Let's just assume that the next-gen console rumours are true...

[idarkphoenixi]

The rumour of not being able to use secondhand games
What would you do? I'm sure the initial knee-jerk reaction would be "Well I just won't buy the console", but would you really stick by that? There are bound to be some really good looking exclusives coming up. Perhaps you might try to rationalise a purchase by saying something akin to "Well I don't buy many used games anyway so I don't mind...Plus I can always rent from the online stores"

I won't get it but only because I don't play on consoles in the first place. I've been a pc gamer for a while now and am perfectly happy where I am. But I'm interested to know what everyone else thinks. These rumours have to come from somewhere, this whole fight (if you really want to call it that) has been getting a lot of fuel lately and so theres a good chance that it might be more real than we think.

 

[ResonanceGames]

It just depends on the games they have and the quality of their digital services. If they have sales comparable to Steam (I will eat my fucking hat, but work with me here) then losing used games wouldn't really affect me, since I'd still be able to pick up cheap games.

If the lineup sucks and the store is just as bad as the ones they have on the consoles now, then forget it. I've got a PC, that'll be enough.

 

[LiquidSolstice]

At the risk of sounding like a dick, in response the title, let's not assume the rumors are true.

Please?

This subject doesn't generate insightful discussion, it just brings in shit tons of flaming from people who take rumor to be fact.

 

[Viridian]

Imma just leave this here.

[link]http://kotaku.com/5896996/the-next-playstation-is-called-orbis-sources-say-here-are-the-details[/link]

Anyway, if you couldn't use secondhand games, wouldn't that kill game rentals? They are, by nature, used by multiple people aren't they?

In any case, whichever company goes live with their anti-used game stuff first will be a guinea pig for the other companies.

 

[teqrevisited]

I'd stick to pc. The majority of games I buy aren't used and the few that I do tend to be classic games that aren't stocked anywhere anymore. Plus if I want to pay less for something I can always wait for a sale.

 

[TorqueConverter]

The rumour of not being able to use secondhand games
What would you do? I'm sure the initial knee-jerk reaction would be "Well I just won't buy the console", but would you really stick by that? There are bound to be some really good looking exclusives coming up. Perhaps you might try to rationalise a purchase by saying something akin to "Well I don't buy many used games anyway so I don't mind...Plus I can always rent from the online stores"

I won't get it but only because I don't play on consoles in the first place. I've been a pc gamer for a while now and am perfectly happy where I am. But I'm interested to know what everyone else thinks. These rumours have to come from somewhere, this whole fight (if you really want to call it that) has been getting a lot of fuel lately and so theres a good chance that it might be more real than we think.

I'm inclined to agree that sitting the next generation out is not going to be viable for a lot of people. The Xbox and PS2 are functionally dead. Can anyone really rationalize sticking with the current gen until 2019 or later? The game console manufactures are in control of console gaming. You buy their hardware at some point after they release it if you want to continue as a console gamer. You don't have a say in the matter; it's not an open platform.

This is why I hate closed platforms, walled gardens (looking at you Apple) and other such nonsense. With a PC I at least feel like I have some semblance of control over my game platform. It' possible that if these rumors are indeed true and the console gaming community stick by their guns and say "NO!" to the next gen, then we may see the emergence of new consoles from entirely new companies with Sony and Microsoft becoming second rate players

Steam box could be a potential candidate and to a lesser degree the Alienware X51. The PC may make venture into the console market with mobile gaming architecture packaged into a slim case and some sort of simple OS installed.

 

[tippy2k2]

It's not going to happen. I guarantee that it won't happen...

But let's say we live in an alternate universe where Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo no longer wish to be console makers and implement this idea...

I'd still go ahead and purchase it (though I would wait for quite a while. I'm not gonna get caught with a Dreamcast here). I really don't care about the poor used game market and very rarely buy used (basically, if it's rare and unavailable new). It sucks that not everyone can afford to do this but I'm still OK with it.

 

[dessertmonkeyjk]

Anyway, if you couldn't use secondhand games, wouldn't that kill game rentals? They are, by nature, used by multiple people aren't they?

In any case, whichever company goes live with their anti-used game stuff first will be a guinea pig for the other companies.

That... is a very good observation. Gamefly would basically take a huge hit and possibly flatline.

I really hate blind mimicry. It's both destructive and annoying as all hell. Those who at least take the time to understand the effects and why it does/does not work are more then worth my time.

 

[Hazy992]

It's not going to happen. I guarantee that it won't happen...

I second that. They're not that stupid and if say MS does it then Sony won't and undercut them. And if it was a big deal wouldn't Sony have done it with the Vita already?

