No they won't, as it's only a patent for the method so Sony can claim they invented it, nothing's been mentioned about where or how this will be used so I do wish "journalist" blogs would stop reporting this stuff as facts to get hits.
No they won't, as it's only a patent for the method so Sony can claim they invented it, nothing's been mentioned about where or how this will be used so I do wish "journalist" blogs would stop reporting this stuff as facts to get hits.
I did say that at no point did the patent mention the word PlayStation. It was just some extra info to add to the discussion.
Ultimately, nobody knows what's going on. Everything here is pure speculation at this point.
The details of the patent are here if anyone's interested.
This sort of copy protection wouldn't mean an end to the second-hand game market. It would just put console manufacturers and publishers/developers in the revenue loop for pre-owned games.
And given the costs involved in running on-line servers for so many games these days, as multi-player seems to be a must for most games; maybe that's not such a bad thing?
I wonder if we can get a response from Sony, because if this goes ahead then for me its goodbye.
Has ANY company EVER spoke out about their patents? Hell Microsoft have something similar patented and they didn't speak out, and let's not even mention all the stuff Apple has stored away in their Patent vaults.
Sony have a crap ton of weird thing patented, remember that split controller, or the morph controller with Move ability? We've still not seen any of them and those ones were done years back.
Microsoft have a load of ones related to Kinect, there was even one regarding the functions of using amobile device linked to a console, which did eventually come out as Smart Glass.
Never going to happen for just one system, the only way this will work is if Sony and MS agree to both do it otherwise it will be commercial suicide for the one that does if the other side doesn't do it.
If sony and microsoft get together, and tag all there games, then other game consoles could benefit
Sony are reported to have filed a new patent on 7th December 2012. New discs will come with an RFID / NFC type tag built in (similar to those used by Oyster cards, contactless payment credit cards etc)
On first use the tag will be read by the machine and the disc ID and machine ID is stored on the tag. After this, every time the game is played the IDs are compared. If they don't match, then the game won't play.
This means passwords, constant connection etc are not needed for the system to work.
There is even mention in the document of such technology extending to peripherals. It is also worth noting that at no point is the name of any hardware mentioned. This is not 100% destined for a PlayStation product.
Sony are not commenting.
I see this more as an anti-piracy measure rather than an anti-used thing.
I mentioned this story to my sister earlier on & she said something I hadn't considered.
She only got her PS3 a few months ago & because she's been catching up with some older games (She Assasin's creed last week) 90% of her PS3 game library are Pre-Owned (+ some she's borrowed off me). There is a small family owned game store down the road which sell's pre-owned exclusively which is where we get our pre-owned stuff from.
If discs were locked to a console/profile & there was no pre-owned market, she likely would struggle to get some of the older games, Especially since the places locally which sell new games only have the very latest titles in stock.
Also had a friend raise an interesting point. How much of the annoyance at the pre-owned market is also down to it making it easier to buy older titles at the expense of there newest releases?
For instance with EA pushing out a new FIFA every year & Activision a new COD, Maybe there also looking at making it harder for people to buy previous entry's in the franchise pre-owned because they want people to be buying this years entry in the franchise brand new & at full price.
It looks like some people are taking these "rumours" rather seriously. American company GameStop, which specialises in 2nd hand software, have seen their share price drop 6.5% following the publication of Sony's patent.
Never going to happen. For one, what happens if your console goes tits up and you need to buy a new one? No more games for you, well not unless you buy them again. Secondly, it would also mean that you can't take your games around your mate's house for a night of gaming and drinking.
I mentioned this story to my sister earlier on & she said something I hadn't considered.
She only got her PS3 a few months ago & because she's been catching up with some older games (She Assasin's creed last week) 90% of her PS3 game library are Pre-Owned (+ some she's borrowed off me). There is a small family owned game store down the road which sell's pre-owned exclusively which is where we get our pre-owned stuff from.
If discs were locked to a console/profile & there was no pre-owned market, she likely would struggle to get some of the older games, Especially since the places locally which sell new games only have the very latest titles in stock.
Also had a friend raise an interesting point. How much of the annoyance at the pre-owned market is also down to it making it easier to buy older titles at the expense of there newest releases?
For instance with EA pushing out a new FIFA every year & Activision a new COD, Maybe there also looking at making it harder for people to buy previous entry's in the franchise pre-owned because they want people to be buying this years entry in the franchise brand new & at full price.
