In the wake of E3, some more good news has emerged regarding the PS4 (review) – apparently, the promised automatic game preloading feature is just around the corner.

For those who have forgotten why preloading is a big deal, in a new post on the PlayStation Blog, the company reminded that automatic pre-load on the PS4 allows users to download pre-ordered games before the release date.

“We all know that some of the biggest games can take a while to download, and with the pre-load functionality, you’ll be able to download and install those huge files up to several days in advance,” the company commented. Additionally, the feature doesn’t necessarily require much micromanagement -  any titles that have been pre-ordered will automatically pre-load and auto-download to one’s PS4 system by default.

Brace yourself

Sony elaborated that a number of the newly announced games will take advantage of the feature. While skeptics may point out that there is still some time between us and the likes of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, or Bloodborne, or even Dragon Age: Inquisition,  players won’t have to wait until 2015 to try the new preloading feature. Apparently it will be available as soon as next week, with the first game that could potentially use the feature being Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, which launches at the beginning of July.

The full list of games that will accommodate preloading includes Battlefield Hardline; Bloodborne; Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare; Destiny; Dragon Age: Inquisition; Far Cry 4; inFamous First Light; Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare; LittleBigPlanet 3; Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor; The Order: 1886; Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, and yes, saving the best for last, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

Get a clue!

While the announcement is certainly a welcome one, for those who don’t have the pleasure of the enviable high speed internet found in places like Taiwan or even the US, it may throw a bit of a spanner in the works. It also does pose another adjustment for those who are used to having their physical game library. However, for our money, we largely welcome the move.

Making the case for digital pre-purchasing and pre-loading locally are local sources themselves, especially since some local online stores can be notoriously unreliable with delivering physical copies of games on their launch date; while a certain popular bricks-and-mortar gaming retailer  (which we won’t name and shame) has constantly astounded us with how clueless they are regarding customer service. Anything that spares us that agony is a considerable incentive in our book.