But assuming it's true if I don't have enough money for a gaming PC by then I'd just have to stick with my PS3 and 360 then save up for a gaming rig. I'd probably buy the PS4 (or Orbis or whatever) later on when it was cheap and had enough good exclusives that I could justify not being able to buy used.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

The Wii-U isn't rumored to reject used games...just saying. If the Wii-U is the only one that lets me play used games they're going to get my money. If every new console rejects used/rental games then I won't buy them and focus on building my collection of older/classic games.

 

[Mister Six]

Let's, for this discussion, assume that one, two, or all three do in fact prevent a single game from being played on multiple stations, whether permanently or with a one time fee. If only one console does so, I will purchase the other non-nintendo console, if both use the system then I will wait and see what games are on the Wii U. If all three use the system then I will stay out of said generation, though regardless I will continue purchasing games for the PC.

I make the most out of a GameFly membership, usually only purchasing 3-4 games for a console now a days. The cost, lack of trustworthy information, decreasing quality, and the fact that most games seem to be trying to follow the leader has left me with a bad taste in my mouth and far more cautious about which games I buy.

 

[GiantRaven]

Welp. Looks like I'm PC all the way now.

 

[LilithSlave]

I'll still probably get it. I won't be purchasing any "mainstream" Western games, though.

Besides, there were rumors about this kind of thing happening on the PS3. Last I checked, I can still play used games on it. I really, really doubt that the rumors are true.

I am picking up comrade vibes right here. They are intense.

Anyway, doing such a thing is pointless unless you have digital distribution. Because only so many copies of new games, even exist.

I guess if they have some interesting exclusives I can put up with it, so long as they have formidable digital distribution.

And also that old games on the digital distribution don't keep up ridiculously high prices. Part of the appeal of used games, if of course, cheap prices. People have a right to looking for the best price possible. If there aren't a lot of good exclusives and reasonable "new" prices, my interest is not going to be very intense.

The rumors alone are making people lose loads of interest in consoles, not just me. If they're foolish enough to do something like this, pride comes before the fall. They'll lose ridiculous amounts of money. And Nintendo will dominate two generations in a row. No problem for me, I've always been a big Nintendo fan.

Makes me happy to be somewhat of a retro gamer. We've always got the good old games. What's so great about new games, anyway? Especially with all the fungus sprinkled on them like this.

 

[Aris Khandr]

I don't buy anything used. Full stop. So it doesn't effect me at all. I'm mostly a PC gamer though, and the used market has been dead on PC for at least a decade. Don't miss it there, won't miss it on consoles either.

 

[isometry]

The rumors are probably true. Microsoft pioneered the idea of online activation with Windows XP. People said they would avoid upgrading, but of course almost everyone is using XP or later by now.

 

[broadbandaddict]

I would still buy the console, if I was going to buy one. After all I am part of the PC master race.

The fact that they don't play used games doesn't bother me, I never really bought them anyways. What worries me more is the hardware that they are going to be putting into them. It will not be pretty. I've seen a couple rumors about the PS3 switching architectures (to x86 instead of Cell) which would mean that backwards compatibility would be out the window if that means anything to you.

 

[Xanthious]

Well shit fella, while we are assuming all kinds of asinine things let's also assume my farts smell like freshly baked cinnamon buns. Beyond that let's assume that people that don't learn from the past are doomed to believe the same stupid ass rumors that were flying around before these current consoles came around. You see if you go around believing everything you read on the internet you are just going to work yourself up over nothing 99 times out of . . . well 99 times.

You can almost bet the sites running with this nonsense know with a pretty good degree of certainty they are printing total horse shit but they can't be bothered to let silly things like fact checking or journalistic integrity get in the way of a story that's bound to generate all kinds of crazy hits.

I'd wager a pretty nice pile of money that I (or anyone else) could go make a random Gmail account and start mailing all sorts of crazy shit to sites like Kotaku, and Destructoid and in all likelihood get whatever bullshit I can think up printed up as "news". Sure they'd know it's likely not true but they will just slap a "rumor" label on it and watch the page views roll in totally not giving a shit that it's most likely a total lie.

The bottom line is I've taken shits that have more journalistic integrity than most of what passes for gaming news sites. These sites more times than not are just looking to bring in traffic and if what they are happening to be printing is true, great! If not, well that's when ya just slap the ole "rumor" disclaimer on it and run with it anyway.

 

[gbemery]

Well if the rumors are true, then I wouldn't buy it. That's not a knee-jerk reaction that's the fact of the situation. I don't usually buy used anyways but I do rent and if they mess with that option of mine, then I'll just stick to the PC and current generation. Yeah they'll have their own "rental" shop on their market place but it'll most likely be a monthly payment and I don't feel like being nickel and dime'd to death every month.

If they somehow blocked used games but not rentals then I would still wait a year or so to buy one until all the bugs were worked out...hell maybe even longer than that...(looking at you Microsoft)