PS4 to block used games!

http://www.lazygamer.net/ps3/sony-to-block-used-games-on-the-ps4/

Looks like it is going to happen!

Gaming is a cash cow being milked to death. It was going to happen.
Gaming scene will crash (at least the big business part) as people flock to "indie" games and developers that do not punish you for wantin g to own legal software.
Then it will hopefully recover.

As for me, gaming is taking a back seat. To expensive and to much politics these days.


On the OTHER hand, digital distribution is probably going to overtake physical media anyway...


And lastly: Excellent Simpsons pic on that link...

In a perfect world...
if they are getting the whole consumer market that was going to 2nd hand games surely the cost of an individual game would be less. This would mean that the developers see more of that money which means better and more games made.

Also slowly starting to lose interest in gaming, can be a few factors like I do not have the time anymore (like I use to have), no games I enjoy has been released, and I started to get interested in other thing.

Since December 2011 I only got 4 new Xbox games –

Skyrim – nearly took me a year to complete.
Forza 4 – to which I failed to see the hype, same as number 3, just with updated cars. That is why I am still in two minds about getting Forza Horizon.
Lego Batman 2 – for my son
Batman AC GOTH – if I can just get more time to play.

On the pc I revered back to the old classics – Age of Empires, The D&D games they made (Icewind Dale and Bulder’s Gate).

I can stand for a long while in a game shop and still leave with nothing.

I have to say, there are a few titles that seem to be promising new directions and ideas this year. But there is a good chance they will launch full of bugs, incomplete, DLC-heavy, or just very late.

I still game, I just stopped getting excited about the hype... Apart from War for the Overworld. I need that game

Still not interested in the next generation so not something that really bothers me.

Gaming is taking a back seat anyway, perfectly happy to go digital as well these days.

Meh, I wasn't going to get a PS4 anyway. I refuse to pay R700+ for new games in the future, because that's what's going to happen. They'll ramp up the prices, block used games, and then, as was mentioned before in this thread, the gaming market will crash and burn...and they'll be left wondering what they did wrong.

+1 to interest in it dwindling and preferring digital nowadays.

Wasn't there a thread a while back discussing digital distribution? Would be interesting to see if opinions have changed since then.

Quite disappointing to see them head in this direction. Though as Corrosive said, in a perfect world...
Don't see that happening though, especially with inflation and rising costs of development from bigger studios.
Recall as well that Sony has been making a loss with the PS3 for quite a while now.

Just because the have a patent for it it doesn't mean they will use it.

Sony has patented a lot of things they haven't used.

Interested to see how they will actually do it, I mean how do you code back onto a disc in order to mark it with some kind of print so it can't be used on another system? Unless the Blu-Ray they use is rewritable which means the PS4 would be able to write things to Blu-Ray, which could be cool. Also what if you have multiple systems in your house and play on different areas, does this mean I can only use that game in one place?

I think the same thing is happening that happened with the Vita, people who are grasping at straws and jumping to conclusions, people thought 2nd hand vita games would not sell because you can't use trophies on them, they clearly didn't have all the info back then because we all know you can and I've already bought a few 2nd hand copies.

So don't really see it happening and doesn't bother me either way. PS4 is clearly going the digital route, we can see this towards the end of the PS3 and 360's life. We all knew this from the start don't see what the surprise or news is really.

This will be the perfect opportunity for Microsoft to kill Sony’s market shares, if used games get blocked with the new PS4, the new Xbox must use that option to its full advantage.

What the gaming industry needs is a rogue wild gaming system manufacturer that breaks all the rules to place the big 3 back in their cages… and put perspective back into the industry.

Time they focus on the games and systems again, than on the money and pleasing their shares holders. The principle is very logic, the better stuff you make, the more you will sell, the more you sell, the more money you will make…

DarkPrince said ...

Interested to see how they will actually do it, I mean how do you code back onto a disc in order to mark it with some kind of print so it can't be used on another system? Unless the Blu-Ray they use is rewritable which means the PS4 would be able to write things to Blu-Ray, which could be cool. Also what if you have multiple systems in your house and play on different areas, does this mean I can only use that game in one place?

