Rumor: Sony Fighting PS3 Piracy With Install Keys

[TimeLord]

I've been on Sony's side all this time but seriously? Game install keys that can only be used 5 times and will cripple the used games market?

No.
You know that XBox I've always put off buying Sony? It's looking mighty fine about now.

The PS3 has a standard 2.5" HDD in it. It can be easily taken out and connected to a SATA port, or even an E-sata port if you had an adapter. It would be a trivial matter to store games on it, a 500gb HDD costs less than the cost of a single game[footnote]In Australia....$110au (~$110US) for a PS3 game, really puts the absurd cost in perspective.[/footnote]. Also, PS3 games don't take up the full space on bluray disc (except for a select few), so would could fit a huge number of games on a HDD (they would also load faster than games that aren't installed to the hdd).

True, but even when you plug the HDD from one PS3 into a second PS3, it still forces you to re-format the data on it. I would assume the same thing would happen if you plugged it into a PC?

 

[Plurralbles]

I dislike that it's even a question.

 

[Meatstorm]

This would be super effective way to COMPLETELY ERADICATE used games sales since checking the amount of installs left and changing the pricing according to this would be just stupid.

If this would happen (Which i seriously doubt), I would probably just buy 360 and play the same games without having to worry about install limits when lending games from my friends.

 

[poiuppx]

I highly doubt this would be legit; the cost and damage to the brand would be way too heavy to make it worthwhile. If it is true, though? I'm out. I support Sony to the hilt normally, but this would be Grade A Screw-You BS. The day this takes root, I'm going elsewhere. The 360, the Wii, hell, I'd take an Atari Jaguar over it in that instance. Literally killing the used/rental market for the console is in my mind a capital offense, and just like I would not buy the games of any company who enforced such a draconian policy for their products, I would not support Sony anymore if it pulled this BS.

Then again, there'd be one heck of a problem with the logistics... given that there's already a metric ton of PS3 games out there this wouldn't be able to apply to, because they're already out in the wild.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Probably BS. I sure hope so. I've got an old 40 gig one. You don't want to know how often I install and delete games.

 

[katsabas]

Having limited installs sounds like that thing where you can change from PAL to NTSC only 3 times on a PC. Retarded. So what, if I wanna take a game to my friend's house and play, I will have to give up a code? Seriously? Who the fuck thought this would be a good idea?

If there are specific keys for every game that can be used any times you like, that's fine (even though that too will get run over by the hackers) but limitation? Blegh. If this goes through, I am gonna stop getting PS3 games and upgrade my video card for PC.

Do they WANT their sales to drop? The reason I like my PS3 is that I do not have to cycle through 100 forsaken menus to install and then play a game. They keep making it look like a PC. What's next? Registering the Move controller?

 

[BabyRaptor]

This idea is TOTALLY fresh and new! Check it out, guys! A nifty code that you have to put in!

/sarcasm off

 

[Treblaine]

I was kind of thinking about getting the PS3 because of the free online dealio. No, getting an Xbox Sony.

It's not just PS3 vs 360, have you considered PC?

Oh wait, the problem here is all about PS3 becoming more like PC... wait, what is the problem here? PC gaming is great, did you even SEE the Steam Sales? Mind = boggled, they were that good.

Thing is PC doesn't bother with CD-codes any more (well they do, but they function more as a discount voucher, or precisley as a code to activate a particular game) Steam succeeds by being such a valuable service that people don't even want to go over its head.

 

[Liiizard]

I own a PS3. I do not connect it to the internet at all. I have refused to do this ever since the whole issue with the Heavy Rain DRM connection issue prevented people who bought the game from legitimately playing it. If I'm not connected to the internet, then I don't have to deal with this nonsense. I don't have a PSN account, I don't even get trophies in games because I don't care. I'm the kind of person who just wants to buy a game, put it in my PS3, and enjoy the experience.

If they implement this, I am done with them. I will sell my PS3 and all my games and just go over to PC gaming. Seriously, I'd rather just play Steam games than put up with this. Hell, I'd rather go back to PS2 than put up with this. In case you can't tell, I'm a big playstation fan. So don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that not only will I never buy another playstation game again, I will never buy another piece of electronics manufactured by Sony in my life if they pull this shit.

 

[mptothedc]

Why don't we just go back to the good 'ole days of code wheels [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_wheel]?

Well that's not a bad idea...

 

[Litchhunter]

PS3, it does everything...expect play games. Well, it did play games at one point, but looks like that may change.

 

[Cheefa_Da_Reefa]

Like this is a suprise to anyone. As a PC gamer I am wholly used to this.

Welcome aboard PS3 users, this boat is filled with hatred.

Companys will keep trying this until 'THE' method is discovered, if it ever is. Until then, blame the people pirating. If it wasn't for them, this wouldn't be an issue.

ya thats true but we always (pc gamers) get the short end of the stick with horrible pc ports and even worse drm
hmmm i wonder how m$ handles its piracy problems.....by doing nothing! -__-'

 

[Treblaine]

Like this is a suprise to anyone. As a PC gamer I am wholly used to this.

Welcome aboard PS3 users, this boat is filled with hatred.

Companys will keep trying this until 'THE' method is discovered, if it ever is. Until then, blame the people pirating. If it wasn't for them, this wouldn't be an issue.

ya thats true but we always (pc gamers) get the short end of the stick with horrible pc ports and even worse drm
hmmm i wonder how m$ handles its piracy problems.....by doing nothing! -__-'

The way I look at it console gamers get it worse getting poor ports from PC to console! I mean I don't see how you can port an FPS to mouse+KB controls to gamepad controls and not have that considered a huge step down, and yes, that's the entire CoD franchise.

