Sony files patent for tech that suppresses second-hand game sales

Sony has filed a new patent, and it’s one that is bound to generate a lot of controversy if implemented in the PS4.

[Gimmemorebubblez]

Commercial Suicide...
unless they want to pull a bluff on MS and get them include it in the 720 aswell and then at the last minute turn around and say the PS4 can play second-hand games....

[Smurf1]

It is a bit confusing why they would go with something like this.

It seems to me Microsoft may follow Sony if this tech becomes successful.

[nukeitall]

"It is a bit confusing why they would go with something like this."

What is confusing about this? It's all about the money even for Sony!

"It seems to me Microsoft may follow Sony if this tech becomes successful."

I wouldn't doubt it, MS is also a company, not just Sony.

What is disturbing is this is researched and thought about. I hope it isn't true, but I would most definitely avoid any console (or device) that employs such an anti-consumer scheme!

[Athonline]

In consoles the problem isn't piracy, it is second-hand sales, publishers and developers loose money from game rentals and second-hand sales.

A such technology, may attract more developers into implementing exclusives or add extra content to PS4 games, as it will help them increase their revenues.

[SandWitch]

Second-hand copy restriction + twice cheaper games = OK
Second-hand copy restriction + same price games = no-no

[SolidStoner]

I would buy ps4 100%. but if I could not play games my friends have, I will consider not to buy ps4... I think this would be bad for me and for sony... I cant afford to buy new games all the time.. I am a gamer damn it......

[tehpees3]

This tech won't become successful because consumers will give it the finger.

They are already giving the finger to Vita for memory cards. These used game restrictions are like DLC. Companies just push more and more to see what they can get away with. Eventually taking it to extremes (see Capcom).

[MikeMyers]

The only way this will work is if they all got together and made it universal. People will just support the PC more if this comes to consoles. The Wii U apparently has its Gamepad locked to the hardware so that you cannot have an imported Gamepad. We already see region locked games so this could be the next step.

Going to a service enabled platform is going to hinder used sales as it is. Once people get locked into things like Steam it will all be digital content that is locked to your account. That's the direction we are already headed. So anyone who has bought games like Journey are already adapting to knowing that content cannot be traded or sold (unless you bought the standalone product from the store that is now available).

[Raoh]

"It seems to me Microsoft may follow Sony if this tech becomes successful."

Other way around. Sony is following microsoft. THe original microsoft ending used games was back in JAN 25, 2012 .

http://kotaku.com/5879202/s...

Funny how when microsoft is rumored to do this no one bats an eye, but when its out of the sony camp everyone gets the pitch forks and torches.

Its like when we talk about proprietary setups. Sony gets slammed for it, but, its microsoft with a proprietary hard drive, charging cable, online pay wall, 2.5 audio jack instead of a standard 3.5 jack for controllers etc.

[MikeMyers]

Oh please Raoh, anyone who spends any time here knows Microsoft is not the most liked company. The Xbox 360 did get slammed for RRoD, they did get slammed for not having a hard drive in every system, they still get slammed for Live fees, they did get slammed for not including wi-fi and how expensive the adapter was, they did get slammed about hard drive prices much like the memory cards now for Vita, they do get slammed for lack of exclusives.

Look around, there are tons of negative comments thrown their way too.

http://n4g.com/news/928071/...

Look at everyone supporting Microsoft. No one batted an eye over it either. Those 91 comments are just a mirage.

[WrAiTh Sp3cTr3]

Why even mention MS? Is that what you're hoping for? How pathetic! Anyway, its usually Sony who has been following MS trends not the other way around, so Sony may be alone in this escapade.

[ArmrdChaos]

"Funny how when microsoft is rumored to do this no one bats an eye, but when its out of the sony camp everyone gets the pitch forks and torches."

The difference is the MS claim is nothing more than a rumor but in Sony's case they themselves actually filed a patent for it.

[Old McGroin]

@ Raoh

""It seems to me Microsoft may follow Sony if this tech becomes successful."

Other way around. Sony is following microsoft. THe original microsoft ending used games was back in JAN 25, 2012 .

http://kotaku.com/5879202/s...

Funny how when microsoft is rumored to do this no one bats an eye, but when its out of the sony camp everyone gets the pitch forks and torches."

The Microsoft rumour is exactly that, a rumour. From nearly a year ago. So no, Sony isn't following Microsoft, Sony has actually filed a patent, Microsoft have not.

[ThanatosDMC]

I'm fine with this actually since I rarely buy used nor do i borrow games... Besides publishers makes us pay for the online part anyway without lowering down the price even after their games have been in the bargain bins.

Maybe this is the final nail to Gamestop's coffin? They say new but they opened my damn game all ready!

[SilentNegotiator]

Once again people act like every patent is going into effect tomorrow (or even at all). There's a small team at Sony that files patents all day, people. They, like the other of the big three, patent a million things that never get used.

That said, I would never buy a console that did that. I want to be able to freely use my games on anyone's system, sell them when/if I finish them and they have little replay value, etc.

[TheGamerDood]

I have no doubts that MS will implement the same model for Live and I have no problem with it because I believe that developers/publishers should get paid for their work.

[sikbeta]

Just making my choice easier, going Wii-U +/or XBX3 if PS4 don't allow used games

[DOMination-]

To Raoh: Sony originally wanted this on ps3 but clearly decided against it in the end. Look it up

[cemelc]

"People will just support the PC more if this comes to consoles"

Pc has already this feature among other drm...why would ppl move to pc for that?.

[Awesome_Gamer]

Not going to happen, Sony just filed the patent so they can use it if the wanted to, but they won't because it's a comercial suicide, they're not stupid.

[fatstarr]

why would this become successful. people would just not buy it if they cant get it used. or they wouldnt upgrade.

[Temporary]

As big a fan as I am of Sony and their Playstation brand, if they implement some sort of tech that doesnt allow me to play 2nd-hand games, I wont be purchasing it.

Nowadays when the economy is so horrible and people are looking to cut corners and spend less money, they should be looking for ways to ACCOMMODATE their customers, and not screw them over to make an extra buck.

Business is business, but greed is still greed. Shame on Sony if they utilize this on the PS4. And shame on anyone else if they follow lead.

[ChrisGTR1]

i hope this isnt true, if it is im not buying a ps4.

[CommonSense]

It won't become successful. They should rename the headline to "Sony files patent that suppresses my desire to buy their next console."

[CommonSense]

Double post..sorry

[iamnsuperman]

They wont do it. Unless they can get Microsoft and Nintendo to use the feature I really doubt it will be implemented. I can see this patent being one of those patents that is patented to stop others using it without paying royalties.

[Ezz2013]

sony patent alot of things and most of them don't see the day light

[Smurf1]

Yeah, I think they are simply patenting this to increase their portfolio. No way they are going to use it on the PS4.

[Smurf1]

@ezz, completely agree.

[HammadTheBeast]

I'm hoping that Sony has done this to protect us gamers from the tyranny of Microsoft, and they've blocked out the possibility of this happening.

But we all know that's not going to make them any money.

[mwjw696]

@HammadTheOne Are you being serious right now? You think Sony gives a fuck about you? Save us from Microsoft? HAHAHAHA you are either the worst troll ever, or the most brain washed fanboy on this site! Best quote for industry ever. "Leap ignorantly to the defense of wealthy game companys, who don't know or care about you!"

[HammadTheBeast]

It was sarcasm...actually I don't know what it was. But I wasn't being serious.

[rainslacker]

Considering they had similar functionality built into the PS3 and never used it, it's hard to see that they would implement it now. They may leave it up to the publishers like they did with region locking, or use it for online passes.

