Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

PlayStation 4 owners get Spotify, Xbox One owners may have to wait a while

By

spotify playstation music launch playstion
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Earlier this year, we reported that a new Spotify-powered service named PlayStation Music would be coming to the PlayStation 4. It was set to launch in spring 2015, and sure enough, the service arrives today.

PlayStation Music is coming to both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 consoles, in 41 countries. If you’re new to Spotify, a free trial is available. Subscribers to the PlayStation’s previous music solution, Music Unlimited, will see the trial extended to 60 days.

Recommended Videos

A free version of the app is ad-supported, but if you want to listen without constant interruption you’ll want to opt for a $10 per month premium account. If you’re already a Spotify premium customer, there is nothing you need to do, while first-time customers can sign up right from the PlayStation 4 and have the service billed to their PlayStation Network account.

Upon starting the app for the first time, you’ll be prompted to log in with your Spotify credentials or Facebook account. Fortunately for those with long passwords, Spotify Connect allows users to use Spotify on a mobile device to log in, as long as the game console and phone are on the same network.

As is often the case with music apps on game consoles, the options are a little pared back from what you would see on your phone or laptop, but a fair amount of control is still available. Using Spotify Connect from your phone allows for more fine-tuned control, as well as the ability to skip tracks while in the middle of a game.

For Xbox One owners wondering when their console of choice will see an equivalent app, it looks like you may be in for a long wait. A thread on the Spotify forums requesting an Xbox One app has grown to over 40 pages, but it seems that, for now at least, this is one current-gen feature exclusive to the PlayStation 4.

PlayStation has “gaming exclusivity,” Murray Pannell, UK marketing director for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe told Eurogamer. When asked how long that exclusivity would last, he responded, “that’s to be decided exactly,” adding, “but certainly for the foreseeable.”

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Kris Wouk
Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
Sony shows off a futuristic PlayStation controller, but don’t get too excited
A concept controller from Sony. IT shows two joysticks on either side of a ring.

In its annual corporate strategy meeting, Sony debuted a video that featured a blink-and-you'll-miss-it concept for a redesigned game controller.

The presentation, which you can watch below, was dedicated to talking about Sony's future "creative entertainment vision," and included a lot of talk about the metaverse, mixed reality, and what it perceives as the future of game development. During a segment that showed off many futuristic-looking devices, you can see a circular controller working with a projected screen.

Read more
You can play this 2018 open-world hit for free if you have PlayStation Plus
Arthur Morgan walks into a burning house in Red Dead Redemption 2.

If you somehow haven't played the 2018 open-world classic Red Dead Redemption 2 yet and you have a PlayStation Plus subscription, we have good news. PlayStation announced in a blog post Wednesday that the game will be available for free for the Plus program's Extra and Premium tiers.

Subscribers can play this massive hit, along with 12 other games, starting on May 21.  Users will also get access to Red Dead Online, the game's multiplayer experience that allows players to create their own character and mess around inside the world as they see fit -- from forming a group of outlaws to rob people on the road to hunting animals.

Read more
Helldivers 2 PC woes prove that PlayStation needs an online overhaul
The PlayStation Store on the Sony InZone M9.

It's been a rough few days for Sony. After a plan to implement mandatory PlayStation Network accounts for Helldivers 2 players on PC went haywire, one would imagine that the company is having a lot of talks behind closed doors right now. If there's one thing I hope Sony takes away from everything, it's that PlayStation's online services need a 2.0 revamp.

It all kicked off when Sony announced that all Helldivers 2 players on PC would be required to have a PSN account to play and would no longer be optional. The backlash was instant, but not for unfounded reasons. Many players expressed concern about living in a country where they couldn't even create a PSN account, leading to the eventual backpedaling of the decision.

Read more