I suppose Halo you can get away with it, but that game play like a Tank simulator; slow, floaty and everything including you is a bullet sponge. That doesn't make it a bad game, just not a very fast paced one.

A PC game has to be REALLY POOR port overall to not have a net benefit from Mouse aim, 100% customisable controls and full HD resolution. Resident Evil 4 would be one of those due to skipping the mouse aim part...

 

[Jaded Scribe]

Like this is a suprise to anyone. As a PC gamer I am wholly used to this.

Welcome aboard PS3 users, this boat is filled with hatred.

Companys will keep trying this until 'THE' method is discovered, if it ever is. Until then, blame the people pirating. If it wasn't for them, this wouldn't be an issue.

ya thats true but we always (pc gamers) get the short end of the stick with horrible pc ports and even worse drm
hmmm i wonder how m$ handles its piracy problems.....by doing nothing! -__-'

The way I look at it console gamers get it worse getting poor ports from PC to console! I mean I don't see how you can port an FPS to mouse+KB controls to gamepad controls and not have that considered a huge step down, and yes, that's the entire CoD franchise.

I suppose Halo you can get away with it, but that game play like a Tank simulator; slow, floaty and everything including you is a bullet sponge. That doesn't make it a bad game, just not a very fast paced one.

A PC game has to be REALLY POOR port overall to not have a net benefit from Mouse aim, 100% customisable controls and full HD resolution. Resident Evil 4 would be one of those due to skipping the mouse aim part...

I think the PC vs Console is really just a matter of preference.

If only a-holes would stop pirating shit in the first place, none of this would be a problem.

Personally, I don't really care. I keep my games. I tend to buy new when as much as I can so the money goes to the devs and not the store.

And the article even says that this might not be true. But they have to do something to fight piracy. If they don't, they send the message that piracy is ok.

 

[Asuka Soryu]

If this is true, wouldn't it be funny if it stopped piracy but put a huge decline in PS3 sales.

 

[Asuka Soryu]

Personally, I don't really care. I keep my games. I tend to buy new when as much as I can so the money goes to the devs and not the store.

I have to wonder, if buying games new is the only way the developer's get the money, does that mean the games are donated to the store, and then the store gives them a some of the money they made off said product?


I always assumed they sold the games to the store, and then it was the store trying to make money off the games they just spent money on.

 

[Jaded Scribe]

Personally, I don't really care. I keep my games. I tend to buy new when as much as I can so the money goes to the devs and not the store.

I have to wonder, if buying games new is the only way the developer's get the money, does that mean the games are donated to the store, and then the store gives them a some of the money they made off said product?


I always assumed they sold the games to the store, and then it was the store trying to make money off the games they just spent money on.

Yes, the stores pay for a certain amount of games. But, look at it this way, say GameStop and Target each have a demand for 1000 copies of a given game at their stores.

Target, since it doesn't offer used games, would have to in turn purchase all 1000 copies they sell from the developer.

GameStop offers used games. So say they are able to meet half the demand with used copies. That means they are only paying for 500 games from the developer.

And, the developers know that in the future, their games will not sell as well at GameStop, and GameStop will consistently order fewer copies.

And yes, it is the only way (outside of DLC and monthly subscription costs) that devs make money, and games cost millions of dollars to make. They have to make it up somehow.

 

[Jaded Scribe]

Personally, I don't really care. I keep my games. I tend to buy new when as much as I can so the money goes to the devs and not the store.

I have to wonder, if buying games new is the only way the developer's get the money, does that mean the games are donated to the store, and then the store gives them a some of the money they made off said product?


I always assumed they sold the games to the store, and then it was the store trying to make money off the games they just spent money on.

Yes, the stores pay for a certain amount of games. But, look at it this way, say GameStop and Target each have a demand for 1000 copies of a given game at their stores.

Target, since it doesn't offer used games, would have to in turn purchase all 1000 copies they sell from the developer.

GameStop offers used games. So say they are able to meet half the demand with used copies. That means they are only paying for 500 games from the developer.

And, the developers know that in the future, their games will not sell as well at GameStop, and GameStop will consistently order fewer copies.

And yes, it is the only way (outside of DLC and monthly subscription costs) that devs make money, and games cost millions of dollars to make. They have to make it up somehow.

All used copies were already bought new.

Yes, they were. But that doesn't change a damn thing. Math still works out to show that used games are a serious loss for game developers.

Let's say LittleBigPlanet had a total of 1,000,000 people who owned the game. By total, I mean bought used or new.

Now, say that the average cost between the brand new price tag and the Game of the Year edition was $45. If every one of those million people bought it new, the developer would have made $45,000,000.

Now, let's say that 1/4 of their players bought it used, so there were only 750,000 copies bought new. that means they only made $33,750,000 off the game.

That is a loss of $11,250,000.

Just because a game was originally bought new does not mean that when it is resold that the company is not losing money.

 

[susvox]

its just not worth owning a ps3 in the first place there arn't a significant amount of good games for it. its over priced and the developers dont have the money to really use it to its full potential. its sad really, and dont you ever get a that wierd feeling of akwardness any time someone says they own a ps3? lol

 

[tthor]

you know, as long as this doesn't require me to completely install my ps3 games or fuck things up in any other way, i really don't mind this. i was really pissed when Spore had that 3 download limit, but that was a PC game, the difference being: #1: there are half a dozen computers in my house, and only one PS3. #2. people generally upgrade computers every couple of years, and with PS3s, the next time I get a new console probably won't be till the PS4 (and even then, I wouldn't need to use the PS3 game on the PS4), and #3, i have hardly any friends with PS3s, so theres not many people i could lend the game to, (and even if i did have ps3 friends, i think 5 installs is enough.)