I think what they'll find though is if they do make this standard across the board, game sales will go down, and many people may turn their backs on the hardware. Looking at the past, or even on this thread, people do not like this. To date it's only been a rumor, or a patent which lays out the groundwork, and it always receives negative reception. If they leave it up to the publishers, then I'm sure they'll be looking at how those publishers sales are affected by their decision to include it.

I do think people are a bit too quick to jump the gun on these rumors or patents, but I do believe they should voice their concern over it now, instead of after it's implemented. However, they shouldn't use it as console war stuff, and should act like adults saying how bad it would be.

[Thatguy-310]

Never have bought a second hand game and I honestly think this is good. People need to stop being cheap and pay the regular price like regular people do. Don't have enough $ then stick with ios and android platform or find a new hobby. People need to understand that companies suffer from it in the long run because studios don't get any of that $. If you like the game/studio/publisher then support it.

[DarkBlood]

you also realize that doesnt change anything right? buying second hand or your ios suggesstion is the same thing its a 60 dollars they wont see from particular consumers in the first place

now i dont like used games for a very different reason but dont mind it all for you see what i do is wait over time for a game to go cheap or on sale these days i decided to wait on alot of games unless its a must have title for me or exceptions otherwise i will wait till they hit the 30 or 20 dollar price tag brand new

having said they still get nothing with my method im betting since im paying less for it

and i doubt most are just going to stick to a few games and thats it, not how the market works in my opinion

[zerocrossing]

Used games don't hurt new game sales, they help, this has been said again and again and hasn't become any less of a fact.

Of course a publisher would like to see the end of second hand game sales, they want maximum profit, they don't give a damn about anything beyond that no matter who they are, Sony, MS or Nintendo.

Lucky for you who are in a position to always be able to buy new games but that sadly isn't the case for everyone, I'll buy a game new if it's from a studio I like or its an interesting original IP, but I certainly wont lose any sleep over buying second hand.

[iamnsuperman]

@zerocrossing

"Used games don't hurt new game sales, they help, this has been said again and again and hasn't become any less of a fact."

They really do not help at all and that is a myth. Publishers do not look at total games sales (with used) because A it is impossible to get accurate used game sales and is only really done through trophy/achievements achieved. B they still do not get any money from it. Like you said publishers want to maximise profit but when a lot of their profit is taken by used games they are not going to develop a sequel. People say they buy the first game used and the second new because they like it is just rubbish. They buy used the first time they are equally as likely to buy it used the second time. So publishers just do not take the risk.

Used games keep/help retailers happy because they get a large profit margin. Not the developers or publishers.

[zerocrossing]

@iamnsuperman

Without used games many game retailers would be forced to close, it's been a long standing discussion in the UK with large retailers such as gamestation & CEX used as prime examples of why second games are a good thing.

Ive been buying second hand and new games as I see fit for 20+ years (like many others Im sure) and last I checked the games industry is doing pretty damn well.

As a consumer you're on the wrong side of the fence, publishers are pushing to have second hand games removed and make digital media distribution the norm, none of this helps consumers in the long run.

[delboy]

And you never ever rent a game from or to your friends?
Music or movies also?
Hmm... Seems legit if you don't have friends :-)

[Pozzle]

Don't blame consumers. Blame the stupid industry that is responsible for devs and publishers losing money on used-game sales. If the existence of used games is harming the industry, then something needs to be done about the industry itself. Suppressing used game sales isn't going to do anything to help sales, except turn off people who don't buy games new anyway.

(There should also be a crackdown on things like game stores opening new game packaging so that they can sell their games second-hand and receive 100% of the profit.)

[DragonKnight]

Used games neither help nor hinder publisher profit. Retailers buy games new from the publisher, meaning said publisher already got their money. Used games help the retail stores get money, but they do not cost the publisher any money. There have been no concrete facts to prove otherwise. Even the supposed cost of servers is inaccurate as there isn't a new spot being taken, it's the same spot with a new person in it.

Used games are not a detriment to anyone. Even if you were to claim that used games prevent the orders of new copies from the retailers, the alleged cost of such a miniscule problem is negligible. The idea that publishers aren't making money because of used games is ridiculous. Used games were at one point new.

[FunkMacNasty]

"People need to stop being cheap and pay the regular price like regular people do. Don't have enough $ then stick with ios and android platform or find a new hobby."

So either your like 12 years old and your parents buy all your games, or your really wealthy. Wake up dude. Not everyone can afford to buy games brand new at full retail price. I would also venture to say that you are completely incorrect when you say "most normal people buy games at full price".

Also, since I'm not wealthy, I'm supposed to "find a new hobby"? pshhh..

Your comment shows that you are either very young and have no concept of the real world economy and what it means to be a gamer with a full time job, a morgage, and bills, or your wealthy fat cat who lives in a mansion in The Hamptons or something.

[Darrius Cole]

I am amazed at how many people are stupid enough to think it is a good thing for someone to take away their rights.

If you buy it, you own it, period.

Once I buy the game they can't tell me who to sell it to or who not to sell it to any more than I can tell them what to do with the computer they used to make the game. And the whole world works this way, these people alone think that they should be different.

Zerocrossing is right, used games help more than the hurt. you can see that with a simple math excercise.

Say that I only have $120. If I like 3 games well enough to buy them new, the entry point is $60 per game or $180, so I buy two of the games and I have $0 left, and there is still 1 game that I want. If Zero likes one of the games that I bought and but only has $30, he can't enter the new game market because it takes $60 per person. Say that Iamsuperman is in the same situation; he likes the other game that I bought but only has $30, so he can't enter the new games market either because it takes $60. So I sell one of my used games to Zero for $30 and sell the other game to Iamsuperman for $30. Now they each have the games that they want and I have $60 which I promptly go spend on the 3rd game that I wanted all along but could not afford.

Used games allow people with less money to combine those funds and spend them in a marketplace that they otherwise could not afford to spend money in. In the example above the game makers got $180 whereas they only would have gotten $120 if there was no used game market. It is frankly stupid of the game developers to attempt to kill the used games market.

What the developers should be doing is trying to enter the used game market as re-sellers. For instance they could offer to buy back their games themselves for a specified amount and put a floor under the buy-back price. Or for a different example a developer like Bethesda say "if you send us your copy of Oblivion and your original receipt we will sell you Skyrim for $30 at release day." That would by-pass the brick and mortar channel and keep some games out of the market at the same time...it would also help them retain loyal customers

However, I suspect that what we would find is that if they tried such things that they would stop because it would hurt the overall industry and the truth is that the way it is done now is the most efficient way of doing it.

[mwjw696]

@dboyc310 Companys suffer from used yet you want people to leave console gameing completely? We are taling about the ability to buy and sell used games not Piracy. What do you think happens when most people trade in games? They go buy MORE games with it.

@Zerocrossing http://voices.yahoo.com/thq...
You are right. Not to mention the back lash from all the gamers if the PS4 would actually do this.

@iamnsuperman WRONG! Do more research.

@Pozzle "(There should also be a crackdown on things like game stores opening new game packaging so that they can sell their games second-hand and receive 100% of the profit.) " WHAT??? No one does this... thats illegal!

@FunkMacNasty Well said good sir!

Please also remeber this not only would kill off used games this would also kill the collectors market down the road. Think of all those people that like to collect games and play them down the road. Well once a game is out of print then its done. You would have a very hard time finding them.

If Sony does this and no one else does you can kiss Sony, or at least Playstation good bye. Period. Game over man.

[MerkinMax]

Never have bought a car used before and I honestly think this is good. People need to stop being cheap and pay regular price like regular people do. Don't have enough $ then stick to bicycles and public transportation or find a new means of transportation. People need to understand that companies suffer from it in the long run because car companies don't get any of that $. If you like cars then support their creators.

Sounds ridiculous, right!?

