Playstation question

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Simlasa

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OK... I'm waaaay behind the times with videogames. I generally prefer to play on a computer vs. a consol... the newest platform I've got is a PS2.
BUT... the talk about the Dark Souls games, and my experience of them not working well on PC, has me once again considering getting a PS4.
A friend of mine almost convinced me several years ago but I was put off by what sounded like a mandatory requirement of subscription and being online all the time. I've just got soooo many subscriptions to stuff now and I'd like to get rid of some, rather than adding more.

So does PS4 require that I subscribe to some service? Is there a way to get one and play without that? Can you not buy PS4 games in B&M stores?

There are only a few games that I even know I'd want to play... the DS games, Wipeout... I'd probably find others.
If it's just connecting to buy online and download, I'd be fine... and I don't much care about playing with other people on it (very few of my RL friends play video games at all). Also, that thing in DS where random strangers can port in and fuck with you is something I'd like to avoid if possible.
So... recommendations? warnings? catcalls?
 
You can play games on a PS without buying PlayStation+, mostly if you are playing single player games. Most multiplayer game modes require a subscription, which is $59.99 a year. There are other benefits to getting a subscription though. They usually give away three free games every month as part of it, and many of those games are AAA titles. I think it’s well worth the price, because I play mostly Call of Duty. YMMV.
 
You can still get disc games for PS4. But all games do full installs, and if you get the game from a disc then the disc needs to be in the drive for the game to work. You don't get to save any drive space and you're still at the mercy of updates, because most games ship buggy and all have day one patches.

I started with my PS4 still wanting physical media. The PS4 finally convinced me to not give a shit about physical media and go almost completely download only.

Playing anything multiplayer online requires a paid Playstation Plus subscription. I don't bother with it. I play solo and couch co-op exclusively and I don't have any issues.

You will need an unpaid account just for updates or to use the Playstation Store.

I keep mine online all the time. I've set up my profile privacy settings so I don't have to deal with randos.

But keep in mind that the PS4 is on it's way out. Sony is definitely winding it down. It will take a while, but it's definitely in the twilight.
 
You can still get disc games for PS4. But all games do full installs, and if you get the game from a disc then the disc needs to be in the drive for the game to work. You don't get to save any drive space and you're still at the mercy of updates, because most games ship buggy and all have day one patches.

You will need an unpaid account just for updates or to use the Playstation Store.
So I could buy some games, keep them and their patches on the hard drive and not worry about a paid subscription?
I suppose I don't mind if I keep it online... unless it's going to constantly be pinging for updates. In that case I might disconnect when not in use.

I do still prefer physical media... and I DO NOT trust 'The Cloud'. But if I can tend to replay games I like, so if I could load it up with a few games I like... and that would be safe against it's eventual obsolescence... then I'd be alright. Or would I?

It's weird to me, how ephemeral video games are... all that inaccessible work on the trash heap of forgotten history. Emulators for older games keep things around... but it doesn't seem like newer games will benefit from that.
I suppose it's a bit like theater, if you're not there for the live performance you'll never get to experience it.
 
Were you playing an older version of DS on PC?

I've played the DS Remastered on Steam with a controller and it was fine. The original DS release for PC is notoriously janky but that was fixed by some rando who created a patch but that became obsolete with the release of the Remastered version.

I'm playing Elden Ring on my PS4 right now though and it is a blast.

I think the PS membership is worth it just for the free monthly games (2-3) and early access to the PS-only games like Shadow of the Colossus, Journey, Last of Us, Uncharted, etc.

PS. I often still got games on disc because while they need to install files they take up a lot less space than the full game downloaded and if your PS4 is an older model you'll run out of disc space if you have 2-3 AAA games installed at the same time.

Recently though PS is offering the bonus that when you buy from their online store many games come with both a PS4 and PS5 version for when you upgrade to the new system which is too good of a deal to pass up.
 
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So I could buy some games, keep them and their patches on the hard drive and not worry about a paid subscription?
I suppose I don't mind if I keep it online... unless it's going to constantly be pinging for updates. In that case I might disconnect when not in use.

I do still prefer physical media... and I DO NOT trust 'The Cloud'. But if I can tend to replay games I like, so if I could load it up with a few games I like... and that would be safe against it's eventual obsolescence... then I'd be alright. Or would I?

It's weird to me, how ephemeral video games are... all that inaccessible work on the trash heap of forgotten history. Emulators for older games keep things around... but it doesn't seem like newer games will benefit from that.
I suppose it's a bit like theater, if you're not there for the live performance you'll never get to experience it.

You'd just have to set up a Playstation Store account. You don't have to pay for that one. Sony makes it confusing with their Playstation, Playstation Plus, and Playstation Now and their subdivision of services. But if all you want to do is play single player games or couch co-op then all you need to do is focus those games and just coast on the free version.

My PS4 is always online when it's on, but I'm comfortably certain the PS4 doesn't constantly ping to verify DRM or anything, at least not with most games. Downloaded games are generally locked to the console under the user profile they were installed under, so it doesn't need to ping a server to verify. So, if you wanted to download some games from the PS Store, and then disconnect and play, then it shouldn't do anything to prevent you. Same with disc games, to be clear.
 
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