We’ve spent quite a long time wishing for this function, so we were pretty pleased when it was first announced. But there was a little wait before it actually arrived. Well, now that wait is over: you can tell the Sony Entertainment Network web store that you want to automatically download content the next time your console is switched on.
As you can see from the screenshot below, taken from my own account, there are two lists – one for PS3 and one for Vita.
If you go to your own download queue, where items are added after you purchase them via the web store, you can click the links to choose items previously downloaded and add them to automatically sluice down the interpipes and into your games machine next time you switch it on. You can pick multiple items form the list and they just queue up back at the page captured above. Here’s what it looks like when you’ve picked Thomas Was Alone to download to your PlayStation 3 – as you all should.
If you then turn on your PS3 and leave it idle on the XMB for a few minutes, it’ll automatically start to grab whatever you’ve queued up. If you pick an item that can be downloaded on your PS3 or PS Vita – a cross buy title, for example – you will be shown a prompt to decide which device you want it to go to, or if you’d like it on both.
As you can see, it’s all fairly intuitive. Once you’ve selected your digital goodies, head back to the download queue screen to check they’re all waiting.
Presumably, this will work for PlayStation Plus subscribers who have their console set up to auto-check for updates and patches, too. Should be very handy, come Store update day.
Youles
Bloody brilliant – I need this……since I replaced my YLOD fatty, I haven’t had a spare 5 weeks to go down my Download History and re-install all the games and DLC I’ve purchased….hopefully this method will enable me to do it much faster. Or I shall at least trawl through 100 times at a time from work and leave them to download.
This’ll also be great to install the many individual LBP DLCs that I bought on PS3, but are also compatible with my Vita.
Youles
Nice guide and pictures btw!
Youles
Bollocks – this will only work for new content purchased apparently: “There is nothing in your Download List. Content you purchase will show up here.”
Therefore I still have to search through a few thousand lines of items to re-download old stuff. You were so close Sony, so close :(
Peter Chapman
Are you sure you’re logged in properly, to the right account? I didn’t re-buy anything before I took all these screens, all of my download list, going back months – at least – was available to queue.
Youles
Yeah, I’m defo logged in properly….I can click on Purchase History which opens up a new window on the site where you can deactivate/active PS systems and it does show all my purchases but I can’t click on them or queue them. If I click on Download List nothing is displayed, and I’ve bought content as recently as last night. I assume it would be the Download List but I checked the Purchase History one just in case, and there is no option to queue any content for download. :(
Youles
Perhaps it’s just a teething problem. I’ve logged out and back in again, clicked on Download List and got “The connection to the server has timed out. The transaction has not been completed. Please try again later.”
I’ll just have to try again later!
Peter Chapman
weird, I just signed in and it’s working for me perfectly. Did you access it via the link above (just below the first image)? That should take you directly to your queue, after the login pop up.
Hopefully just an early issue that’ll iron out nice and quick.
Youles
Iv’e tried the link, and going via a Google search. The link doesn’t give me a pop-up prompt to sign in though. Either it’s good to know all previous content should be there (thanks!) and I’ll just try again later….perhaps there is a lot of traffic, or its because my download list is so big!! ;)
Tuffcub
Hurrah! No need to the Store via PS3 at all!
phantom5813
This is great. If I’m have stuff in the queue to download then I can just use remote play on my psp go or vita (I have both) via wifi at work just turn my ps3 on so the downloads can get started. By the time I get home then all my dlc will bedownloaded and installed and ready for me to use. Maybe I should have got a 3g vita after all…..hmmm….
TSBonyman
That’s excellent and very welcome – if it works..
The reason i say that is because i’ve been following the web store links here on TSA last few weeks, queuing up stuff there but when i get home none of it is in my download list so i have to go to the store on ps3 and grab everything again. It might be because i’m using those links before the store is properly updated..? I’ll wait a bit longer next week and see if that makes a difference.
leeroye
Is there a way to choose which PS3 to download too, i can only see an option to download to both PS3’s
Broonba
Cool. This is gonna come in very handy to have games downloaded by the time I get home. :)
yd
This is a good invention. It makes things marginally quicker than using the store on the PS3, although given the speed of the web store and it’s strange navigational quirks it’s not as much of a difference as it should be.
But Thomas Was Alone (Vita) – Playable on PS3 ??? They want to sort crap like that out before adding fancy new features.
And the download list is in a totally random order with a date of 17/4/2013 on everything, so good luck with finding old stuff there.
Ro6afc11
I was going to say that this would be perfect if you could access the store from a phone/tablet but that would be silly as it seems it now works perfectly well on my phone. Looks like I missed an update somewhere along the line.
I’ve just queued a few things up in the name of research. Have to wait now to see what happens when I get home.
Mr-Flame-Head
I have already used it and really like it but I have 2 issues, number one is the fact I cant find the item in the store click a nicely placed button next to where it would previously allow me to buy, so I instead have to sift through my download list which can take ages especially if its something I bought a few years ago, secondly I have found my console crashes when it first signs into the psn so I have to switch it off, but if I hold down the right button and quickly move to my friends list it all works fine