[Godz Kastro]

I agree and I am not sure why people feel so entitled to re-sell a product they purchased that was created by hard working people. Its very unfair to the devs who work hard on these games. I want to see this industry thrive and if this helps then so be it

[skyblue14213]

@dboyc

Second hand video game sales have been around since the dawn of the video game industry and second hand sales have never been mentioned to be a problem until this current console generation. Do wonder why that is? I will tell you: it is because of greed plain and simple.

It is obvious that one of the main reasons why people buy used games is because it is cheaper than new games. And common sense on the most basic level dictates that if a company wants to increase revenue & sales they need to lower their msrp for each new game for the consumer to be more able to afford it. Yet you don't ever see the big companies lower their prices for their games outright when they get released thus you won't see consumers take bigger risks in buying games especially since most of the world is in an economic recession and people are more careful than ever when spending their money on anything.

All I see & hear are companies dancing around the subject of used game sales by giving their typical line of bs as in "second hand sales hurts businesses" and they do not go beyond that in admitting the obvious reason why people buy second hand sales which is the the cost of new games are too high.

Instead of doing something about it that benefits both the consumer & business by lowering their msrp on new games to around $40 they rather almost gaurentee an eventual tremendous loss of revenue & sales by alienating their customers by putting draconian restrictions on consumer rights.

With all of the fickle dlc bs this console generation & other tactics that are used by companies to nickle & dime the consumer + the economic recession that is effecting everyone it is no wonder people are not running out to buy the latest game at the full msrp.

I own multiple different consoles & acessories + 100's & 100's of games(+ over 100 digital games also) in which I buy more new games than used games, and if used games get surpressed in any way, shape, or form I gaurentee you that I wont be investing any of my money in any gaming products that suppress or restrict used games in any way. I understand that businesses have to make money, but the escalating greed at the epidemic level that has been displayed this console generation absolutley disgusts me.

If used games were really a big problem like these companies make it out to be they would have all been out of business a long time ago instead of pissing & moaning about a nonsense minor issue at best like they are now.

If people want a draconian restrictive game industry be prepared for sky high prices to stay high for a long time like the online gaming services that the big three already provide, but it will be much worse than ever experienced(think much worse than the video game prices in austrailia) once the major companies get the ability to completely dictate prices for anything gaming related. I am not going to even get into consumer ownership rights if companies have total control.

People that support the stripping of the rights of other people in general because they think it is right according to them should be subject to what they preach since that is what they support.

[hazardman]

I buy certain games new thru pre ordering or If I play a game that I like I dont mind buying new. That being said I know that when Im done with game I know I can sell on CL or just trade in for credit or what not. They are taking that away from us.

[admiralvic]

There is absolutely no rational way to explain how this is or will be a "good thing".

You see, the quality of games will not rise from this choice, so I fail to see why they deserve more money for the same (or lower) quality games in the long run. Companies should be FIGHTING to make sure people justify buying the game new on day 1. If your game is good enough, then people will pick it up without even questioning it. Like when Borderlands 2 was announced, I preordered it without question and got it on release. I did the same for the season pass, which I won't be doing for Borderlands 3, since I feel like they screwed me. See how this works?

Also too many people look at it as a 1 sided issue, but it's in fact 2 sided. Yes some people don't buy or support rentals / used games, but do you keep all of your games? Since I know I always have the option to sell my games, I can always make some money back on a "bad game". There is a huge difference between risking say $20 dollars on a bad game (For instance Declassified has a MSRP for $50 and traded into Gamestop for $30, so only $20 dollars is really at risk) and risking $40 - $60.

Needless to say, this choice (if implemented) will result in people buying a LOT less (thus offsetting the loss of used game sales) and less people taking chances. A core element of plus / used game sales is to turn someone onto a series, which they might be a supporter of. If you remove that, remove the ability to get a cheap used game and give us no resale value... everything will fall apart and whatever implements it will fail.

[morkendo23]

????? why is Sony egar to kill off ps3 games (second-hand) as brannflake said that would be SUICIDE.
Sony must have some dope-out ps4 games to replace ps2,ps3 games.

P.S.
hope ps4 dont become DIGITAL MEDIA only console that would kill off any hope.

[Tei777]

"commercial Suicide"

lol, people are so dramatic. I really find it hard to believe that whether or not a console can play used games carries more weight then exclusives, price/hardware differences and their online services. Also this feature isn't going to be advertised on the box and I'm sure the vast majority of the 220 million owners of 7th gen systems aren't on sites like this and will be oblivious to this when they make their next gen purchase. Not only that but I'm sure used sales for popular titles (COD/ AC3) represent a tiny, tiny minority of their overall sales and I'd say thats reflective of the importance of used sales amongst mass markets.

Not only that but in UK at least, 2nd hand prices are barely cheaper than brand new ones as 90% of title are sold at retail for 80% of the RRP and that price sharply drops and with a lot titles now implementing Online Passes, the incentive to buy 2nd hand titles has already been diminished a ton. Hopefully Next gen sony and microsoft manage to build a steam like environment where downloadable titles are a much cheaper, this may console some of the guys feeling butt hurt.

[rainslacker]

Commercial suicide may be a bit extreme. Your right that most people aren't informed, but an action like this would eventually result in consumer backlash. To date, no form of physical entertainment media (Movies, Music, Games), unilaterally restricts second hand sales, trading, or sharing. At most there are restrictions (DRM, on-line passes, etc).

But look at the long term effects it could have. There are a lot of people, many uninformed, that trade in their games to finance their next game purchase, sometimes new game purchases. Almost without fail, I have gone into gamestop on release days and seen people trading in games to finance their next game purchase, and of a new game. Some, maybe a lot, would now not purchase those new games, and would wait for the price to come down, resulting in lower sales for publishers.

As time goes by, people begin to see less value in the games they are buying, knowing that their initial investment will never be able to be recouped in any form. This gives a negative view of the hardware itself, and they start telling others, or the lack of consumer rights gets into the mainstream media, and finally a real debate happens on what is best for the consumer.

Also at retail...which system do you think a retailer would push more? One where they can profit off second hand sales, or one where they only sell the new and that's it. If one system were to go that route, then expect it to receive very little floor space at the retailer. At every Gamestop local to me, the used section takes up about twice as much space as the new for every system. One system not having used makes it look like there are no games for it, thus lowering the perceived value of the hardware.

As far as exclusives. I think your right. But how many exclusives aren't picked up day one, and how long do publishers continue to release the same product. I'd be lucky to find a copy of Uncharted: Drakes Fortune now outside of the dual pack, and most games don't get re-released into special packs. It's even worse for some genres...like JRPG, which generally are only sold new for about a year, and then the price inflates. People who like those genres, are now either required to buy used, or pay over-inflated prices for new, and under this scenario would be even more inflated since it's the only playable version.

[hazardman]

really because word of mouth seems to work for most products when people dont know. like when this news got out it was the topic in the several COD BO2 lobbies I was in.. and UK is not only ones selling expensive used games. I live Boston and a used game recently released @ gamestop is $55\$50 with Edge Rewards card.. either way thats not the point.

For me its companies trying to tell me what to do with my stuff. pretty soon you wont be able sell or trade yor car. or i could but i have to give you my hand cause the keys only work with my gene code....im still buying ps4/xbox3..im just saying.

[Tei777]

@rainslacker

I didn't consider the effect at retail, thats a really good point for any shops who do make most of their money from 2nd hand sales. I do however think that any backlash will be mainly superficial, just like people complaining about online passes. Having said that I'm struggling to see what Sony or MS would gain, its seems more the agender of the 3rd party publishers. So regardless of the size of the backlash, its probably not worth them risking unless the activision's and EA's intend to reimburse them in some form

In regards to picking up games late, I think digital distribution will solve that problem. We already see it in steam with incredible value deals being offered, and older games being found for mere penny's. I'd like to think this is the direction both Sony and Microsoft will be going in with their online stores.