No she wouldn't struggle. She would buy them on the marketplace.
Never going to happen. For one, what happens if your console goes tits up and you need to buy a new one? No more games for you, well not unless you buy them again. Secondly, it would also mean that you can't take your games around your mate's house for a night of gaming and drinking.
I'm pretty sure the games would be locked to an account and not just the console
Never going to happen. For one, what happens if your console goes tits up and you need to buy a new one? No more games for you, well not unless you buy them again. Secondly, it would also mean that you can't take your games around your mate's house for a night of gaming and drinking.
I just wonder if sony were to do this, would it be against the law, basis for this would be
I have 2 properties, and in each of them, I have various items, tvs, computer, and ps4
so basicly I have 2 x ps4, but decide only to buy one game, and take my games to where ever I go
So now sony game tagging prevents me from doing this, so if I want to use my other ps4 I have to buy another new game, noiw if the games are priced around £75 per game, then thats something I wont be buying
I don't see why games companies should have any right to earn money from second hand sales. If I buy a table from John Lewis and then sell it a year later, John Lewis couldn't give a toss. And rightly so, because they've already earned their sale.
But you are not costing JL money whereas you are with games (patches multiplayer ect)
They will not do it I think it is more likely preventative patenting or for antipiracy
But you are not costing JL money whereas you are with games (patches multiplayer ect)
They will not do it I think it is more likely preventative patenting or for antipiracy
A patch? A patch is a fix for a broken game. I don't see how second hand games would affect a companies patching ability. As for multilayer, they sold a copy of the game that entitles people to play online with the game, why does it matter who that person is?
If Sony do this and Microsoft don't, or Vice Versa it will be the end of one of their consoles.
This would also call an end to the days of games rental also I assume? Silly move if Sony or Microsoft do this IMO, it would also likely put the likes of CEX in serious jeopardy because they sell purely second hand content and although they would still be able to sell previous generation games, not being able to sell PS4/Xbox 720 could potentially affect their business.
No she wouldn't struggle. She would buy them on the marketplace.
Not every game is on the Marketplace, In fact there are a fair few that she wants which aren't.
She got Resonance of Fate Pre-owned today for £12, That title isn't on PSN. Don't believe Alone in the Dark or Prince Of Persia are on PSN either which were some other older titles she got pre-owned recently.
Plus she prefers having physical copies (Like I do) & very rarely buys off the marketplace. Most the stuff we download off PSN are free via PSN+ or stuff only available on PSN, Its very rarely that either of us will buy anything off PSN which we could buy a physical copy of.
This would also call an end to the days of games rental also I assume? Silly move if Sony or Microsoft do this IMO, it would also likely put the likes of CEX in serious jeopardy because they sell purely second hand content and although they would still be able to sell previous generation games, not being able to sell PS4/Xbox 720 could potentially affect their business.
That's what I initially thought, but two of my mates pointed out that they would just stick with this generation. I would think that many people would also stick rather than upgrade to the ps4. Anyone who thinks game prices would come down, are deluded. If anything they will go up!
The likes of cex will obviously miss out on the new generation but, this generation will keep them going for a long time to come as with a lot of people not updating to new generation, they will be determined to get the most out of Current gen and interest will stay high for games... Possible that they may also go all out and get on the retro bandwagon completely making mega drive/ snes etc a mainstay in their stores? - would be great if they did. But only time will tell
Anyway, to sum up, Sony and Microsoft are not going to introduce this. The pre-owned market is too big and would alienate too many. If one does, the other would be wise to allow pre owned as many will convert to their system. If both do it, next gen console sales will be very sluggish at best with many refusing to upgrade (for me, it would be my last generation).
Seems to be a lot of 'end of days' type scare mongering over this.
These are my opinions on the pre-owned market - firstly I never touch pre-owned, I like the smell of a freshly opened games bought new far to much.
Secondly newly released games are nearly the same price pre-owned so I rather pay a few quid more for that smell mentioned above, plus no scratches or jammy finger smudges.
Thirdly when I buy a game the money gos to the people who made it, seems like the courteous thing to do, not to mention a very IMPORTANT thing if we still want new games. SOMEBODY HAS TO BUY NEW.
Fourthly if you don't like to pay full price, wait, they always come cheaper after a few month.
