PlayStation 4: Your questions answered ahead of launch

PlayStation 4 owners will have limited music listening options when the console launches next month, as Sony has confirmed that the next-gen console doesn’t support playback of music CDs and MP3s.

Sony suggests that if PS4 owners want to play background music while playing games, they should get a Music Unlimited subscription — apparently their only option, based on a FAQ posted to the PlayStation Blog today. Music Unlimited subscriptions range from $4.99 to $9.99 depending on the number and type of devices subscribers own.

The first-party slate of games from Sony Worldwide Studios includes Guerrilla Games’ Killzone: Shadow Fall, Mark Cerny-led Knack, Housemarque’s Resogun, thatgamecompany’s Flower and Queasy Games’ Sound Shapes.

Third-party titles available at launch include Angry Birds Star Wars, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, DC Universe Online, FIFA 14, Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition, Just Dance 2014, Lego Marvel Super Heroes, Madden NFL 25 and NBA 2K14.

The PlayStation 4 will not allow users to share videos via YouTube or copy recorded gameplay to other devices at launch, according to a FAQ posted today on the PlayStation Blog.

According to the post, PS4 owners will only be able to share videos at launch by using the DualShock 4 controller’s share button. This will allow uploads to Facebook, or gameplay streaming on channels such as Ustream or Twitch. These streams will not automatically be archived, however.

PlayStation 4 users will be able to play games while the system checks for title updates and downloads them to the unit, according to Sony’s massive FAQ for the console.

On PlayStation 3, the console would only check for patches upon attempting to boot up a game, and if one was available, users would have to exit to the system’s XMB and wait for it to download and install before they could play. This was also the way it worked on Xbox 360.

The PlayStation 4 will not support client functionality for media servers, Sony announced today in the Ultimate FAQ for the console on the PlayStation Blog.

The FAQ also confirms the Sony’s next-gen console will not support DLNA devices for sharing and streaming videos and other media content from a home PC. Sony’s PlayStation 3 does include DLNA support and allows users to access their PC’s media from the console’s dashboard.

Sony announced today in a comprehensive Q&A posted to the PlayStation Blog that PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 users can play together online if developers choose to support it for their games.

“The functionality is technically possible and some developers may choose to support it for their titles,” the Q&A read. To date, there have been no games announced that support this functionality, although massively-multiplayer online games like Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn and DC Universe Online could potentially benefit from having cross-platform play.

PlayStation 4 owners can request a Blu-ray activation disc if they are unable or unwilling to connect their console to the internet, according to a post from social media manager Sid Shuman on the PlayStation Blog.

Those interested can request the disc by contacting SCEA Consumer services. The disc will then be sent via mail.

The PlayStation 4 will not support the use of external hard drives to store downloaded games or other data, Sony confirmed today in a post on the PlayStation Blog.

As part of the Ultimate FAQ on the PlayStation Blog, Sony revealed that the ability to hook up external drives to the PS4 is a feature not supported by the console.

The PlayStation 4’s disc-based game-sharing policies are about as clear-cut as they come — something Sony boastingly revealed during its E3 2013 press conference — but the console’s policy on digital games hasn’t been especially clear until now.

In a FAQ posted to its official website, Sony explained the process: Each PS4 user will have a registered “primary console,” and once they download games on that console, anyone — even folks using different logins — can play them. Moreover, if you’ve got a PlayStation Plus subscription on the account bound to your primary console, all the users on that console can enjoy “certain benefits,” including online multiplayer.