[rainslacker]

DD will render this whole discussion moot. However DD is still quite a ways off for large scale worldwide implementation. Funny thing about DD though is that there is even less ownership than the currently discussed scenario of 2nd hand has. Every game purchased has a saying that you are only buying the rights to play the game, and at any time that right can be taken away from you. Every PSN download has this text, it exists for Steam, and I'm sure it's there for XBL as well. There are already a couple games removed from the PSN store, and I am unable to get the R-Type PS1 game that I bought 5 years ago on PSN. Apple takes down content from time to time as well, and there is no recourse to get your money back from those purchases because of the carefully worded buyers agreement. If, god forbid, Sony were to leave the gaming market or go out of business, there would be a lot of people without access to their content. It's an extreme case, but one that isn't outside the realm of possibility.

Basically DD is a service while physical is an actual commodity. As a commodity we have ownership of what we buy. What we're discussing would change the retail environment into a service provider, which to me is just removing choice from the marketplace, which only hurts the consumer.

[fermcr]

If Microsoft and Sony use this... then I'll forget their console exists and buy a WiiU.

[delboy]

Or steam box, even a ouya is a better choice then locked ps4.
Good luck with that Sony.

[metroid32]

WiiU is the best console hands down i'm loving it.

Best Online/reception
MiiVerse
Blazing fast browser
Nextgen hardware/Muticore cpu/E6760 GPGPU
Video chat
NNID's no friend codes
Off TV Play
2 gamepad support
NFC tech
HD Multi-media
Amazing games in development
Dual rumble on gamepad is awesome
5.1 surround
Gamepad sound is top notch

there isn't anything to not like.

[DeadlyFire]

Sounds more so like a revamped CD-Key system to me with DRM to assist. Most likely a way to battle pirates and give developers more control over their game content. Just like the multiplayer online pass that they sell now. Don't see much of a difference really here.

[papashango]

Your right. However with consoles being locked to begin with there are no cracks to download. This is DRM in its perfect form.

[GribbleGrunger]

If they implement this too early then it would be a disaster for the company. PS consoles have legs and one of the reasons is the second hand market. But ... if they can get Gaikai up and running and the price of the service is reasonable, perhaps that would offer the FULL PS library for a fraction of what you'd pay for them all second hand; a little like PS+ (or even part of PS+).

[papashango]

Sony may have just blown off its own foot if this is implemented in PS4.

With Valve entering the market anyone that has read about or heard about the steambox has just made their decision.

[schlanz]

most definitely commercial suicide. Consumers won't understand why this would happen and the word will spread quickly. Unless its an across the industry move it would be utterly stupid to do such a thing.

If they really want to stop second hand sales, then move to digital only.

[lfclee]

You are so right!

[JoGam]

If doing this keeps companies from closing down like the many who closed down this year and year before because people don't want to buy games new then so be it. I just freaking hate how so many people complain about this. They act like Game Stop makes the games. People developers needs to get paid. It cost money to make these games and the reason why some developers turn to mobile games because its a cheaper risk with potential bigger outcome where as making a game and selling it for $60 and expecting it to be successful is tough. especially when some people by new then trade in used just so some potential person who don't have the game go's and buy the game used, developers miss out. So when a developer game is being sold used, developers lose. I understand both sides of the coin. People like me who has two PS3's. How will Sony fix the ability to play one game on both systems? If they can do that, then fuck used game sales.

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

"Commercial Suicide... "

Idk I think people would stop complaining after a year and move on if MS and Sony did this.

Remember when people raged about this?

“We have not seen a lot of consumer resistance at the higher price points and we expect that all of our next-generation products will be launched at $60 price points.” Bobby Kotick
http://www.ps3blog.net/2006...
And now most shut up about it.

On disk dlc Commercial Suicide? nope they sell millions. Online pass Commercial Suicide? nope. The real used game killer is gaikai but not the whole world is not ready for the cloud. I think new games should just be $40 they would sell more copies anyway. I have a friend who play uncharted 1 - 3 and loves all of them and is a ND fan! But naughty dog never got a red cent from him. Why would sony care for this person again?

There has to be two sides to the argument.

If they both stop used games what will you do? Stop playing games? You would have no choice actually.

Can everyone afford games? no.. Can sony and MS make money from used games? no.. They only want to new game buyers in the first place. From a logical perspective why should they keep gamestop in business? Unless no one will buy a console at all? People would still buy by the millions. Console gamers as far as I can tell are used to conformity.

They can take a good kick in the balls, had over money and wait for a patch.
The whole industry should just bring new games to $40 that could kill two bird with one stone. imo.

[Anon1974]

Wow. Déjà vu. Back in 2006 before the PS3 released there was a similar patent filed for a system that would certify disks with a particular console so only that console could ever play that disk which would make second hand game sales, game rentals or even lending disks to friends impossible.

People lost their minds assuming it was meant for the PS3. It never saw the light of day. And here we are again. It's fun to speculate and talk about new tech patents, or rage when they do something we don't want, but how many of these patents are ever used. MS patented software that would censor live audio streams, yet we never saw that in XBL. MS patented a game system with a projector that projects images all around you. Sony patented eye tracking contact lens. Do you honestly think any of this tech is going to show up in the next gen platforms?
http://articles.latimes.com...

[GribbleGrunger]

You're a pretty smart man, darkrider66 and from the posts I've read of yours (and there have been plenty) I still can't for the life of me understand why you have 1 bubble. It's a damn shame that intelligent voices get buried under all the nonsense on here.

[TheStorm]

Actually it is a smart move. Almost all the big developers are complaining and angry about second hand sales, they are losing money. If Sony is the one that does it, many companies will side with them, and make it more exclusive to them. Why? They know they will make more money because people can't second hand buy their product.

With so many devs trying to figure out how to stop second hand sales, they would applaud and support Sony for this if it is the case. And I'm sure if MS sees that, they will do the same as well.

[MostJadedGamer]

No all they need is for the 720 to block used games to. Either both MS, and Sony will block used games or neither will block used games

It would be suicide if only one of them blocked used games. That is why either both will or neither of them will.

[TheStorm]

Maybe, or maybe not. The thing is if Sony did this, and the devs like EA/Ubisoft who are very much against second hand sales, say: "We will only make games for Sony until MS does the same thing" Sony would have the advantage.

However, on the other hand, it could hurt Sony as much, where more buy the Next Box because they can buy second hand games. People do forget there are two consumers with consoles, the people that buy games, and the people that make games for them. They have to be attractive to both. However devs have a little more power now. So it will be interesting to see how the big devs/publishers react with something like that. They may force MS to do it by doing what I said.

[ronin4life]

@the storm
Nope, hidden result number 1; Ubi and EA abandon ps4 for higher install base/selling rate xbox and wiiu, which consumers have jumped on.

Devs are a "consumer" as you mentioned, but they are also the slaves to their masters: GAMERS and INVESTORS. To whom they must comply.

[darkziosj]

@the storm

No... they would lose even more money for not making multiplatform games, they cannot go and make all their games sony exclusives without anykind of deal and they release alot of games in a year, there's not logic in that.

[Knight_Crawler]

LOL Brandflakes "unless they want to pull a bluff on MS and get them include it in the 720 aswell and then at the last minute turn around and say the PS4 can play second-hand games"

Spin comment on the year - I can see Sony heads right now in a meeting planning this for MS -_-

[Campy da Camper]

What about red box and game fly? Now the games won't work? Not gonna happen. Sony just wants to have rights to the patent.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

But wait if Sony goes through with this insanity what would happen to your traded in games? Or if your even able to trade them in?

[geddesmond]

And then what does this mean, that we can no longer loan a game to a Friday or play that game on a second consol if our first one breaks.

