Sony Unveils PS3 to PS4 Upgrade Program

Game Rant

By Denny Connolly

Published Aug 21, 2013

Sony's press conference at Gamescom 2013 confirmed that consumers will be rewarded with a 'significantly discounted price' if they upgrade a PS3 game to the PS4 version on PSN.

As the countdown to the next generation of consoles continues, news pertaining to just how smooth the transition will go for gamers continues to trickle out. Last week, Microsoft announced its upcoming Season Guarantee program for the Xbox One — now Sony is continuing the trend of platform transition-based news with some exciting discounts for future PlayStation 4 owners.

One of the announcements to come out of Sony's keynote press conference at Gamescom 2013 was the reveal of a PS3 to PS4 upgrade program. The program will allow customers who buy certain digital versions of upcoming PS3 titles the opportunity to receive the correlating PS4 version at a reduced price. So far, Sony has announced Ubisoft, EA, Activision, and Warner Bros. as participants in the digitally-driven program.

That means that the "significantly discounted price" will apply to the downloadable PS4 versions of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and Watch Dogs. This offer is said to only be valid for a limited time, though.

SCEA president Andrew House described the upgrade program as, "... A great way to reward PS3 gamers for their loyalty when transitioning to PS4, ensuring that it is as simple and accessible as possible." Sony did not reveal any hard numbers on just how significant the discounts will be, but explained that more details on the upgrade plan will be released in the coming weeks.

The upgrade program will have to compete with the GameStop promotion that allows customers the chance to pick up next-gen games by trading in the current-gen version and paying an additional $10. We'll find out soon enough how close the Sony program comes to matching those prices.

With GameStop tackling tangible discs and Sony moving in on PSN-centric upgrades, gamers who plan on taking advantage of the program by picking up Battlefield 4 for a current-gen console on October 29 will want to check out the assortment of exciting BF4 Gamescom announcements.

The Sony press conference also included the official release date of the PlayStation 4 and a price drop for the Vita for consumers on the market for some handheld gaming, so there were plenty for fans of the PlayStation brand to get excited about.

PlayStation 4 will launch on November 15 in North America and will retail at $399. The European release will follow a few weeks later on November 29.

Follow Denny on Twitter @The_DFC.