So for me Sony and MS can do this and I'd happily buy there consoles and pay for the games.
Nobody knows for sure that this is happening, and to be honest it doesnt really bother me, as i never sell / trade my games and rarely buy used ones.
You can't buy second hand iPhone games, android apps, or PSN digital game downloads. Should we really continue to expect console discs to be any different?
The next gen could be the last one that uses physical media. After that there would be no 2nd hand market anyway.
Very Much This!
This whole used games thing is a non-issue in the medium to long terms, and would make absolutely 0 difference to my ow n decision when picking a console,
It would definitely put me off buying the PS4 if they included this technology. And I don't even buy that many pre-owned games. I spend a lot of money on games and such. It's more the principle of the idea, it's greedy and it's a bit of a slap to the loyal gamers out there who have spent hundreds, if not thousands of pounds on games, consoles and PCs.
What I find greedy is the Game stores which charge £37.99 for a pre-owned copy of a game available new for £39.99. Personally I find that a slap in the face to the hundreds of people who made the game and whose next job relies on the game making it's money back.
I asked for a copy of Dishono(u)red in Game just after Christmas, as there were none on the shelf, yet I could see a couple of copies still in their cellophane behind the counter. The girl serving first bought me a pre-owned Special Edition, then a pre-owned standard edition (both around the £35 mark) before I had to say: "no, that new copy there" which was on-sale at £25.
Also, the only reason so many major retail releases are so expensive in online 'stores' (NFS:MW for £59.99, for instance) is to keep the high-street retailers sweet, because they know they're dead in the water if all games (like Sony first-party exclusives) are available for the same price, or cheaper, from the online stores.
Personally, in the long-term, I'd rather buy digitally and contribute directly to the gaming industry than buy on the high-street and help prop up a sector of the retail industry which has repeatedly proved itself to be a dinosaur.
Secondly, it would also mean that you can't take your games around your mate's house for a night of gaming and drinking.
Of course you can, you just pick up your console and take that. Honestly, it's not like they weigh 20 stone or are 30 foot wide or something. You don't even need to take the cables (your mate obviously has the same console), just unplug and replug at your mate's house. I do this with my PS3, it's really no hassle.
Comments
Opinion = fact these days, did you miss the memo
I did say that at no point did the patent mention the word PlayStation. It was just some extra info to add to the discussion.
Ultimately, nobody knows what's going on. Everything here is pure speculation at this point.
The details of the patent are here if anyone's interested.
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2013/0007892.html
And given the costs involved in running on-line servers for so many games these days, as multi-player seems to be a must for most games; maybe that's not such a bad thing?
Has ANY company EVER spoke out about their patents? Hell Microsoft have something similar patented and they didn't speak out, and let's not even mention all the stuff Apple has stored away in their Patent vaults.
Sony have a crap ton of weird thing patented, remember that split controller, or the morph controller with Move ability? We've still not seen any of them and those ones were done years back.
Microsoft have a load of ones related to Kinect, there was even one regarding the functions of using amobile device linked to a console, which did eventually come out as Smart Glass.
edit: Psssst
http://www.joystiq.com/2005/11/08/playstation-3-wont-play-used-games/
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-11-06-kinect-could-police-who-watches-films-at-home
If sony and microsoft get together, and tag all there games, then other game consoles could benefit
She only got her PS3 a few months ago & because she's been catching up with some older games (She Assasin's creed last week) 90% of her PS3 game library are Pre-Owned (+ some she's borrowed off me). There is a small family owned game store down the road which sell's pre-owned exclusively which is where we get our pre-owned stuff from.
If discs were locked to a console/profile & there was no pre-owned market, she likely would struggle to get some of the older games, Especially since the places locally which sell new games only have the very latest titles in stock.
Also had a friend raise an interesting point. How much of the annoyance at the pre-owned market is also down to it making it easier to buy older titles at the expense of there newest releases?
For instance with EA pushing out a new FIFA every year & Activision a new COD, Maybe there also looking at making it harder for people to buy previous entry's in the franchise pre-owned because they want people to be buying this years entry in the franchise brand new & at full price.
