There has been a lot of shit-slinging in the past months between Sony and Microsoft. Mostly because of policies that Microsoft intended on implementing into their new XBONE console upset their consumers and the company ended up giving in to the consumers' demands. After the community lashed back at Microsoft over things like not being able to use used games and Kinect's mandatory plug-in policy, the company quickly corrected the issues. It looks like Sony, the company that has been goading Microsoft recently after it's continued backpedaling in the recent months, might be doing some backpedaling soon. (* I guess, at least Sony documents the points at which they might backpedal by marking them with an *.)

According to the PlayStation.blog's "PS4: The Ultimate FAQ - North America,"

This means that you will NOT be able to use your PS4 as a streaming box at launch. Of course, Sony did mark their caveat at the bottom, but we know that a simple little asterisk is no match for a seething internet fanboy. I think that this decision is a bad revelation one week before launch. It's bad mojo. Consumers will not be able to use MP3s, or audio CDs of any kind on the system. The system will allow in game playback using the Sony proprietary music service Music Unlimited.

I don't know how many people bought into Microsoft's Zune Marketplace approach to digital entertainment. I know that the movies that they sold did very well for them, but I am not sure how many people pay for the service or just rent on a per product basis. But, I do know that Microsoft would love to pull Windows Media Player out of the XBONE. (Shit! I never got it to work on my XBox. I used Nullriver Software's Connect 360 and it always worked for me.) Microsoft would love to have everybody buy a la carte from their market place or buy into their monthly service.

I just hope that they provide these services at a reasonable price and that Sony keeps 'exploring possibilities.' Sony recently has been like Barack Obama when he became president five years ago, he rode into office on a wave of hopes and dreams. But, recently he has been fallin' off and those hopes and dreams that we all had are buried under debt and broken promises. Sony, too, looks to be falling towards the sea like Icarus. Don't be getting too close to the sun Sony. You might be swimming in the kiddie pool with Nintendo soon.

it's gonna be patched in on the second update. it was confirmed today

Sony is like Barack Obama.

@sopachuco13 Sony is like President Obama? So President Obama is now just synonymous with disappointment?

Anyway, that aside, it looks like Sony is going to be adding DLNA support back in. I haven't seen solid confirmation yet, but Yoshida's comments since the announcement and rumors regarding Sony reps confirming it will be back in a future update seem to give some credence to the possibility. They took a shot at trying to make their services the only one on the PS4, but they appear to be wisely backing away from that plan.

' Thanks, Kaz' doesn't roll off the tongue as well though.

When this FAQ rolled out earlier this week, I was pretty pissed, because the DLNA server on my PS3 gets a lot of use. I mentioned it to a certain person in the industry who is working on a game that is currently exclusive to the PS4 on Twitter, and he said he was going to check on it. Half an hour later, he sent me a DM:

So dlna is coming, just missed launch firmware.. No biggie. But obviously this is NOT official.

Several others on Neogaf have recevied separate confirmation to that effect, and that it will likely be coming in the firmware update immediately following the 1.5 launch update.

Sony's communication on this has been horrible. I've said this elsewhere, but this is Sony we're talking about, for all the strides they've made since realizing there are humans who play video games outside of Japan, they still seem to have problems with some of the more basic marketing and PR methods. Still, the lead up to the PS4 has been Oscar winning compared to the PS3's, so maybe by the time the PS5 is announced, they'll have it in the bag.

At this moment, I think that many of the people who voted for him are pretty disappointed with what he has/hasn't accomplished. Who knows what historians will say, but right now he is synonymous with disappointment.

I use the DLNA server on my P3 all the time too. That is why I wrote this blog post. I am happy to hear that Sony is really looking into correcting their mistake.

I like what you said about Sony in your last paragraph. Sony, unlike Nintendo, really needed to start listening to the rest of the game playing world that exists outside of Japan. I think Sony is rightly so forecasting that Japan is moving towards mobile and it will continue to be that way for the time being.

For that to be true Sony would have needed to have the competition constantly objecting and blocking and complaining about everything popular they've been doing. I dunno...the analogy kind of breaks down.

I suspect DLNA was removed from the system so it could be put in an app. Or it simply was low on the priority list. I am disappointed but I can also deal with it especially if the competition doesn't do it right either.

It doesn't do everything. PS4, now $399.

"Read my lips, no new taxes"

"I did not have sexual relations with that woman"

"Mission Accomplished"

"If you like your healthcare plan, you can keep your healthcare plan"

No, I'd say he's just synonymous with liars.

Sony has been honest, albeit somewhat late with this particular announcement. It does sound like they'll be adding in it later, though.

@extomar: I wasn't saying that they were carbon copies of each other. I'm just saying that their debuts were similar.

Is this really a deal breaker with anyone? With all of the devices we have at our disposable, this is but a minor convenience if that.

I both understand and can never fully believe this argument. Like with the Giantbomb guys or more hardcore gamers on this and other forums, it's a bummer when people don't acknowledge some people don't have the money or want to spend the money on a Roku, a Boxee Box, a hardcore PC or what have you. For me the solution is as simple as I spent $500 on a PS3, and it can stream my PC media (mainly Giantbomb HD video) to my TV, so why spend another $80 on another box?

