We’ve already discussed this morning how both Sony and Microsoft are playing a very tactical, strategic game, and will continue to do so for the rest of the year. Reveal too much, too soon, and your opponent knows everything there is to know.
Like the issue on pre-owned games, for example. Sony has at least one patent relating to locking out the re-sale of games and Microsoft are rumoured to be doing something similar with the next Xbox. Nothing is confirmed, and nobody’s going to confirm yet either.
That said, at least Sony’s Michael Denny is on the right track. Speaking to CVG after last week’s PlayStation 4 reveal, he says that preventing the re-sale of pre-owned games is a “massively important issue” and understands why “it’s one that keeps coming up and will keep coming up, because people want to know what the exact stance is.”
“Of course we’re mindful of what the game development community wants and what the wider industry issues are with those things,” he adds.
“I think in good time that will become clearer. It’s not something that I feel I have any further announcement or comment to make on, other than to acknowledge with you that it’s a massively important issue and of course we are going to do the right thing.”
Sony aren’t going to confirm what they’re doing 100% either way until Microsoft do – if one console locks out pre-owned games and the other doesn’t, it’ll be a huge blow sales-wise.
Careful, piecemeal steps.
Sad Panda
The short sighted greed of publishers will destroy the industry.
Last year I bought close to £1500 worth of new games. This was funded in the main by trading in said games once I had beaten them, I currently still own about 3 of them.
Should the ability to trade my old games be taken away I will buy very little, as I will be unable to fund as many purchases and run the risk of being stuck with a £50 turkey.
DividSmythe
In fairness I wouldn’t of bought lots of games because of this preowned problems. LBP being 1 example. I couldn’t afford the first but because I bought preowned I was superhyped about LBP 2, which I bought new as well as LBP Vit (digitally) and LBP kart. So 1 example of a series I got into after buying preowned as well as others.
Quag
Locking out 2nd hand games would just mean i buy less games on console, and even less new games as i often buy the older version of a game 2nd hand to see if i enjoy it enough to buy the latest version on sale.
xdarkmagician
Its fairly obvious no matter how you look at it the cost we pay as gamers is going to increase. It doesn’t matter what Sony says about used games, or MS for that matter. Because neither one took any steps to prevent online passes this gen, they’ve proved they dont have the balls to challenge the publishers. So why would either take a stand against locking used games? Publishers are going to have more games hooked up to networks and that’ll mean more unlock passes. It doesn’t matter if Sony and MS will allow used game because the publishers won’t allow used games. The best scenario we are going to get is MS and Sony forget about the licensing fees they’re losing from the used market and we only have to pay one fee to play used games.
If Sony asked developers whant they wanted inside the PS4 as they stated was why we get 8gb of super fast RAM, I guarantee you the top two responses from developers were 8gb RAM and DRM. Followed up with microtransactions.
Any way you look at it you can expect to pay more next gen