[Megaton]

Yeah, eliminating used games like this would doom their next console. It would also eliminate rental services and simple borrowing between friends. Extremely consumer hostile.

They're already fighting an uphill battle against the Xbox. This would essentially attach a giant boulder to their ankle, making the climb nearly impossible. All Microsoft has to do is not be total jerks like Sony, and they've won.

[Haha123]

This happens and ill boycott sony

[Godz Kastro]

Im sorry but If MS found out Sony was doing this they would do the opposite. However I agree, if they implement this it could even turn a few hard core fans.

Be careful Sony, you are not in a position to make mistakes this next round.

[papashango]

I agree. It would be best for M$ to capitalize on this and gain even more momentum going into next-gen. I'd imagine they could take at least a third of sony's marketshare.

[xtremeimport]

I buy new anyway...

[Blaze929]

they day you tell me I can borrow or let my friends borrow my game is the day I stop gaming. Period. What do they think families all play on one system and buy multiple copies? $59.99 a pop is already hard enough.

[Deputydon]

Eh. I pretty much only buy new games anyways. The online passes that nearly every game has lately is pretty much stopping me from buying used games anyways.

[WetN00dle69]

TOO LATE!!! Didnt they they say that the New Xbox wont support used games. They have been saying this for a long ass while. This doesnt really bother me actually since i tend to steer clear from used titles. Cause some people out there dont know how to take care of their games properly. Ive seen a few used games that are scratched to high hell. Its as if they put the game disk between their ass cheeks and grind it.

[IAmLee]

I believe they have a saying for this, it's known as 'shooting yourself in the foot.'

As much as it may help the game market overall, see it from a gamer perspective. If each game cost £40 (or more) and then you look at the preowned the version which is over half the price off, which would you choose? What if you want to game, but don't have the money to fork out £40+ every time you want to buy a game. This won't end well..

[waltyftm]

I heard rumors about this just before the PS3 launch.

[Mister_G]

I think this is FUD. People are trying to damage the PS4 hype before it's even been announced.

The NEXT gen war has begun :-\

[PS4isKing_82]

Although this will be the top story of the day in a couple of hours I'm sure.

[Rhythmattic]

Some thoughts.....

Can you sell a PSN or XBLA game to another party after finishing the game?

Companies stating that physical media was not required?

Just as non transferable Downloadable games move to full retail releases, why wouldnt games available on physical media?

As for Steam , I believe by law in the EU you can , however it has not been implemented.. (Yes?)

I truly believe both Sony and MS will adopt this tactic for physical media next gen...
As for me , I never sell/trade my games, so it wont really effect me.

If they do deploy this "lock out" of used games, Piracy will be very high on a hackers agenda.

[delboy]

Yes you can sell psn games, I do it all the time.
I just sell my acc with the game,and I do the same with steam games.

And yes,hackers are going to be all over it,trying to crack that silly protection.

[DarthJay]

You're not selling the game, you're selling the account. The question was, can you take the actual downloaded game and sell just that. The answer is no, you can't.

[kingeo]

Well if they can go all digital and cloud with Gakai in the upcoming years then why can't they do this?There is no such thing as used games on this services and still people buy them and look forward to them

[Rhythmattic]

Totally agree...

However, there is an absolutely huge market that does not have the internet infrastructure required for full digital distro (cap and bandwidth) , thus making physical media a need...

In theory , this ID tag patent that is supposedly proposed, could possibly be the same as a season pass for MP

A fee to unlock a SP campaign?

Just putting it out there....

[Crazay]

You're absolutely right about the bandwidth caps and widespread broadband internet connectivity. Here in Canada, many of the ISPs have totally de-nutted the users with paltry throughput restrictions of 30GB and in some cases less for the same as what they once had with unlimited.

It's also no surprise that within a day or 2 after Netflix finally came to Canada, the big providers then instituted heavy restrictions on the users. ISPs here will nickle and dime their users any way imaginable.

[phantomexe]

Buying used is bad but it's hard to pass up on buy 2 get 1 free sales at gamestop when you don't have alot of money. I do pick up the DLC off of psn tho. i picked up mass effect 2 used and because it was so good i pick up 3 at full price.

[ravinash]

See, 2nd hand games can pay off for the developer in the long run.

These days I usually wait till the price drops.
There are plenty of games to keep me occupied plus plenty to download with my PSN+ account (I've got a big back log to get through.

And with the sales on steam, I don't see my self buying a new game in some time.

[supremacy]

People panic when something like this gets mentioned in the same breath as console gaming. Yet PC has adopted such system a long time ago and if i am not mistaken no one is complaining.

Heck, the 360 should had been the first console to adapt this method of encryption, maybe then this wouldnt be much of an issue. Maybe then people would actually start shopping wisely, maybe then people would actually start appreciating their game purchases and collect more.

However as controversial as this may sound, there is a way to quiet the storm by simply pricing the games at a more reasonable price. Ofcourse this is something i dont think would be up for consideration but perhaps could work.

If history has taught us anything; is that use game sales arent really the issue, rather the times and those price tags associated with those times. Back in the snes days or even Playstation one days, this wasnt an issue, in fact it was a way to get more people heavily involved.

A shitty economic climate and a scare bag of beurocrats mixed in with more scared and therefore greedy bunch is whats really hurting not only the gaming industry but the worlds economy.

Why do android and ios games sell better? oh i dont know pricing maybe? could it be that maybe pricing has something to do with it? Why does angry birds or ignition alpha cost double or tripple on consoles than they do elsewhere? As if ads, and dlc and online passes and what have you isnt enough; we must not forget that while tripple A game development on dedicated game consoles are more costly, we also cant overlook at the fact that they also generate bigger profits due to their higher price tags. When a game breaks even it pretty much kills this conversation altogether, whats left are greens and how much of it in essex can we get so beurocrats and celeb devs can keep their lambos and jakuzzis. Isnt that righ cliffy b., kotic at activision and heads at capcom with their on disc dlcs.

This may sound premature, but my point is this is an issue that may stick around for years like the gun control one. There are just opposing views on the matter and money is the common dinominator here.

[2pacalypsenow]

Thats becasue Pc Has Perfected the digital Sales with dirt cheap PC games and sales, Consoles on the other hand are much more expensive i would never buy a digital game for $30-$40 when I can buy it Used get it on PC or borrow it for Half the price or free

[supremacy]

But that's my point; everything on consoles always seem to cost more. Even if we are talking about the same content migrating multiple platforms.

I understand games are getting prettier and therefore more expensive to make. But the console market cripples itself with their pricing. I firmly believe that if the games were to retail cheaper more games will sell and thus a profit can be reach sooner than later.

Yes, i also do believe that extra sales can be made of what essentially becomes a used sale, its basic math really.

But this type of scheme in a way hurts the notion of sharing and lending what you rightfully bought.

Like i've said before, this is one of those debates that will go on for a while.

But honestly, if both MS and Sony go forward with this others i am sure will be incline to follow. Everything has to start somewhere no matter how difficult or controversial that start may be.

MS charges for live gold, something that to this day doesn't resonate with some. But the idea is there and the establishment is...well? established.

Whatever happens i just hope Sony doesn't get burn for this, game stop, angry hackers and those who feel entitled will likely target them.

[matrixman92]

well, if this happens im definitely not buying the ps4...it was already bad enough that you cant gameshare anything vita related. Anyone saying to stop being cheap and pay full price, seriously grow the fuck up...maybe when your older you will understand that video games should not be a priority and people need to find them cheap somehow. Video games should never have gone above 50 dollars retail to begin with

[EffectO]

Yes,squeezing more money out of existing consumers is the best course of action.
This will fail so hard.

