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Sony has researched new tech for suppressing second-hand game sales

O

opticalmace

Member
Have there been any hints about Microsoft perhaps doing the same thing?

If Sony does this, and Microsoft doesn't, Sony will look like huge assholes IMO. I don't see how this is going to work out well for them.

I rarely buy games as it is... this would drive me to buy even fewer, I think.
 
C

Clay Davis

Member
any console that implements such a restriction won't see a penny of my money. I rarely buy used due to how fast prices crash on new releases in the UK, but restricting what I can do with my games after I've bought them? fuck that.

I like to lend my games out to friends who maybe can't afford to buy as many games per month / year or take them over to a friends house to play multipayer, etc this would stop that and that just ain't cool. :/
 
C

Callibretto

Member
Jac_Solar said:
Would they even make any money off this? Because my impression is that lots of US gamers rely on selling back their old games for a new one, and/or would not get as many new games if they couldn't trade back.
Click to expand...

I think they want a piece of that used game money. online pass looks like it work pretty well for them, but that can only be used for game with online component. now they can do it with all their games.

if this happen, it'd be nice if the game disc automatically switch to demo mode when it recognize it's being played on other console.
 
V

Vinterbird

Member
opticalmace said:
Have there been any hints about Microsoft perhaps doing the same thing?

If Sony does this, and Microsoft doesn't, Sony will look like huge assholes IMO. I don't see how this is going to work out well for them.

I rarely buy games as it is... this would drive me to buy even fewer, I think.
Click to expand...

They are all looking at it in some form or another. Whether or not they will implement it in their hardware is another thing entirely, but they are all definitely looking into it and how to do it right.
 
C

Callibretto

Member
opticalmace said:
Have there been any hints about Microsoft perhaps doing the same thing?

If Sony does this, and Microsoft doesn't, Sony will look like huge assholes IMO. I don't see how this is going to work out well for them.

I rarely buy games as it is... this would drive me to buy even fewer, I think.
Click to expand...

well, ms most likely launch first, so sony can still change their strategy if it turns out ms is not doing it.
 
F

Foffy

Banned
This type of measure, like region locking, would only have me lusting for the system to be hacked. And I don't even buy used Sony products. Fuck measures that walk over consumer choice.
 
M

Mael

Member
Noisepurge said:
you wait for _everyone_ to have a bluray player before you start buying vastly superior quality movies for your own enjoyment? :D what an odd stance!
Click to expand...

I buy the DVD if it is THAT good (or the dual release with BR and DVD), I usually do without.
For example, Simpsons complete seasons get bought in DVD cause there's no way in hell I'm not lending this to everyone I know

Combichristoffersen said:
So you buy movies and games primarily to lend them to friends and not because you want to watch the movies or play the games yourself?
Click to expand...

Sharing is caring, same goes for everything if I don't care about it enough to try to pass it to my friends I don't care enough to spend money on it.
I'm more surprised by the selfish nature of people here.
 
T

TTG

Member
If this type of system is implemented for both of the next gen consoles, I wonder where Gamefly would be. I'm guessing it also shrinks the pool for a lot of games that are big enough to require a relatively large budget, but don't have an established, successful franchise. Cutting off the nose to spite the face and all that.
 
Q

QaaQer

Member
Better this than all the other crud they use to try to limit used game sales that actually affects content. Further, this could be used as leverage to make places like gamestop share used sale revenue with content creators.

But this kind of shit just goes to show how locked-down platforms can be used to hurt consumers. Anonymous general computing devices with the ability to run unsigned code purchased/downloaded from anywhere (no walled gardens) will continue to be the consumer's best friend.
 
R

Roxas

Member
They have already started ID tagging games (Playstation All Stars & Ratchet Q Force), they lock to your account so only you can download the free PSVITA versions.
 
C

Callibretto

Member
TTG said:
If this type of system is implemented for both of the next gen consoles, I wonder where Gamefly would be. I'm guessing it also shrinks the pool for a lot of games that are big enough to require a relatively large budget, but don't have an established, successful franchise. Cutting off the nose to spite the face and all that.
Click to expand...

maybe gamefly have to deal with Sony directly and ask for copies that don't have the restriction? can sony do that?
 
C

Clay Davis

Member
opticalmace said:
Have there been any hints about Microsoft perhaps doing the same thing?

