PlayStation It seems that they have added a new DRM for PS4 and PS5 digital games that requires the console to be connected to the internet for a check every 30 days, otherwise the player risks having their license for that game temporarily revoked. While it's unclear whether this is an intentional change or the result of a bug, many PlayStation players are worried about the future ownership of their digital games. Sony has yet to comment on the implementation of this feature.
DRM, or Digital Rights Management, is a hot topic among gamers as digital downloads of games have become prevalent in stores like the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, and Steam. Games with DRM basically means that players buy the right to play that game from the distributor, and the distributor can restrict access to the game if the buyer violates its terms of use. From a consumer perspective, DRM is seen as a way to restrict players from actually owning their games, as they could theoretically have access to the game revoked by the distributor at any time.
PlayStation users may have to deal with online check-in or risk losing their digital games
A post shared for X by modder and YouTuber Lance McDonald shows a screenshot of what appears to be a new form of DRM that has been added to PlayStation games purchased digitally through the PlayStation Store. According to McDonald, Sony has added an online check-in requirement for PS4 and PS5 digital games that requires the console to connect to the Internet every 30 days or it will remove the user's access to that game. The screenshot shown in this post includes data for Valid Period (Start) and Valid Period (End) along with a counter of days remaining until check-in in the Information section of the PlayStation version Don't Starve Together: Console Edition.
Another poster on X, Does it play?, was able to confirm this change, sharing a similar screenshot. is it playing also mentions that they've heard rumors of Xbox consoles receiving a similar update, potentially making this new DRM a factor for gamers on both Sony and Microsoft platforms. However, no screenshots have been shared confirming that the feature has been added to Xbox at this time.
In a separate post Are you playing? provides an update stating that they have been informed by insiders that the PlayStation DRM update was inadvertent and that “Sony accidentally broke something while patching the exploit”. Without explicit confirmation from Sony, there is no way to verify the truth of this claim. However, some users have already expressed concern that Sony may not have intended the feature to launch at this time, but plans to add this type of DRM to PlayStation Store purchases in the future.
This new DRM only seems to affect new PS Store purchases; games that have already been purchased from the store appear to be unaffected. Additionally, setting the PlayStation as the primary console in the account and security settings does not appear to remove or bypass this online check-in requirement.