[nutcrackr]

I expected this for the next generation of consoles. Based on the number of times publishers / devs keep saying second hand sales are bad. MS and Sony would rather not have them either. If Sony jumps on (and releases a console first) then I expect MS will follow suit and lock games to specific accounts. They have already started trying to recoup some money from used sales with online passes.

[tigertron]

No pre-owned games=no buy for me.

As someone said above, it would be commercial suicide and I doubt Sony would do it, but I do see some sort of universal online pass system being implemented.

[Dayngls]

To everyone saying Microsoft better not follow this tech, it's been long heavily rumored that the next Xbox will have something like this. This type of tech was actually talked about with microsoft first when 720 specs leaked a while back. I fully support this and I hope it's standard in the next wave of consoles.

[kingeo]

Well if this sounds bad let me tell you that ps4 will probably use cloud gaming too and ps5 will be only cloud and download system.
Good luck paying 60 dollars to rent each game without never owning anything.As soon as each company pulls the plug off for the games which are get old and they aren't 'hot' anymore it's game over.

[BlackWolf]

As I see it, if this thing gets in use, you won't be able to buy used games, right? Practically we would be forced to buy the games new, when sometimes we don't have the money to buy it brand fresh at retailers.

Well, telling people in the face "new game or GTFO" is not a nice move. I hope this patent is not implemented, but who knows, we can't see the future, for good or bad.

[lazyboyblue]

i bet the tech is designed to be added into consoles post production. Sony will wait for a large ps4 user take up then implement via a fw update.

[ronin4life]

That would cause an uproar six times the size of the psn hack. We are talking mass complaints, threats and sellbacks, huge drops in console sales and media backlash worse than the red ring of death.

There is NO instance that any of the big 3 could implement something like this and get away with it... especially if it makes them the lone offender.

Not that it would surprise me to see one of them attempt something like that..-.-

[Crazay]

I understand why they want to implement something like this but currently, it's not something that users are going to be OK with. The gamers will turn their back on Sony rather quickly if they were to make this a reality. What they need to do is just suck it up for the time being and then worry about what the next iteration of the marketplace will look like.

My guess is most everything will be a cloud based service and then users will be able to post their used games up on a Sony (or MS for that matter) run marketplace where users can post and sell the "Digital content/accesses" to other users for credit. This would also allow Sony and/or MS to make a second cut off these resales AND afford them the ability to send kickback to the developers.

Further to the point above, could the kickback on re-sales to developers be used as a bargaining chip for more timed exclusive/exclusive titles? Maybe. It sure would help them to offset the lack of revenue from not releasing on multiple consoles.

[NiceGuy360]

If either SONY or Microsoft go ahead with this, WiiU will be my only next gen game for sure.

[LOL_WUT]

If true then Sony just made their own coffin but, since it's a patent who knows if it'll ever be implemented.

[chukamachine]

If SONY do this with the PS4, count me out.

Many games are too expensive for a lot of people, yes there are classy games that are well worth the money.

But it is wrong to stop people getting games after time has passed getting things cheaper.

[BanBrother]

Finally, some ammo for the 360 fanboys /s

Seriously though, I hope this does not go ahead. Surely no amount of loyalty (either xbox, ps3 etc) would make someone buy a console that treats consumers like monkey scrotom residue.

[GameOn]

Honestly, they just need to be smart about it.
Include unlock codes for achievements/trophies, online and other features to make it actually worth while to buy new.

[SpecialK]

Honestly if this happens, I might just steer away from consoles.

The fact is if you buy something, its your to do what you want with including selling it on. we do this with films, CD's, why is the games industry so special?

Games are expensive, and some like call of duty are breaking out of the £40 price ceiling now to £42-£45.

It may not seem like much, but if everyone follows suit what will prices be next gen????

[Honest_gamer]

wish i stayed where you do, my local INDEPENDENT game show was selling standard cod for £65, why? because people would go out and buy it and they did, i drove past the shop and the cue was out of the door, this is the only game shop in my town, so if i want to go somewhere else it's £20 deasil to get to the closes city for some game shops, by then it would have cost the same :/ what i really dont like is how most new psn games are £50 :/ thought downlaodable games where to make it cheaper

[SpecialK]

That's insane.

The problem is its not just us that suffer, its the independent stores and even chain stores. Look at game, I used to have 2 game stores and a Gamestation in a medium size town.

Now though there is just one game store, because online retailers and supermarkets are undercutting them so much. When the latest game is available in a supermarket for £25 other stores really suffer.

My guess is that supermarkets can take the low profit margins to get people in their stores, whilst specialist stores just arnt in the position to do so. I honestly cant remember when I last bought a game in a Game or Gamestation, the prices are just too high and I reckon a lot of people would agree with me.

All it means really is that indie games will continue to thrive, and the only true console titles that can survive will be the likes of fifa, COD and the like, and will end up just like our film industry where 90% of the big hitters are all films on their 10th sequel.

Call of Duty 12, Fifa 2016, Battlefield 5, Halo 8. Is that what people want?

[violents]

Why not just lobby governments and have laws made that require used game retailors to pay a percentage to the respective platform/dev, like a royalty. Then consumers dont feel slighted and everyone gets paid.

[iistuii]

I have this now, it's called Steam. Just be careful you purchase a game that's not pants or await the sales, as your stuck with it, easy. I will just be pleased that it will put a stop to the game stores who are ripping kids off by giving them ridiculous trade in prices. You take a game in you've finished, they give you £10 for it on a trade in, then put it up for sale at £25 it'll be nice to see these gone for good.

[ajax17]

It wouldn't affect me at all. I've never bought a used game in my life.

[GraveLord]

They're just covering their bases. Most patents filed never see the light of day.

[trouble_bubble]

This. You know how many patents these companies have filed just for the sake of filing?

It's all a moot point, since the industry is going more and more digital and will eventually be overtaken. When's the last time you traded in an XBLA digital download to Gamestop, or bought a Steam download used from 7-11? Umm, never? exactly. What's a used 0100001001011 look like?

[tiffac008]

Well this patent should definitely stay that way. We won't even be able to borrow games from our real life friends if this gets implemented.

[B_Rian89]

if possible they should go after the retailers who sale the second hand items and try to squeeze revenue from them instead

[VonBraunschweigg]

Stupid language for a stupid idea. If I can't sell a game I'll think twice before buying it, so I will probably buy less new games, only the games I know that will be worth it. No more oh what the hell just buy it...
I bought quite a few disapointing games over the years and I was always glad I could sell them on eBay. More than often the money was used to buy new games, usually day one so new out of the store. That will also stop. And finally, less people will buy the console if they can't re-sell the games, hence less overall sales of games.

Just a patent, but stupid imo. Not gonna happen I hope.

[VonBraunschweigg]

Stupid and illegal, at least here in Europe. Producer isn't allowed to hinder consumer to re-sell, period. There have been enough lawsuits over this kind of bullshit in the past few years, and in the end it's always the same. Illegal.

[TitanUp]

im a pc gamer i don't have 1 console and not being able to sale my used games or buy used games effect me in anyway.

http://steamcommunity.com/i...

[Getowned]

Steam is so Amazing isn't it! I just bought so many games from the christmas/Winter sale. More and more it looks like im going to become a PC only gamer next gen, Steam offers a better service than anyone else imo.

[FITgamer]

I don't think this will end up being implemented on the PS4. Not only would that end the use of used games, but it it would also nullify the use of rentals, which would be a tradegy, my beloved GAMEFLY would become obsolete. Not only that,what if a players system had to be replaced? That would mean they would have to re-purchase a new system and all of their games. This would not be smart move.

[ronin4life]

The systems set up to manage it would also act as defacto region locking, as the vitas online pass already does for online play of imports.

Surprised no one has realised that yet.

[Spacemagic]

The thing is though, if you buy a game, and it sucks, you can't return it to the store. You just lose, especially if u cant trade or sell it...

