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29 March 2024

Gamers' alert: How to make PS3 game work on new PS4 console post UAE launch

Published
By Roopesh Raj

The big announcement at Games 13, the Middle East’s biggest video game show for consumers, came from Sony, in terms of the UAE release date for the PlayStation 4 (PS4).

December 13 was revealed as the date and the console will hit shelves here in the UAE before any other GCC market.

A gaming enthusiast at the recently held Games 13 in Dubai.

 
The question that had gamers at the show in a quandary was: How many PS4 consoles will Sony make available for the UAE on December 13?

Skylanders - a big hit with 'small' gamers at Games 13.



Industry insiders and analysts at the show forecast between 30,000 to 50,000 units.

 “Most, if not all, will have already been pre-ordered. So, if you have not got your order in, you may have to wait longer for your console,” one distributor at the show told Emirates 24|7.

A Sony spokesperson declined to give out any numbers for now.



Buy or wait?

Which then begs the question: Is it worth continuing to buy games for the PS3? Or should you wait to get the PS4 and then buy PS4 games?

The MC keeps the crowd going...



And if gamers choose to wait for PS4, will that mean a lull in the sales of games for PS3?

Lalit Vase, COO, Red Entertainment, the biggest distributor for video games in the Middle East, says his publishers are already moving to ensure this does not happen.

Code download

“We are able to confirm to gamers in the Middle East that any consumer who buys a PS3 game this holiday season will get a code to download the same game on PS4 for a nominal fee when they buy their PS4 console,” Vase told this website.

“The cost will differ from game to game, but it will range between $10 to $17 for each game,” he added.

All eyes were on the screens offering the latest game content


Red says its publishers have also confirmed that all achievements earned on PS3 games will be transferred to the PS4 game when the customer activates the PS4 game using the same PSN ID.

Vase adds: “Many consumers may be hesitant to buy games on PS3, as they will want to buy the PS4 versions when it launches.

“The PS4 will be launching in the UAE on December 13, after all our key titles will have already released in the market.

“We don’t want gamers to have to wait to experience the new games only when they are able to buy the PS4 console.”



Big deal?


According to one industry expert though, historical evidence suggests gamers are not loathe to buying games for their current console even with the launch of a new version in the offing.

“If you look at the last console cycle, the PlayStation 2 stayed in production till the end of 2012, more than five years after the release of the PlayStation 3 and 12 years since it was originally launched,” says Nitin Mathew, CEO, Cygnus Communication, a PR and media firm dedicated exclusively to the gaming industry.

Mathew adds: “The core game titles should sell regardless of shortages in console hardware because they are the most anticipated ones.

“I believe we can expect price drops and bundles combined with the festive season ahead will continue fuelling sales of the current consoles and games."

No risk

Vase is not willing to take a risk on historical data pointers and wants to act now.

The line to get a chance to play Call of Duty: Ghosts at Games 13.

He says: “My opinion is that the PS4 will experience massive shortages in the Middle East until summer next year and it would be extremely unfair to gamers if they had to wait till next summer to play ‘FIFA’, ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’, ‘Need for Speed Rivals’ and other hit titles, because they could not get their hands on a PS4 console.”

All pictures: Roopesh Raj