Why drop a bunch of money on a PC that runs games at 60FPS in 1080p (and higher) when I already own a 50" HDTV and an iMac that can't run most games or get upgraded to play them (because I infinitely prefer OSX to [insert PC OS here]).

True, there are devices out there that serve the purpose of a media server. But there is also my Playstation, which I own and already watch Hulu, Netflix and play games through. I even watch illegal sports streams through it's web browser with little hassle, and now that NBA League Pass is available I use it for my HD basketball. For folks like me who have realized their PS3 is a perfect all-in-one media hub (other than HBO Go, sadly), it generally makes no sense to drop more money on other things I don't find essential to my life because the next edition of that hardware can't support it. It is legitimately disappointing.

That said, if Sony has officially stated they're prepared to patch DLNA support in at a later date, that's fine. I don't plan to get a PS4 until tax return season anyway so I hope I don't have to experience the disappoint day one adopters in my position will (yes, I will sell my PS3 towards a PS4, because it's a financially prudent thing to do). I have nothing to complain about. But it is bothersome that people so often assume their hardcore electronic experience is everyone else's. I am not an Xbox gamer, but I've found the bitching about Xbox Gold free games like Halo 3 equally confusing. Sure, PS+ offers MUCH newer games; most of my 2013 has been spent playing my "free" copy of XCOM. But if someone hadn't played Halo 3 before, whether because they're 15 years old or just never got around to it...why complain if you've already got the means to play the game? Feel happy for those who haven't, and understand why those who aren't in your bubble are excited/disappointed about certain things.

@razorlution: @nodima: I gotta agree with Nodima. It is a pretty important thing. Not only because of the money factor that Nodima brings up, but also because of the convenience factor.

If I am buying into Sony's platform and I am going to be using Sony's platform a lot (which is what they want) then I want to be able to do about anything on that console. Especially stuff that the predecessor can do!

If I am playing Battlefield 4 on my P4, I don't want to turn it off and turn on a Roku box or a P3 or anything else to do something that the console that I already have running should be able to do.

@nodima: I think some people like in my case dont really use the PS3 as a media box because my internet connection is bad so watching streams roku style is not a option and forget about Hulu or netflix HD as those are USA only features( I live outside the US for reference) so not having DLNA doesnt really affect me that much. I can see how this features would be an issue especially when the PS3 had it before but hey at least they will put it back in the next update so I guess we all win?

@aronleon:

The vast majority of people who are buying these devices are going to have good internet connections, that is why I disagree with Razorlution.

Sony and Microsoft have been drawing their lines in the sand and they don't think that rural users are going to be the future of the company. That is why they are trying to take all of these steps to move more towards 'always online' types of services. It sucks, but I think, wisely, Microsoft and Sony are leaving those users in their rearview mirror.

I have been trying to find out where they have reported that DLNA will be on the second update, but I'm not seeing anything online. Let me know if you have a link to the article. I would like to update my blog entry if they have gone back on this.

Are you for real? So a quick Google search shows 73% of PS3s are online... that 27% not online... 78 million consoles sold worldwide, 20 million not online.

Twenty million.

They're not going leaving those online people behind. The majority do have online connections, but how many would say they have good internet connections? I'd wager not as many as you think. Try thinking about the world as a whole not just your corner of it. If you were in the majority Microsoft wouldn't have done their massive back-flips over the past few months.

@pandabear:

I think Sony and Microsoft are looking at those numbers and they do see that over 70% are online. I am sure that most of their decisions are being made for that audience.

If they were ready to completely cut them off, then this generation would be a lot different; we wouldn't have physical media. I think as an overall trend the big two are moving towards 'always online.' I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't the last generation with physical media.

I am thinking outside of my little corner of the world, but I think Sony is too because they are seeing that they have 78 million people who are going to be paying them $50 a year starting next year, or whatever that translates to in other regions. Those 20 million that are buying their consoles and are not paying that $50 a year are a nice little buffer for their overall sales figures, but they aren't making any big monetary decisions based on those people.

• You aren't going to see Sony or Microsoft sending updates to those rural users.
• You are going to see a lot more day one patches for games that won't work without the patch.
• The services that Microsoft and Sony have been courting are all online. Everybody in the industry sees that Sony and Microsoft are not only concerned with games, but services like Netflix in the US and cable companies around the world.
• Also, one of the biggest additions this generation is being able to stream your games online via services such as twitch.tv.
• I don't think any of the companies are trying to court rural/unconnected users. They are appeasing them, but not courting them.

People are sensationalizing every negative of PS4 at this point. No matter how minor or how limited impact it is. Who honestly played MP3s on their PS3? Or audio CDs? I've used the video streaming but never for anything legitimate and I haven't used it years on either consoles since the Amazon Instant apps were released. Its all huffing and puffing because there are not any major problems with the console. While people are sweeping under the rug the whole resolution and hardware gaps between the X1 and PS4 they are grasping at straws. Hell Kotaku ran that article about next gen games filling up your PS4 hard drive and passingly mentions Xbox One has the same size HDD and is non-upgradeable and that external storage isn't available at launch.

Just buy it later when it is supported if it's so important.

Haha, what am I saying, fuck sony they hate fun and videogames.

The PS3 supported and I buy used it. So this means nothing to me. A friend of mine hopes they add CD playback in though.