PlayStation Cross-Buy is perhaps the best new feature introduced by Sony this generation. It all started with the birth of PlayStation VITA and will carry on to PlayStation 4. With the recent announcement that Flower, Flow, Sound Shapes and Escape Plan will be Cross-Buy supported, we are essentially getting free games for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VITA.
Cross-Buy or as most call it #YOPO(You only pay once) is a feature that was introduced for PlayStation VITA and PlayStation 3 version of games recently. It mostly worked for games that were released on PlayStation 3 and received a port on VITA. It was later expanded to include PlayStation 4 as well.
So what is Cross-Buy? It is essentially a feature that lets you get a game on one platform and in the same price, get it on the other supported platform as well. Come to think of it, this kind of support existed already for PlayStation 1 games on PSP and PlayStation 3. It never extended to brand new games though until recently.
The Cross-Buy/Cross-Play promotion launched with full effect on games like Sly 4: Thieves in Time and PlayStation All Star Battle Royale. Not only these games offered Cross-Buy support, they also supported Cross-Play(PSASBR only) and Cross-Save. Cross-Save is a really neat feature that allows us to play a game on VITA or PS3 and then later import our save to the other platform and continue from there.
While it is agreed that Cross-Buy is mostly supported by indie developers, almost every second indie game on VITA is Cross-Buy with PlayStation 3 version; it is still pretty neat to get games on all PlayStation platforms that you own. Going forward, we are going to get three-way cross-buy games – it means if we buy a game on PlayStation 4 and it is available on both VITA and PS3, we are getting 3 versions of the game for price of one. Of course, the game has to be available on all three platforms for this to take effect.
While Cross-Buy might apply to future titles, it can also apply to a new port of an old title to a new platform. Limbo and Jak and Daxter Trilogy were all originally released on PS3 but later received ports for VITA version. What’s amazing here was the fact that if you had these games on PS3, you essentially got them free for VITA once the port released. This doesn’t work for every game though. Sadly, Jak and Daxter is not Cross-Buy in US but is supported in EU. Pretty weird choice of decision, i know.
This Cross-Buy stuff is not limited to games as well. It also extends to some of the DLCs. Games like Little Big Planet and Dead or Alive get Cross-DLC support for both VITA and PS3. Buy DLC on any one platform and you get it on the other as well.
I was very happy to hear that Flower, flow, Sound Shapes and Escape Plan are all Cross-Buy on PS4. It means if we own almost any version of the game on PSN, whether it be VITA or PS3, we are going to get the enhanced ports of these games on PS4 for almost next to zero additional cost. Pretty AWESOME!
What do you think of Cross-Buy? Let us know in the comments below.
Stay Tuned to GearNuke for latest news and info on PlayStation 4.
