Some people have borrowed a friend's PS3 long enough to do the initial account setup, allowing them to then use the upgrade to go to the PS4 version. If you or another friend of his has a PS3 he could use for a while, that's possible. But if he goes that route, there's one thing to be careful of: The Square Enix account that's used from a PlayStation console is permanently tied to the PSN account that the console is logged into at the time.

This means that a player using a borrowed PS3 has to be given their own login on the PS3, which they need to setup to go to their own PSN account instead of that of the person whose console it is. With that done, they can go to their own account in the PlayStation Store from the borrowed PS3, so that they can register the PS3 copy of the game. (Both PS3 and PS4 versions are registered through Sony's PlayStation Store, either by buying it there, or by entering a code there if they buy a boxed copy.)


There are actually two steps to setting up an account for a console version of the game. First, it has to be registered to your PSN account through the PlayStation Store, and then the PSN account has to be linked to a Square Enix account. That second step occurs the first time you start the game, when it will initially come up with a screen asking if you want to use an existing SE account or create a new one (and will then guide you through the steps of either one).