PSN Pass is official

Sony has officially confirmed its intentions to debut the PSN Pass with September’s shooter release Resistance 3 on PSN.

The PSN Pass was first rumoured yesterday after it was spotted on the packaging of Insomniac’s upcoming title.

And as expected, the Pass very much apes similar schemes such as EA’s Online Pass. These require consumers to use an in-the-box code to access various gameplay features that must be downloaded or unlocked over PSN.

The implication of course – though few publishers have had the balls to admit it – is that pre-owned buyers are frozen out of the content. That is, unless they pay an additional fee (typically anything up to 10) to purchase their own Pass.

"We are always evaluating new programs for our online offering," a Sony statement revealed.

"Starting with Resistance 3 this September, we will be instituting a network pass program for PS3 games with online capabilities. This program will be game-specific.

"Games that are a part of this program will include a single-use registration code that grants the account holder redeeming the code full online access for that title.

"This is an important initiative as it allows us to accelerate our commitment to enhancing premium online services across our first party game portfolio."