the scary 30-day playstation timer was real. the every-30-days part wasn't

the playstation preservation panic keeps getting retold as 'every digital game dies after 30 days offline.' sony says that is not how it works. newer digital purchases can start with a temporary license, but one online check confirms it and no recurring check-ins are required after that. i still don't love a permanent offline license needing a server handshake first, especially while sony is arguing in court that digital games are licensed rather than owned and new playstation releases are moving away from discs in 2028. but the monthly forever-check story is wrong.