If Sony does this, and Microsoft doesn't, Sony will look like huge assholes IMO. I don't see how this is going to work out well for them.

I rarely buy games as it is... this would drive me to buy even fewer, I think.
Click to expand...

they probably are, but I wonder who would be wanting to implement it more? sony have more of a vested interest due to their high first party output and not stellar attach rates, microsoft less so due to their not to high volume of first party releases and their pretty great attach rate.

whoever does implement it won't see a penny of my money. if needs be, I'll go full pc gamer, but I refuse to support anti consumer practises like these.
 
O

Oersted

Member
opticalmace said:
Have there been any hints about Microsoft perhaps doing the same thing?

If Sony does this, and Microsoft doesn't, Sony will look like huge assholes IMO. I don't see how this is going to work out well for them.

I rarely buy games as it is... this would drive me to buy even fewer, I think.
Click to expand...

We rather see more "solutions" like Ps+. It has proven that people are nowadays perfectly fine with not owning their games, hence giving the possibility not reselling them.
 
M

Mael

Member
dwu8991 said:
How do you help support the games industry, who don't receive a single cent for all their creative work through buying used games ???
Click to expand...

He's actually paying other people getting new games.
Or do you think that retailers should burn every copy people sell them or that used copies are spontaneously generated when new copies show up in retailers' stock?
 
J

jaosobno

Member
If you ask me, nobody's suppressing anything. It would be counterproductive for Sony and Microsoft. I know that publishers would be ecstatic if this happened, however Sony and Microsoft would take massive amounts of shit because of that move.

Publishers could lower prices for new games and perhaps used market would stop being such a big problem for them (Activision you greedy little piggies, I'm looking primarily at you).
 
S

smallios74

Member
It may have been mentioned already but prior to the PS3 release wasnt their a lot of info wrt BD being locked to the machine it was first played on? Pretty sure this never came to surface, also wouldnt the rampant piracy on the PSP mean something would of been done for the Vita? It all seems to me to be a tech Sony has looked at using at could implement if others take the same stance, perhaps a PS+ subscriber would be able to "unlock" traded in games?
 
V

V_Ben

Banned
If Sony does end up doing this, then they may be able to convince publishers that their system is the better choice if they want to make more money. Although I can imagine that if only one manufacturer does it, GameStop would throw their weight behind the other. Hmm.
 
B

BosSin

Member
Stuff like this will increase motivation to hack their next console, resulting in people being able to pirate their games earlier than usual in place of getting them second hand. So go ahead Sony, you will only end up hurting yourself
 
2

2MF

Member
Trying to make more money by selling a crappier product, that will go well...

People still don't see that the second hand market supports the first hand market. Prices and/or demand will go down if that stops.
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/03/son...ch-to-suppress-second-hand-game-sales-report/

Sony PR has offered a 'no comment' to VG247 on this.

Although I don't think that means much. If this was a part of a future platform, new-platform stuff would be strictly shared on a need-to-know basis, and right now I imagine regional PR folk would be out of the loop. If it's not part of a future platform, obviously they wouldn't know anything about it either...

edit - also linked the patent in the OP for anyone who needs it
 
B

bernardobri

Steve, the dog with no powers that we let hang out with us all for some reason
Wolf Akela said:
ID-tagged gamers own ID-tagged consoles, play ID-tagged games.

Gaming has changed.
Click to expand...

TUMsy.jpg
 
E

Eusis

Member
Vinterbird said:
It would be terrible, because if it became reality Sony couldn't just magically release a machine the next day without the technology and it would cost them a insane amount of money to retool everything if something like that happened.


In regards to used game sales: Has there ever been any research into the matter in terms of benefitting the industry? Is it proven it would generate more money for publishers in the long run when a lot of people take the used games money and put it toward new product?
Click to expand...
Well, I imagine if it's based on RF auto authorizing a disc they'd simply let every game be auto verified then update later to ignore that part of the disc, but even if they can't do that? It's a terrible idea, and it may well be that a catastrophic failing of the system is the kind of thing that HAS to happen to make it go away. Just burn it all down or whatever.
 
M

Mael

Member
Actually if they all do this I might as well move on to iOS and Android, at least if I'm getting shit it won't cost much and the costy paper weight will let me contact friends without trying to fuck me over.
 
