my country and get my country flag.. Im tired of using fake accounts on PSN.. I live in Europe, Baltics - Latvia.. and still are having huge online problems with PS3.. :( hope they will do it right with PS4..

supporting only biggest countries is very lame... so many gaming communities are having problems with this all over the world!! :(

[Lwhit6]

I like gaming with friends and chatting with a lot of bros. I just think Skyping is a little too personal in my opinion and I don't like it being incorporated into my GAMING cconsole

[Shad0wRunner]

Why? o_O

Skype, whether on XB1 or PS4...is an OPTION. You DONT have to use it. Ever. PS3 supported video chat, if you had a cam. Doesnt mean you have to use it.

[Plasticgearsolid]

true, but also they got the media that matters aswell.

[Shad0wRunner]

While I respect your opinion...

I believe the PS4 can be BOTH, a social console, a gaming console, and a media console. It's not for lack of tech, thats for sure. A simple firmware update would allow for all the PS3's media features to be transferred over to the PS4. Dont forget...people like to have options, not alternatives. Give me the OPTION to copy, download, save, stream and play media from my PS4...even if I may not use it NOW, I might decide to use it later on, down the road. But dont cut me off at the root and say "were sorry...we dont support that...use your PC, or your MP3 player or your phone or your tablet."

Dont push me AWAY from the console I bought and love, towards alternate devices, just because you want to put gaming and social aspects at the forefront. Thats BS!

[RedHawk02]

Lol thanks for respecting my opinion. Most people I know would bit-- I mean nag at me. But I may have not said it clearly.

I don't mean that I don't want the option for it to be a media console. I'm just glad that their main priority was not making it a media console. I like how they ordered their priorities whichn in my opinion, is Gaming --> Social --> Media.

I think that's definitely the greatest possible way to prioritize next gen consoles. Microsoft, on the other hand, went Media --> Gaming --> Social. It probably can be argued that Gaming is 1st and Media 2nd but that isn't how I see it.

But yeah, I pretty much agree with you.

[OverdosedWitDopeness]

What they should do with the real name request is if you get one and accept it.It also counts as a accept for the the other person to show his/her real name aswell just to save time of accpeting then also sending one after.

[Abdou023]

I hope they implement something like MiiVerse using the companion app, Like when you are in the middle of the game you can send messages or ask a question at the forums using the app.

[Maxor]

I'm not so sure about this. I quake in fear of the constant and annoying stream of BF4 and CoD knife kill vids that people on my friends list will be sending out. Frankly I find social gaming and real names to be a terrible idea.

I do not want to see your stupid gaming vids and I do not want my co workers and family to know that I been up till 4 AM playing BF 4.

[RedHawk02]

I'm not so sure how valid this is but I'm pretty sure you don't have to incorporate it with your social networks or use your real name. Also you should be able to filter what you see and don't see. One of the main things about the social aspect is that the system learns about you through the things you choose to give you the overall best experience when searching on PSN for game, movies, etc.

[Jack_Of_All_Blades]

But can I change my ancient, decrepit PSN Name... please make it happen Sony, we all want that option

[Plasticgearsolid]

I know the feel man, W3in3rButtz was funny when I was 12. Its... its just not funny anymore!!!

[Lwhit6]

I need to upgrade to something more mature! Like 420yoloSwAg69!!

[AusRogo]

Hahahahah! Yeah mine has '69' at the end.. don't know why anyone of my friends ever thought that was funny lol

[christrules0041]

I'm glade that when you add someone you have your psn name and they have to get permission from you to see your real name. I didn't want any random person online knowing my name. I can't wait. So close to friday this wait is unbearable.

[JimmyDM90]

They should have a way to find your friends' gamer tags based on your facebook friend list. That's the way it is on pretty much every smart phone app and it works very well.

[user1439414]

I like the direction sony are headed here :)

[Prime157]

It's a good thing for every side of the social spectrum.

Trolls meet trolls, fanboys meet fanboys, akward people meet awkward people, and so forth and so on. We all win socially.

[beebap]

Shadowrunner I still go on home every two weeks or so and they are still adding features to it and people still spend money so I hope it comes to ps4 it should stay in beta constantly adding and improving.I love home. I bought a farm for my home space which you can do basic things on but it was more than I ever spend on farmvile yet it had far more to it.Show people will spend money on stuff for avatars in virtual space so I hope the money brings it to ps4 and some developers see the potiential it slowly turning into interactive space we always dream with avatars.

[TemplarDante]

Hi guys, quick question I hope someone knows the answer to.
Cloud Syncing of save game data.
On PS3, even though all users on console make use of PS+ goodies, storing save data on cloud is only for the account that paid the subscription. On PS4, is it the same? Or can all users on a PS4 (with active PS+ membership) save their save game data in the cloud?