It's a key based system as far as I can tell, so it doesn't write to the disc, it writes to memory or a chip on the console.
For argument's sake, when the disk is used for the first time, it writes its decryption key to the PS4.
Stick it in another console, no decryption key, no game.
I would imagine that it'll have something coded into the game that can tell whether it's the first time running or not.

Also worried about the multiple system idea. What if you have to buy another console?
They'll probably sell a migration kit, like the X360 had with their HD transfer kits at first.

Either way, only time will tell as to what approach they'll take. Market is definitely in for a shake-up.


@Sandman: I'm fairly certain that MS has looked into it as well. It's the general mindset of console manufacturers/publishers that 2nd hand sales=lost revenue.

@ Sandamn - If one platform does it, they all will. I think if anything the publishers are puhing for this so sony will get gaming title preference from the publishers if they are the only ones doing it. MS will quickly follow suit.

@ ALL - But i dont think this will apply to this next gen of consoles. just like the the next gen wont be digital only. Too many distribution mechanics in place to just halt physical media and not enough global support/infrastucture in place for full digital distribution. Imagine downloading a 30+gb game now? (and possibly much bigger files if they really are looking at games that feauture texures to support the proposed 4k resolution for next gen Tv's). Insane.

Dont forget a large investment was made into Blu-ray and Sony makes a large amount of profit off that medium so it doesnt make sense for them to drop it.

The following gen will most likley be Digital focused, but this upcoming one? Will definitely be both and a heavy focus on collector's/ day 1 edition content if a physical version of a game is bought.

DarkPrince said ...

Interested to see how they will actually do it, I mean how do you code back onto a disc in order to mark it with some kind of print so it can't be used on another system? Unless the Blu-Ray they use is rewritable which means the PS4 would be able to write things to Blu-Ray, which could be cool. Also what if you have multiple systems in your house and play on different areas, does this mean I can only use that game in one place?

An always on DRM would make sense to me... Disc has a unique ID that gets pinged to the web, and downloads and unlock key. once it has been pinged once you cannot re-ping the same ID?
Would give rise to !arrr servers though.

I'm pretty sure some companies will not be happy with the DRM. They know people are unhappy, but the big distributors force them to use it.
Look what happened with Witcher 2, where the non-drm copy on GOG sold more copies than the original...

I once read, can even be on this forum, however, I cannot recall, anyway…
Some Japanese RPG manufacture, think Squire Soft was in talks with Sony to buy the rights to the PS2 platform as this platform is perfect for their games.
Have not heard a lot further.

Till some ex disgruntled employee with the enough tech savvy to chip and modify the system to bypass the block, start modding the systems.

I found something interesting this last weekend at the Boksburg “Root of all evil” flea market.
The one shop can mod you PS3 to play ripped PS3 games from an external hard drive. The setup cost you R3 000-00 and includes a 1 TB HHD and 350 games and the dongle that connect the HHD and the PS3.
And a lot of people brought their PS3 to be fitted with the mod.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-01-03-sony-patents-tech-to-block-use-of-second-hand-games

I want to echo what DP said, I don't think that Sony will implement it. If they do it just gives MS too big an opportunity to market the hell out of their consoles especially in these tough economic times. If Sony gets MS ob board then they may implement. The only other caveat is that this may be seen as collusion to create a monopoly and may fall foul of anti-trust legislation in the US and EU. May also fall foul of other consumer protection legislation in that a person who buys a legitimate copy of a game cannot dispose of it in a manner they wish. Just spitballing here, but expect to see proper analysis if Sony does announce something like this.

If ps4 does block used games ill give it a skip and take my money somewhere else and I think a lot of gamers will agree with me

I think we'll just have to wait and see if Sony really does do it, time will tell. Like Woofels, I'm really not interested in the next gen just yet so I'm not too worried.

But if they do decide to block the use of 2nd hand games, I'll be skipping out on gaming, unless the price of new games drops to a really good one. But I don't see that happening, if anything I think they're gonna go up.

If development for this gen of gaming is so expensive already, imagine how expensive the next will be. . .