V

Vitten

Member
Won't this actually be bad for software sales ? If you can only play new games won't people only stick to buyin the AAA titles ?
I often buy lesser known games second-handed because they're cheap and would never consider buying these new full price.
 
2

2MF

Member
Vitten said:
Won't this actually be bad for software sales ? If you can only play new games won't people only stick to buyin the AAA titles ?
I often buy lesser known games second-handed because they're cheap and would never consider buying these new full price.
Click to expand...

Think about what would happen if houses or cars weren't resellable...
 
Y

Yagharek

Member
Hyun Sai said:
I lent my TTT2 copy to one friend for one week. Result : he bought it with 2 of his friends.

Food for thought.
Click to expand...

It's more than just that - I'm still buying classic games on download services I remember playing at or borrowing from friends in the 1990s. Goodwill can last decades. Bad faith on the part of the seller can last equally as long.
 
E

Eusis

Member
DerZuhälter;46008085 said:
There was already an old patent available for something similar yet Sony didn't go through with it. Why should they do it now?
Click to expand...
They may be seeing problems with the approach and backing off while finding another.

Hopefully they never stop finding problems that wreck the whole thing, or it'll eventually be decided that ill will is THE insurmountable problem that breaks it and abandon the idea entirely or rework it to be tamer, IE a promo to switch to DD at a discount or streamlining the online pass system.
 
H

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
mr_nothin said:
Used games have been long gone from PC ages ago because of retailers refusing to even take back (or allow trade credits for) PC games because you can just install them and return them. What exactly is the problem here?

I guess you could argue that since STEAM is around then there's no need for a used games market on PC :p
Click to expand...

This comes up every single time, and it's always an apples-and-oranges comparison.

CD keys and activation codes and restrictions on returns are an effort to prevent PC games from being illegally copied.

That is entirely different from putting technology into a game in order to prevent people from legally selling their used copies of games.
 
G

Gorillaz

Member
BosSin said:
Stuff like this will increase motivation to hack their next console, resulting in people being able to pirate their games earlier than usual in place of getting them second hand. So go ahead Sony, you will only end up hurting yourself
Click to expand...
Like people werent going to try and hack it before hand?
 
N

NeoRausch

Member
Vitten said:
Won't this actually be bad for software sales ? If you can only play new games won't people only stick to buyin the AAA titles ?
I often buy lesser known games second-handed because they're cheap and would never consider buying these new full price.
Click to expand...

I would guess that smaller and more niche games will be mostly digital only. and to sell them they will maybe be cheaper.
that could be one good thing.... maybe
 
D

DerZuhälter

Member
Eusis said:
They may be seeing problems with the approach and backing off while finding another.

Hopefully they never stop finding problems that wreck the whole thing, or it'll eventually be decided that ill will is THE insurmountable problem that breaks it and abandon the idea entirely or rework it to be tamer, IE a promo to switch to DD at a discount or streamlining the online pass system.
Click to expand...

I don't really believe that this is a decision Sony can pull alone. Without MS going with the same approach they would never go for something like this. Backlash from retailers would hurt them too damn much.
 
D

Dr Dogg

Member
Donutta said:
This would neuter renting, as well as just lending a game to a mate. Is it really worth all the bad blood that woukd entale just for a slight increase in game sales?
Click to expand...

Donutta said:
Imagine if all cars needed to be bought new...

Anyway, if something like this was implemented, I'd be likely to buy fewer games. I do buy used but that's not why -- I would be less likely to take a gamble on a game that I knew I'd be stuck with if I didn't like it. I'd stick to the big hitters I knew I wanted and would buy new anyway. Can't imagine I'm alone in that.
Click to expand...

I think you pretty much hit upon a very likely problem here. Take away the option to buy used, rent or borrow from a friend/family most people are going to be very careful on their purchases if its got no resale value, can't rent for a couple of days or share with friends or family. I can't see this boosting sales, even slightly but making the consumer either wait for a price crash or choose their purchase very carefully which in turn are going to drive sales down. My backlog has shot up due to stupidly cheap prices here in the UK at the moment. Back in '96 I had to save up for months to get a copy of Tekken at £60! Adjusted for inflation that would be £98.40! God knows what N64 games would be.

See this is the sort of work Pachter should do doing not pulling Mystic Meg like predictions out of his arse like he's a member of the Family Guy writing team ala South Park.
 
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