PlayStation users online say Sony has added digital rights management to the latest firmware updates for the PS4 and PS5. The changes will reportedly require PlayStation console owners to connect to the internet every 30 days in order to continue playing their digital games. However, it has yet to be confirmed whether this is intentional or just a bug. 

The first sighting of this possible DRM came from Modded Hardware, a homebrew and console modder YouTuber, as first reported by Kotaku on Saturday. The creator uploaded a video showing an updated "Information" screen for digital games on the PS4, featuring a "Valid Period" with a 30-day counter. If the console doesn't go online to check the license with Sony's servers within that time, the report says, the games will not be playable until the console does go online. 

Jonathan Downey, the host of the Spawn Wave YouTube channel, did his own testing on the PS5, as bringing up the "Information" screen on PS5 games didn't show the same "Valid Period" info as on the PS4.

For his test, in a video uploaded Monday, Downey removed the PS5 CMOS battery, which is the lithium battery on the console's motherboard that stores data such as the current time and date. With the battery removed, he tried to play a game he had purchased digitally weeks prior, but received a message saying it was not playable. 

There is speculation in the PlayStation homebrew community that the change was a way for Sony to sneak in code that will hamper modders. An online check-in is a common tactic against modded hardware, as it prevents illegally downloaded games from being played on the console unless it connects to the internet, which then begins the process of downloading and installing the latest firmware. 

Users on X posted their messages with PlayStation Support agents. It appears these agents offer different explanations, with some declaring the problem a bug and others a feature. PlayStation Support agents, however, are not necessarily the authority on all PlayStation matters, so their answers don't necessarily represent the entire organization. 

Sony released a statement to Gamespot on Wednesday, clarifying that a change to digital game licensing was implemented, but it was not intended as a form of DRM.

"Players can continue to access and play their purchased games as usual," a Sony spokesman told Gamespot. "A one-time online check is required to confirm the game's license, after which no further check-ins are required."

A poster on X summarized a theory about this new license check. It appears that an exploit was possible during a small window between when a digital game is purchased and when it can be returned. Someone, likely with modded hardware, could purchase a game digitally from Sony and receive a 30-day temporary license for it. 

With their modified hardware, that license would stay on their device even though they request a refund from Sony, and from that point, all they would have to do is download the game through other means to their hardware and have a free "legal" game. The theorized new process requires a check-in within 14 days of purchase, turning the temporary license into a permanent one, which wouldn't require any further online check-ins.