Sony, following Google, Apple, Microsoft, and many others, has taken a step towards a password-free future — PlayStation owners have been given the opportunity to log in to their PSN accounts using Passkeys 
passwordless authentication based on the FIDO2 standard and the open WebAuthn protocol, which should eventually completely replace classic passwords and less secure two-factor authentication (2FA) technology.
Login to your PlayStation account hassle-free with passkeys arriving later today! Keep an eye out for updates. pic.twitter.com/BAmh64EwHR
— Ask PlayStation (@AskPlayStation) February 21, 2024
What access keys are and why they are — have been described repeatedly in previous texts (1 and 2). It is a simple alternative to passwords that allows you to securely log in using your own device — using your fingerprint, face recognition or PIN to unlock the screen. The key benefits of the technology are — convenience (no need to remember long and complex passwords), speed (authorization is faster than with a password), increased security (access keys are stored locally and synchronized between devices via a cloud service) and resistance to phishing attacks.
Microsoft has opened general access to fully passwordless authentication, including for Xbox owners, at the end of 2021, in the fall of 2023, Nintendo added support for access keys, and now PlayStation has caught up with the competition. To create and use an access key to log in to PSN, you need to activate the function in your account settings in the Security section.
How to set up a PSN login with an access key
The official guide on the Sony website has comprehensive instructions in Ukrainianwhich describes everything about creating, configuring, managing, and deleting PSN access keys in as much detail as possible. To set up a PSN access key, you need to:
- Log in to your account on the page Account management.
- Go to the section Security and enable the option Log in with your access key.
- Select Create an access key.
- Select the method of creating an access key, and then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.
After creating an access key, you should receive a confirmation email, and then access key can be used whenever you need to sign in to PSN — on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, or a connected device. On PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, you cannot reset your PlayStation Network passwords — access keys on older platforms are not supported.
If necessary, visit Account management you can add several more access keys to each other device in the ecosystem (for example, an iPad or Mac), which can also be used to log in.
If you lose your smartphone, you can log in to PSN using any other device (from the list of trusted ones) and register a new access code, or as a last resort, use account recovery mechanism. If you wish, you can refuse access keys and return to logging in to PSN with a password — you need to turn off the corresponding option in the settings.
Support for PS VR2 on PC
And not to get up twice — just now Sony said, which is working to ensure the compatibility of the PS VR2 headset with PCs. As a reminder, PS VR2 sales began in February 2023 at a price of $550. And it’s hard to call the PlayStation VR2 headset particularly successful — rather, half-failed. Currently, there are about 160 games available on PS VR2, so PC compatibility should help expand the game library and the appeal of the headset itself.