Sony PlayStation just delivered gamers a double whammy news-wise. Let’s tackle them one at a time.

PSN Name Change Made Official

Last week we got news about the PSN name changing option that was long overdue since 2006. Just recently, it’s made official: users will be able to change their old PSN names to new ones starting early 2019.

According to PlayStation:

• The first change will be free.
• Subsequent changes will cost you US$10; it’s US$5 if you’re a PlayStation Plus member.
• The service’s beta phase will start soon.

There is one catch: not all of your PS4, PS3, and PS Vita games will support your new ID. This is because the feature is meant for recent software, meaning that it is compatible with PS4 games originally published after 1st April 2018 alongside a large number of popular PS4 games that came out before this date.

[P]lease note not all games and applications for PS4, PS3 and PS Vita systems are guaranteed to support the online ID change, and users may occasionally encounter issues or errors in certain games. If for any reason you experience issues after changing your ID, you can revert back to your original ID for free at any time (you will only be able to revert once during the preview program).

Reverting back to an old ID will resolve most issues caused by the ID change. In addition, when this feature officially launches, a list of compatible games published before April 1, 2018, will be provided on PlayStation.com for reference before you make a change.

This has been the most-requested feature since 2006, the year PSN launched. PlayStation fans should just take what they can get, given how old the service is.

The Next PlayStation Console Confirmed

The PS4 is now on its fifth year anniversary, which means a lot of tech-heads are wondering if Sony is building a successor after the 5-year console mark. No need to speculate: PlayStation just said that it is working on it.

According to an interview with Sony president and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida (above) on the Financial Times, he said:

• That at this point it is necessary to have a next-generation hardware in the works. As of now, there is no release date for the console, no name, and no specs so far.
• This is in line with what Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO John Kodera said regarding the next PlayStation being at least three years away.

He added earlier this year that PlayStation will need the next three years to build the next step, “to crouch down so that [the company] can jump higher in the future.” The next PlayStation may not come out until after Spring 2021. 

• The next PlayStation may not represent a major departure from the PS4; its fundamental architecture would be similar.
• Furthermore, the subscriptions and online services will play a key role in the next PlayStation platform.
• Here’s what Kodera said regarding the console life cycle:

“We need to depart from the traditional way of looking at the console life cycle. We’re no longer in a time when you can think just about the console or just about the network like they’re two different things.”

At the very least, the next few E3s are looking very interesting.