I'm pretty sure the games would be locked to an account and not just the console
I just wonder if sony were to do this, would it be against the law, basis for this would be
I have 2 properties, and in each of them, I have various items, tvs, computer, and ps4
so basicly I have 2 x ps4, but decide only to buy one game, and take my games to where ever I go
So now sony game tagging prevents me from doing this, so if I want to use my other ps4 I have to buy another new game, noiw if the games are priced around £75 per game, then thats something I wont be buying
But you are not costing JL money whereas you are with games (patches multiplayer ect)
They will not do it I think it is more likely preventative patenting or for antipiracy
A patch? A patch is a fix for a broken game. I don't see how second hand games would affect a companies patching ability. As for multilayer, they sold a copy of the game that entitles people to play online with the game, why does it matter who that person is?
If Sony do this and Microsoft don't, or Vice Versa it will be the end of one of their consoles.
They will both do it. It wont be one will the other wont.
She got Resonance of Fate Pre-owned today for £12, That title isn't on PSN. Don't believe Alone in the Dark or Prince Of Persia are on PSN either which were some other older titles she got pre-owned recently.
Plus she prefers having physical copies (Like I do) & very rarely buys off the marketplace. Most the stuff we download off PSN are free via PSN+ or stuff only available on PSN, Its very rarely that either of us will buy anything off PSN which we could buy a physical copy of.
That's what I initially thought, but two of my mates pointed out that they would just stick with this generation. I would think that many people would also stick rather than upgrade to the ps4. Anyone who thinks game prices would come down, are deluded. If anything they will go up!
The likes of cex will obviously miss out on the new generation but, this generation will keep them going for a long time to come as with a lot of people not updating to new generation, they will be determined to get the most out of Current gen and interest will stay high for games... Possible that they may also go all out and get on the retro bandwagon completely making mega drive/ snes etc a mainstay in their stores? - would be great if they did. But only time will tell
Anyway, to sum up, Sony and Microsoft are not going to introduce this. The pre-owned market is too big and would alienate too many. If one does, the other would be wise to allow pre owned as many will convert to their system. If both do it, next gen console sales will be very sluggish at best with many refusing to upgrade (for me, it would be my last generation).
Basically, to implement this would be suicide....
These are my opinions on the pre-owned market - firstly I never touch pre-owned, I like the smell of a freshly opened games bought new far to much.
Secondly newly released games are nearly the same price pre-owned so I rather pay a few quid more for that smell mentioned above, plus no scratches or jammy finger smudges.
Thirdly when I buy a game the money gos to the people who made it, seems like the courteous thing to do, not to mention a very IMPORTANT thing if we still want new games. SOMEBODY HAS TO BUY NEW.
Fourthly if you don't like to pay full price, wait, they always come cheaper after a few month.
So for me Sony and MS can do this and I'd happily buy there consoles and pay for the games.
Very Much This!
This whole used games thing is a non-issue in the medium to long terms, and would make absolutely 0 difference to my ow n decision when picking a console,
If a local newspaper sells one copy and it's borrowed and read by the whole town, the company lose money. FACT.
I can see the pain for the developers and it's only fair they earn some of the money for pre-owned sales which only have advantages for the retailers.
What I find greedy is the Game stores which charge £37.99 for a pre-owned copy of a game available new for £39.99. Personally I find that a slap in the face to the hundreds of people who made the game and whose next job relies on the game making it's money back.
I asked for a copy of Dishono(u)red in Game just after Christmas, as there were none on the shelf, yet I could see a couple of copies still in their cellophane behind the counter. The girl serving first bought me a pre-owned Special Edition, then a pre-owned standard edition (both around the £35 mark) before I had to say: "no, that new copy there" which was on-sale at £25.
Also, the only reason so many major retail releases are so expensive in online 'stores' (NFS:MW for £59.99, for instance) is to keep the high-street retailers sweet, because they know they're dead in the water if all games (like Sony first-party exclusives) are available for the same price, or cheaper, from the online stores.
Personally, in the long-term, I'd rather buy digitally and contribute directly to the gaming industry than buy on the high-street and help prop up a sector of the retail industry which has repeatedly proved itself to be a dinosaur.
Maybe not but google shopping says it's brand new for £12.79 at Play
Used games aren't really great value, just a quick look around online stores and you can get similar prices.
You deactivate your old console and re-download them to your new console, just like you do now with PSN games.
Of course you can, you just pick up your console and take that. Honestly, it's not like they weigh 20 stone or are 30 foot wide or something. You don't even need to take the cables (your mate obviously has the same console), just unplug and replug at your mate's house. I do this with my PS3, it's really no hassle.