Rumor: Sony Fighting PS3 Piracy With Install Keys

[BreakfastMan]

Well, if this is true, I am not getting any future Sony games with these keys in them. It will hurt, but I refuse to play any part in this monopoly.

 

[Danpascooch]

It's impossible to have the checks be on the disc, ... The most that could possibly be on the disc is a piece of code that waits for the system to say "yep, serial checks out"

No. How do you think the PC games handle this? There's no builtin serial firmware check there. Instead, the code on the disk first does some checksum algorithm on the serial to check it's in the right format (that's the part that can be circumvented by keygens), then uses OS functions to communicate with a central server, passes the key and receives the 'go' signal from there if the key is in the valid key database. All that is encrypted with game-specific keys and again using code on the disk, so your ability to intercept the communication is useless because you can neither read nor modify it to generate the correct 'ok' signal yourself if everything is done right. You need to crack the game itself then.

Things do start to fall apart if the whole system is supposed to also work offline. On the PC, they read your exact configuration and things like MAC addresses so you can't just move an installation from one PC to the other. The configuration is mostly useless on the PS3 because there are so many identical systems out there, and reading out serial numbers... Well, yeah, it may be possible to have the code on the disk read that directly from the hardware without calling firmware functions, but direct hardware access is one of the things the PS3 security architecture prevents, so it's probably not. And I bet modifying the firmware so it can report different serial numbers to anyone who asks (PSN, specifically) than your console actually has is something that will be worked on sooner or later anyway.

So the approval system is specific to each game? That's a hell of a system to implement.

Anyway, it still means every game made to date will be incredibly easy to pirate, and even the ones released WITH this system will probably be cracked just like PC games, which we all know works, and how hard can a serial system be to crack off of a game? That's one of the easier ones to kill disc side if you have custom firmware.

 

[lolokitten]

The only way Sony can stop the pirates by requiring every PS3 user to subscribe to a monthly fee to use the console.

And yes, this would be a stupid idea.

 

[Arehexes]

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.

Second hand game sales can be a problem too ya know *holds up a copy of Izuna bought off ebay for cheap and atlus will never see that money from that transaction LOL*.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

*punches wall* Oh please let this just be a rumor.
If sony introduce limited installs and activation keys that will be me done with consoles and will be switching over to pc games

 

[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.