As we exclusively revealed yesterday, you can now pre-order certain titles from the PSN Store ahead of their release. Some readers were a little confused why this is a good thing, but Sony have since detailed the system and highlighted some of the benefits.
Firstly, although you can pre-order a game in advance (like Sorcery just now) they won’t be playable until the actual release date. Payment wise, Sony tell us payments are normally taken two days before the game’s expected release date, although this – like the date itself – is subject to change.
If you don’t have funds in your wallet when the activation comes around, your card on file will be charged. If you don’t have a card on file, or it has expired, the pre-order will be cancelled. If all is well, your game will automatically start downloading on the day of release.
Pre-orders can be cancelled via the Account Management menu on the Store as long as you do it before the day that your payment is taken for the game, but if you go ahead and the day has come for the download to start, as long as you’ve got auto downloads on and your PS3 is in standby mode (not in use, or switched off) the game will start to download.
Interested? Has anyone done this already for Sorcery?
Jim Hargreaves
Considering that most retailers can usually deliver games a day earlier than their release and are considerably cheaper, I don’t think this pre-order scheme will catch on, at least not in the UK.
gaffers101
I agree. Most of my PSN downloads are impulse buys because they’re cheap, and that’s usually beacuse they’re older titles.
I can’t see myself using this feature.
Forrest_01
I’m the same as you gaffers in that i tend to only pick things up in the special offers, or if it releases at a decent price. I don’t usually spend anything more than around £7 on a PSN purchase (much less if i can help it!).
Cheapskates ftw! :)
However, that is not my issue with this, my issue is with titles that mysteriously ‘disappear’ from the store with no rhyme or reason as to why. Personally, i am not about to potentially put money into something that has the potential to disappear & never to reappear.
shields_t
Forrest_01 – I wanted some DLC for EA Active 2 ages ago, decided not to buy it at the time stupidly and it has never appeared since. I’m sure it was only available for the week it was released.
Forrest_01
I hadn’t heard about that one, but i had heard of a couple of PSN titles mysteriously disappearing for no given reason & i know i myself was on the hunt for something once & could i find it? Could i hell.
Can’t remember what it was now, but i do remember being narked by it (& apparently scarred for life!).
IAmJacksMedullaOblongata
Activision? I think you meant activation!
:)
IAmJacksMedullaOblongata
If one of the benefits is a discount then maybe.
I still have intense fears about this, though. Mainly due to SCEE’s amazing ability to screw things up.
tonycawley
But what if my ps3 is turned off? Will if turn on and download? Even if I’m not with ps+?
I think they’ve got this a little wrong, I should be able to download sorcery now and all it does on release day is download an activation key, or is that what they’re saying?
Also, for once 29.99 seems a sensible price.
tonycawley
Oops, question 1 is answered, don’t know how I missed that! I thought the switch on and download thing was for + only though, so will this still work if I don’t have +?
Also, why can’t I pay now? Why only charge me 2 days before release? Bit daft.
Nickboss1
£29.99 on PSN = £14.99 at Retail.
Forrest_01
Usuually you would be right, but i think that Sorcery is releasing for £25.
So it is still more expensive, but someone might be prepared to take the £5 hit to have it on their HDD instead of on disc.
skibadee
£29.99 retail as well have it on preorder.
Forrest_01
I take it that you haven’t preordered from amazon or play then!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007RE76YA/ref=asc_df_B007RE76YA7925432?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B007RE76YA
http://www.play.com/Games/PlayStation3/4-/15572262/PlayStation-Move-Sorcery/Product.html?searchstring=sorcery&searchsource=0&searchtype=allproducts&urlrefer=search
Thehut also have it for around £28.
Bilbo_bobbins
Can’t see the point in this really, most retailers post a day earlier and are cheaper.
Now if I was on the American store and you could do this, then its worth while as they release games a few days before us in the UK. It might be worth it.
tonycawley
Only to download it and realise its region locked!
Forrest_01
Haha – Your avatar is perfect for that statement. :)
Bilbo_bobbins
good point lol
ron_mcphatty
I can’t understand why pre-downloading isn’t allowed? Steam have been doing it for yeaaaars. Good old Steam.
Forrest_01
Yeah, that baffles me too – Theoretically, you could download the title in advance & then the activation keys could be sent out on the day it is actually released.
Bilbo_bobbins
that makes perfect, sense, never understood that. Saves everyone slower up the servers on the day too wouldn’t it?
cam the man
From the post yesterday I got the impression that you could download a game beforehand then it was ‘unlocked’ on release day. Which I thought was good as, like you say, there would less demand on the servers on release.
I suppose with auto download it would be ready to play when you get back from work, so still useful.
Rocket_345
The reason it hasnt been done is it does make sense. This is SCEE after all.
gazzagb
Wait, so even if you buy it before hand, you still can’t pre-load it? That sucks. And you have to have PS+ to be able to auto-download it. I thought SCEE doing something good for a change was too good to be true, they’ve managed to balls up the idea of pre-loading lol.
Watchful
Where does this post or the linked Sony FAQ say that you need PS+ for the auto-download? Pre-order auto-downloading would seem to be separate to and different from PS+ Automatic Updates.
http://uk.playstation.com/ps3/support/playstation-network/detail/linked491008/item491071/Use-auto-download-to-get-your-pre-order/
Tom Pitcher
So you can’t download it before the release date? what’s the point in this then? I thought the benefit was not having to wait on release day for the download to complete.It’s not like they’re going to run out of downloads available on the day. Although i guess it will be good on the off chance that the PSN goes down on the day of the release (crazy stuff I know, but it can happen).
nofi
It doesn’t say that. Downloads start on the date SCEE open it up for downloads. Could be (for example) a week before release.
Tom Pitcher
Yes it does, it says and I quote ‘ If all is well, your game will automatically start downloading on the day of release.’
TheDeathAvenger
@Tom You’re quoting from article above, UK Playstation site says
“If auto-download is enabled, your pre-order will start downloading on the expected download date.”
Tom Pitcher
Well then the article is misleading.
I’m glad to hear that it’s not on release day. This is actually quite a useful feature. I would’ve used this for the likes of Journey.
MadJunkBoy
can’t see myself use this cause i don’t buy much from the store… and especially not day one purchases…
but will maybe make some PSN buyers happy =D