[Masta Kaos]

Well if Sony goes this route im going
to jump ship and go to MS.....or even
better upgrade my PC. Are they trying
to dictate what i do with what i
bought with my own cash?? Rubbish!!

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Keep in mind if you go PC and become a heavy Steam user... you will not have the luxury to sell your games used or buy used either. You will get the great Steam sales though so there is that. :)

[OC_MurphysLaw]

What this patent file shows regardless of actually being used or not is that Sony is very attentive to the used game market and not in a good way.

It also just underlines that at the end of the day these companies are FOR PROFIT companies and they all (Sony, MS, Valve, Nintendo...) look to try and maximize how best to get that profit.

Before people go all well Valve would never do this...don't kid yourself. Valve as it stands doesn't deal at all with disc based games. They are 100% pure digital distribution and have a very controlled enviornment. They don't allow for used game sales so they actually are already in this model of no used games but due to their nature nobody thinks twice about it.

[ziggurcat]

"Sony has filed a new patent, and it’s one that is bound to generate a lot of controversy if implemented in the PS4."

1. sony, like just about every other tech company, has a list of patents a mile long that don't ever get implemented. this is more likely for legal reasons just so they could possibly take anyone to court that utilizes this functionality in anything. people seem to think that just because the patent exists that it's going to be utilized, which isn't true.

2. this won't ever get implemented into the next playstation, so don't get all of your panties up in a bunch.

3. DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOM /sarcasm. i guess the doom articles have to start rolling out since that playstation event is coming up, right?

[smashcrashbash]

Don't bother talking. Common sense is not so common to gamers these days. They would rather panic and run around instead of actually waiting to hear details or consider other possibilities. Sony said nothing about implementing this or any other patent that we have seen. And yet people are ready with the pitch forks and torches.How about we wait and see what happens first and then cry and b***h. But no everyone always want to guess what will happen with premature negativity for games, systems and everything else. According to many gamers Microsoft has already won next gen. How do they know that? Because they said it will. Don't wait and see if they will get their @$$es kicked next gen or if their system will be any good. Start boasting and bragging now so if it doesn't happen you can look like a jack@$$ with your foot in your mouth.Same thing here. Start panicking and crying now so if it doesn't come to pass you can be then @$$ you had a heart attack before their was anything to stress about.Let's start crying and guessing what the PS4 will be like before it is even revealed. According to everyone it will already fail, be less powerful then everything else and have a crappy first line up. And before you tell me I am just saying that because I am a Sony fan boy if it were Microsoft or Nintendo who was found patenting this people would be telling us the same thing.

[Metamorph93]

I already knew about this, and this is why I won't be buying a PS4. You have the right to do whatever you want with something that is yours. They're pushing this just like "illegal downloading." We've always had a recorder to record movies, songs, etc without paying a cent. This world is filled with nothing but greed these days, and that's why so many economies are failing. Pure stupidity.

[cyclindk]

There's a method of doing this that's built into games... it's called "make your game better and people wont wanna sell it."

[kevnb]

i kinda agree to an extent, people buy used to save $5 at gamestop... why screw over all the folks who worked on the game for $5?

[sarshelyam]

I don't buy it. At the end of the day, Patents are just ideas, many of which never see the light of day, but protect a company, legally, from others stealing or publishing similar ideas. It's a legal dance, no doubt, but I simply cannot see this making the hardware at launch, if ever.

Bottom line, this economy needs the Pre-owned market. I'd be a fool to wager a guess as to what the percentage of gamers are that support this market, but I can guarantee it's a healthy percentage, if not the greater percentage of users who buy hardware. You cut that out, and you cut your demographic foothold in the market, essentially cannibalizing sales.

I get it...from a business perspective it makes perfect sense why you would want more consumers to buy your product new, but until the pricing falls in line with the economic recession we're currently in, to such a point that consumers would be foolish to buy anything other than new software, it just isn't going to happen.

Great on paper, and certainly a patented idea that could put the fear into rival companies, but I really don't see Sony executing on this one. Let's hope I'm not wrong.

[Saleem101]

I'm not buying PlayStation 4 if this is true!!! I buy a lot of games when I beat them I trade them in for a little cash towards the next purchase.. Sony ie digging there own grave...

[PJF_Josh]

Ummm, this feature already exists in the PS3 today, right now.

Anyone who purchased PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale or Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal assault on Blu-ray should be aware of it. These games are cross-buy and have no code in the box. Instead, below the game on the XMB is another option called "Disc Benefits". Selecting this allows you to redeem the Vita version and download it from the store, while this is happening, the PS3 ties the disc to your account and PS3 so you can't redeem it again.

Everyone assumes it's for used games but it's not stated anywhere in the patent filing..... and as it's been pointed out in comments above me, Sony filed the same or a similar patent right before the PS3 launch and that never panned out the way people thought either did it?

[Kidmyst]

What this could just lead to is CD keys like PC games. You need to register your CD key to play the game. Been doing this for years on PC. I am not a fan of it but I can see it happening to cut down 2nd hand sales, rentals, pirating. Which makes me wonder if say Gamestop for example could buy keys in bulk, to sell a game with a new key.

[InTheLab]

Welp....looks like I'll be playing only exclusives for Sony next gen.

This isn't surprising anyway. They adopted online passes so this is the next logical step.

I just don't understand how a company can offer free online when it's popular to charge and give away free or discounted content when they do charge. It's bizarre.

[sypher]

If any device implements anything like this i hope it will be boycotted. I highly doubt it will be implemented and even if it is across the board next generation. Im happy to stop there, game on a PC or play the massive back catalog of games already out.

[KumquatGOATBEEF]

Until release-day DLC content stops, until companies stop charging gamers to unlock "additional difficulties" or other mechanics that would be assumed to be included with the retail game, until I actually feel like I get my $60 worth whenever I purchase a game, then maybe I can justify this. I've already moved about half of my gaming over to PC as this generation continues to degenerate, so if this gets implemented I have no problem dropping my support for consoles.

[Just_The_Truth]

I think they have first day DLC so they can make their money back for all that's lost from second hand sales.

[KumquatGOATBEEF]

You can try to justify it however you want, but the game industry has survived for decades without DLC and without prohibiting used game sales. Now that the technology is available they all of a sudden say they're losing money and this is hurting their industry? I don't buy it.

[ZeekQuattro]

I agree with everything you said except for the moving to PC. I'll always stick with consoles. Computer upgrades are much to pricey for me. If this is implemented I'll probably switch to Microsoft unless they have a repeat of the 360's RROD. Either way I'm glad Nintendo doesn't do this.

[MasterCornholio]

Sony is like Apple in that 80% of what they patent never makes it to the market. I hope that thy never implement this because even though i dont buy second hand games on a regular basis i do know people who do and it would be horrible for them if this patent gets used.

[Drakul]

imagine..buy cars..tvs..books..music Cds..pots..pans..clothes..ever ything you consume there is second hand option but not for PS4 games..thats lame man.sony sucked on vita (planned selling 10 m of vita in 2012 but only sold 3 m!) and gonna suck again on PS4.

[Just_The_Truth]

As a consumer we have no rights, we have a choice. They make the games so how can you complain when they want there money for their work. If you can't afford the game either wait until the price drops or forget about it. They don't owe us a thing and If you want them to keep making amazing games they need incentive which is MONEY.

[ShaunCameron]

PREACH!

[3-4-5]

Cool....now everybody officially will by Xbox now.

That is like me selling you my used ipod for $100 and having to give apple $20 of that, even though I gave them the FULL $300 it originally cost.

* That is like the Break company charging subway for every time they sell a sub using their bread, upon and in addition to the Regular charge for the bread.

Sony officially doesn't get it.

