PS4 May Not Block Pre-Owned Games After All

[Epona]

Yea they would be shooting themselves in the foot. If they did incorperate anti used games tech, all Microsoft would need to do to "win" the console generation would be to not to it.

All Microsoft has to do now is make their console backwards compatible and they'll be assured a definate pole position.

Microsoft, with their always online console and no used games will win if they have BC? No.

 

[Innegativeion]

So I can't say I'm surprised, as Sony has made such strange patent claims before, and we've had similar 'scares' about such things before.

At least it's nice to have confirmation now that Sony's hardware R&D aren't a complete bunch of ass-backwards paint-eating twits.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Yea they would be shooting themselves in the foot. If they did incorperate anti used games tech, all Microsoft would need to do to "win" the console generation would be to not to it.

All Microsoft has to do now is make their console backwards compatible and they'll be assured a definate pole position.

Microsoft, with their always online console and no used games will win if they have BC? No.

Isn't that still just a rumor? 'Cause if not, that "always online" is an immediate deal breaker for me.

 

[grigjd3]

If true, whats to stop someone from interchanging the games between systems?

It's called architecture. If the two consoles have the same underlying architecture, then the games would work on either. If they don't, then the games won't. The disk you buy does not have the source code, it has the compiled code, written for the instruction set that exists for the processors it was compiled for. If you try to run the same game on a different architecture, at best you will be very upset with the result, at worst it just won't run.

 

[Epona]

Yea they would be shooting themselves in the foot. If they did incorperate anti used games tech, all Microsoft would need to do to "win" the console generation would be to not to it.

All Microsoft has to do now is make their console backwards compatible and they'll be assured a definate pole position.

Microsoft, with their always online console and no used games will win if they have BC? No.

Isn't that still just a rumor? 'Cause if not, that "always online" is an immediate deal breaker for me.

It's still a rumor but one that Microsoft hasn't commented on so right now all we have to go on is the rumor. Yeah, if either system blocks used games or requires me to be online then it's a deal breaker. Truthfully, Microsofts commitment to advertisers already has me looking elsewhere. The PS4, while not perfect, is looking far better than the 720.

 

[T'Generalissimo]

I very much doubt that the next Xbox will have anti-used game technology if the PS4 doesn't. I could have seen it happening if they both did it, but I think it's too much of a big deal for Microsoft to let it be an advantage that the PS4 has over their offering.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

I'm pretty sure I called this, somewhere, once.

As much as I'm sure they'd like to, people would hate them for it, so they'd never get away with it.

 

[Epona]

I very much doubt that the next Xbox will have anti-used game technology if the PS4 doesn't. I could have seen it happening if they both did it, but I think it's too much of a big deal for Microsoft to let it be an advantage that the PS4 has over their offering.

Sort of like how Microsoft had the only device that locked online play and apps behind a paywall. Clearly Microsoft is afraid to do something on their own, eh?

 

[Innegativeion]

It's still a rumor but one that Microsoft hasn't commented on so right now all we have to go on is the rumor. Yeah, if either system blocks used games or requires me to be online then it's a deal breaker. Truthfully, Microsofts commitment to advertisers already has me looking elsewhere. The PS4, while not perfect, is looking far better than the 720.

All my grievances with the PS4 aside (there are many), I'm probably going to break down and get it as my go-to generation console, along with the WIIU, for no other reason than exclusives. There are almost no Microsoft exclusives left that really interest me. Most of them get a PC release anyway.

 

[Remus]

Can't say I really care. I buy all my games new, whether it be day of release or 6m-1yr down the line when they can be found for $20 off Amazon. I take a small amount of pride in having a collection of game discs with no scratches or blemishes from prior use and don't expect to change that with a new console gen.

 

[T'Generalissimo]

I very much doubt that the next Xbox will have anti-used game technology if the PS4 doesn't. I could have seen it happening if they both did it, but I think it's too much of a big deal for Microsoft to let it be an advantage that the PS4 has over their offering.

Sort of like how Microsoft had the only device that locked online play and apps behind a paywall. Clearly Microsoft is afraid to do something on their own, eh?

I'm not saying that Microsoft never does anything differently to their competitors, I'm saying that I think they will decide that doing this specific thing differently from their competitors would be a bad idea.

 

[Epona]

I very much doubt that the next Xbox will have anti-used game technology if the PS4 doesn't. I could have seen it happening if they both did it, but I think it's too much of a big deal for Microsoft to let it be an advantage that the PS4 has over their offering.

Sort of like how Microsoft had the only device that locked online play and apps behind a paywall. Clearly Microsoft is afraid to do something on their own, eh?

I'm not saying that Microsoft never does anything differently to their competitors, I'm saying that I think they will decide that doing this specific thing differently from their competitors would be a bad idea.

Really? What's your reasoning for this?

 

[T'Generalissimo]

Sort of like how Microsoft had the only device that locked online play and apps behind a paywall. Clearly Microsoft is afraid to do something on their own, eh?

I'm not saying that Microsoft never does anything differently to their competitors, I'm saying that I think they will decide that doing this specific thing differently from their competitors would be a bad idea.

Really? What's your reasoning for this?

Because no used games is a big deal for a not insignificant number of people (me included). Those people might be willing to suck it up and accept it if their only alternative was the Wii U (which is obviously a very different kind of console), but if the PS4 was there offering a lot of the same games but with the addition of allowing used games, the vast majority of those people would simply buy a PS4 instead of the next Xbox.

The difference with the online features thing is that online stuff didn't really get big on consoles until this generation, so most people didn't have expectation about how it should work and that it should be free, but a lot of people have expectations that they should be able to buy and sell used games. Making things tangibly and obviously worse than they used to be in the past is never a good way to attract people to stick with you.

 

[Epona]

Sort of like how Microsoft had the only device that locked online play and apps behind a paywall. Clearly Microsoft is afraid to do something on their own, eh?

I'm not saying that Microsoft never does anything differently to their competitors, I'm saying that I think they will decide that doing this specific thing differently from their competitors would be a bad idea.

Really? What's your reasoning for this?

Because no used games is a big deal for a not insignificant number of people (me included). Those people might be willing to suck it up and accept it if their only alternative was the Wii U (which is obviously a very different kind of console), but if the PS4 was there offering a lot of the same games but with the addition of allowing used games, the vast majority of those people would simply buy a PS4 instead of the next Xbox.

The difference with the online features thing is that online stuff didn't really get big on consoles until this generation, so most people didn't have expectation about how it should work and that it should be free, but a lot of people have expectations that they should be able to buy and sell used games. Making things tangibly and obviously worse than they used to be in the past is never a good way to attract people to stick with you.

Ok, so your logic is that used games are a big deal and therefore they wouldn't dare go out on a limb on their own. Let's extend that logic:

So now that online stuff is a big deal and as far as we know Sony isn't charging for online play, that means Microsoft too will not charge for online play?

 

[mokes310]

Major opportunity missed to mention this in the presser. It may be safe to assume that Microsoft will be following suit, since this seems to be a sort of M.A.D. issue...that is, unless Microsoft comes out and says something like, "you can't play used games, BUT new games are only $40 compared to Sony's $60!"

 

[Strazdas]

sidestepping the question, twice. this looks... like typical sony.

Maybe sony patented it to prevent anyone using it? FOR THE GOOD OF THE ENTIRE GAMING INDUSTRY!

Doubt it, though.

they patented technology, not the idea. anyone can create his own version of disc-lock that does the same and patent his own. they jtu cant use that exact blueprint to make this exact device without sony now.