Over on the EU PS Blog it has been announced that as of tomorrow PS Plus members will be getting a cloud based save service. After downloading firmware update 3.60 you will be able to have up to 1000 saves, or 150mb of data.
“To do so, simply highlight the game save you want to store in the [Saved Data Utility (PS3)], press the triangle button to bring up the options, select “copy” and then select “Online Storage” as the destination. In turn, you can access your Online Storage list via [Saved Data Utility (PS3)] when signed into PlayStation Network on a friend’s PS3 and download your stored game saves to carry on your game from where you left off.
If the developer has chosen to implement copy protection on their game saves, you can still copy those files to Online Storage but there will be a 24 hour period, after each save, before you can then download them on any PS3.
If your PlayStation Plus subscription expires then you will no longer be able to access Online Storage until you renew your subscription. However, any game saves stored will be kept for six months and you will be able to access them as before when you renew the subscription, as long as you do so within that six month period.”
Source: EU PS Blog
Nauraph
How much did Plus cost again? =P
I really want this..
Sympozium
Haha… £39.99, i want to sign up again
Pemberton_
This makes me tempted to sign up for Plus. What about games like LBP though that use the game data utility folder instead?
PoorPaddy89
You can make a save data backup in-game, which you could in turn backup with cloud.
djdustb
I am probably being a bit stupid here but just to confirm how will this work?
Is this used for backing up my saves in case of YLOD or is this to allow me to take my game and play on another users system if I login on my account?
dnlgee
Both. If you like.
You choose which saves you want to back up to the “cloud” then when you’re on another machine, log into your account and re-download your save.
Hopefully it’s the first of many big features to be announced.
Kovacs
Both.
Your saves stay on your PS3. A copy goes into the cloud. If you want to continue on in a friend’s house, you log on to his or her PS3 and download your copy. If your PS3 dies, you get a new one and download your saves.
teflon
Both.
jonny_bolton
Neither.
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Sorry.
cc_star
Good news
What happens with copy protected saves, I presume the save will still only work with what it’s copy protected to?
Burnout for example is locked to that particular PS3 as I found out when upgrading to a Slim, and on that note, why do devs do this, why not just lock it to user accounts
dnlgee
Some copy protected saves will be able to be played on another machine whereas some won’t. Depends on what the dev chooses really.
Kovacs
Copy protected saves are mentioned above. They go into the cloud but you can’t download them for 24 hours.
I’m sure there’s some logic behind that, still trying to figure it out to be honest.
DrNate86
It’s to stop you from being able to take your saves to a friends house, if, you know, you don’t ever make plans in advance.
leon
Nice feature if you have more than one PS3 like i do but can’t copy some saves
TURRICAN-808
Not good, after six months they are gone, you HAVE to be signed onto PS Plus to access your saves….
Scenario: If the hackers hack PS Cloud they could get hold of the save states, people will be trading save files
bunimomike
I would’ve thought they’d be busy with hacking credit card details first. ;-)
Kevling
Turrican: Can’t quite understand you complaining about having to be signed in to access an online service ;) As for the 6 months thing, I think you misunderstood it – If your subscription lapses, you have 6 months to resubscribe without losing anything, I think that’s more than enough.
DJ Judas
I’d pay to backup while I replaced HDD’s etc, but I’d have to keep my subscription afterwards ¬_¬
How about letting us do a one-off payment to backup and retrieve once, rather than backing up to an external?
Spence1115
You could still do that by just signing up for a month. You’d be able to transfer saves to the cloud, back down on new hard drive, and you could still use them after expiry of the subscription. Its only the access to the online backup you wouldn’t have, but the ones you’ve got redownloaded would still work.
DJ Judas
Sort of tied in to having to renew subscription every 6 months though.
TheDeathAvenger
As Spence has said, by not resubscribing you would lose access to your online saves, but not the saves on your PS3.
Jas-n
So I was right in the Store refresh article, 3.6 was coming soon.
Mike
Definitely the best feature of plus!
Raider197
Sounds great. That is all.