Finally! Sony officially announces that PSN name changes are coming soon, with a bizarre proviso

It isn’t universal

Last week we heard from multiple developers that Sony was about to unveil its PSN name-changing service: something Microsoft rolled out many years ago that Sony fans have clamored for. Now it’s official.

As per the EU PlayStation Blog, a “full preview program” is kicking off soon for the PS4 that will allow a PSN ID change. The gist is that the first hit is free, and after that you’ll have to pay the nominal fee of $9.99 that Microsoft also charges. Plus members get a 50% discount.

To make the change from xxxSniperJoe420xxx to “MyWifeIsMyLife2012” you’ll merely need to head to the settings menu or profile section of the PS4. Sony will allow you to display both IDs at the same time so your friends will know you made a change and don’t get confused.

Here’s the kicker, because with Sony there usually is one: the name change won’t actually work for every game. Sony says the feature is “only compatible with PS4 games originally published after April 2018.” They say that not all games and apps will support the ID change (what?) and that “errors may occur.” During the preview program you can revert back if the errors are so busted that you can’t use programs correctly. Sony will provide a list of supported ID change games (again, this is bizarre that it doesn’t just work universally, and a glimpse into Sony’s odd infrastructure).

November 2018 is the planned date for the preview program with a full roll out in “early 2019.”

PSN Online ID Change feature enters PlayStation Preview Program soon [PlayStation Blog]