Persona 5 is finally set to be released in North America after a pair of delays that pushed the game's launch from last year to February, and then again to April 4.
As gamers look forward to the arrival of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts of Persona 5, PlayStation 4 owners should expect that one of the gaming console's most popular features will not work with the RPG.
PlayStation 4 Share Button Disabled For 'Persona 5'
As PlayStation 4 players take part in the adventures of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts in Persona 5, they will have to use other methods of sharing in-game screenshots and videos as developer Atlus has disabled the Share button of the video game console's DualShock controller.
Normally, the Share button on the PlayStation 4 DualShock controller allows players to quickly take screenshots or record short gameplay videos. The feature also makes it easy for players to upload the screenshots and videos to their linked social network accounts.
Most games allow the Share button to be used at any time, though there are some titles that prevent the feature from being used during scenes in the game that involve plot twists best kept hidden from new players.
It is very rare that a game completely prohibits the usage of the feature at all times, but that seems to be the case for Persona 5.
Is This Good Or Bad For 'Persona 5'?
According to a representative from Atlus, the decision to disable the Share button for the PlayStation 4 version of Persona 5 was to prevent players from spoiling the story of the game.
"This being a Japanese title with solely a single-playthrough story means Japan is very wary about it," the representative said, while confirming that sharing is blocked on the PlayStation 4 user interface and that it will continue to be prohibited even after the game goes on sale worldwide.
The reasoning behind the decision to block the PlayStation 4 Share button for Persona 5 is a good one, but at a time when everyone has a social media difficult, it is pretty difficult to keep screenshots and videos of crucial story elements away from the public.
In addition, the PlayStation 4 Share button provides developers with the added bonus of serving as marketing for their games, as players take personal screenshots of the best scenes in the game for them, whether that be just beautiful graphics or an amazing combo attack.
With the feature disabled for Persona 5, gamers will have to resort to lower-quality images and videos taken by smartphones instead of the high-quality content that the PlayStation 4 Share button is capable of uploading. As such, Persona 5 might not look as good as other games when shared on social media.
Atlus could still rectify the problem and release a patch for Persona 5 that will enable the PlayStation 4's Share button, though of course that will be the company's decision. Atlus might want to reconsider its stance on disabling the feature though, as players will likely want to remember the amazing RPG with high-quality screenshots and videos, not grainy and off-angled images.