[1upgamer99]

Wii U/PC for me if Sony does this. I don't do Xbox. If Sony does this I will be let down for sure.

[animegamingnerd]

PC/WIIU/retro for me

[1upgamer99]

So lets say that Sony did this. My PS3 is only 3 years old, and It works great ( I don't use it for Blu-ray because it burns the drive out faster) one of my other friends bought one 5 years ago or so and had to replace it last year, so if this tech were in place how in the heck would he play the games he bought????

[extermin8or]

As much as I love some of sonys tech like the vita and ps3 this would be suicide and they quite literally cannot afford to be the epioneers of this tech. There is no way people would stand for this; more than likely it's a patent so they can earn money of someone else trying the idea; besides witht he ps4 expected within the next year and a half at most it'd be quite late to have left it to be patenented...

Easiest way to solve 2nd hand market issue is that a smaller cut than for a new game but a cut none the less of the used games sale goes to the developers/publishers. I can understand their stances on this- a small change to the law is all that's needed after all the disc belongs to you when you buy it but the software on it is merely lisenced to you so all that's needed is a samll fee required to be paid for the transfer of the ownership of this license or something... but that should be down to the shops that trade them to sort out not us

[EverydayGuy]

Even though this is wishful thinking, maybe they file a patent so other companies have to find another way to banned second hand games. But if this is true, it is up to the gaming community to raise awareness to stop it.

[punisher99]

The minute something like this gets implemented, expect a billion dollar lawsuit from companies like gamestop maybe even companies from ebay, amazon and other companies that have benefited from used game sales. I expect this patent non sense to be nuked when Sony and whoever else, gets sued for unfair business practices.

[Soldierone]

This happens and boy I'm saving a lot of money. I won't be buying games at all

[taijutsu363]

Wait isnt this the same shit they tried to do with DCUO whe it was on disc? Fucking locking up the disc so it cant EVER be sold or traded! And people got pissed with that, so they ended up cancelin that crap and making it only downloadable!

This would literally be a shit move Sony and if this happens I dont think im a 100% anymore if I want the PS4! >_>

[Soldierone]

Yes, its exactly the same.

[mastershredder]

Any big surprise? Not really. does no one recall Sony's methods of tracking first hand sales on disc based games? (this was evident with the failed playstation rewards program).

It all depends on how they truly utilize the tech. There are a lot of patents out there for things that never get implemented or they get reiterated into something different altogether. Chill out. Nothing to fret over yet.

[Bolts]

Once again the PC lead the way by locking resell for years now. In fact used PC games are virtually none existence since everyone buy new or digital download. On the bright side PC gamers typically pay at least 10-20% less than console gamers. The question is will this be the case for the new consoles as well?

[mmj]

The second hand market exists in every market imaginable, if the gaming industry is being hurt by it then start making games with longevity that people will want to keep (like Gran Turismo/Skyrim) rather than dishing out minor sequels year after year and dropping support so quickly.

A game with only 5 hours of gameplay is not worth the £40 they usually ask.

[Yourworstenemy]

This was bound to come to consoles in the end

[Gigglefist]

If this happens, it WILL reduce sales for the PS4. Used games have become a huge part of the video game market.
Regardless of whether this is good for the industry as a whole, it will not be looked upon with much positivity.

Microsoft is going to jump at this...

[LAWSON72]

This is not a suicide if true, i think publishers will love this if true. They will want to publish their games on a console that can earn them more money. It could be good for sony and publishers, but bad for customers and gamestop. Obviously, gamestop would have issues with this. They could go bankrupt or have a ton of job cuts, either way they can not gain anything.
Consumers will still buy their console. They know they have a fanbase and can bribe others with tons of exclusives. It is a smart move, but could destroy their reputation of being for the gamers.

[e-p-ayeaH]

If this means developers taking risks im up for it but then again money is also an issue here...

[animegamingnerd]

it would be suicidal cause no one would buy cause of this crap and i can see major retailers and and websites not even sell the PS4 and games if this is true

[mmj]

The EU probably wouldn't allow this anyway as it's a breach of consumer rights, they'll probably get away with it in the US though as big business has your government over a barrel.

[megamanX2]

lol this is why sony sucks.

[annus]

I'd take a guess and say that used games takes a bigger hit out of Sony's pocket than pirating games. I'm glad Sony are doing it, shows they have balls and I hate retailers who sell used games for a few dollars less than the brand new game and try to convince people to buy it as its cheaper, netting the store more profit while none goes to developers or Sony.

[TronEOL]

I hope everyone realizes all this does (if it even takes hold) is force places like Gamestop to price used games at a much lower price, right? Because essentially they're just doing what they do now, but instead of an online pass or CD-Key (something PC gamers had since PC gaming got anywhere; Diablo 1-3, Half Life, Counter-Strike, Daggerfall, among many great PC games ALL had CD Keys which is 100% equal to this but more strict), it's a used-game unlock code.

So chances are used games will only allow you to test the game for a certain amount of time, then if you decide you want to pay for it you'll drop probably 20-30 dollars or whatever the developers cut is to pay for the game.

I'm all for developers making more money so we can see less developers close, and more amazing games made. People are batshit crazy if they think the cost of making games hasn't raised since Mario on the NES (which is only slightly cheaper to buy than a game like Mass Effect or Skyrim).

To imagine the costs to make games in the next 5-10 years, of course they're going to try to find a way to make money on used game sales.

[SnakeCQC]

dick move like i want to keep all my games forever hope programmers remove this

[e-p-ayeaH]

PS4 will be a hard sell if this is true unless game prices drop fast like pc games.

[Godz Kastro]

Guys, this makes sense for devs. How many studios closed this gen? This could help a lot of developers stay on their feet.

And to add to that this will all be a moot point once everything goes full digital downloads which I prefer. I hate physical media. I stream movies and music. The only "discs" I still deal with are games.

[Daves]

Exactly. Well said.

[BitbyDeath]

If all patents came to pass the world would be a very different place.

[jjb1981]

Somebody will find a way to mod it and then the used game market will come back to life through other means than GameStop.

[Daves]

As somebody who makes a living in the games industry happy to see this.

I buy everything I play new, my money goes to the publishers and not to the re-seller.

EDIT:

Having said that, I do see a problem with "OK, finished this game now, what to do with it?" I'm just the same as anybody else

Publishers need a trade in avenue, that is the only way it would work.

[brich233]

Yeah, Think twice before you by a games that arent triple AAA. I'll Just play multiplatform games on pc.

[shuuwai]

Well, I think its the key method used on PC games since the earlier 90s. Good for the dev,yet bad for gamestop,walmart, any retailer stores that sales used games. Although, this will give the gamers a salt taste, and they will bit**!
It would be nice if sony bought our used games and give us a credit on the psn store. When the game is sold, the key for that game will be blacklist.

Everyone is happy, maybe.... just maybe ...

A feature they could add is a game's friend list, when you enter the key for the first time, all your friends console will registered, and the game could be playable on their system. This will kill the idea of selling the game to gamestop; however, you could sell it to psn for credit points.

EA's way of killing use game is to kill the server; hence I dislike EA's method. NBA JAM anyone... oh wait the sever is dead. -_-;;

[Killzoner99]

GOOD. I'm glad they're doing this and I know M$ and Nintendo will copy Sony as usual. I think people that buy used games are pathetic and Gamestop SHOULD go out of business. I don't buy "used" anything because I think thats just plain disgusting. You have no idea what some SCUM weirdo did to the game before he traded it in. Not to mention the FACT that the used games market is destroying the industry. I'm honestly surprised this is such a big deal to so many people here. I always figured N4G was populated with people that liked supporting the game industry. I guess I was wrong for once :/

[finite]

With you 100% mate......

[finite]

I am with the Publishers and developers on this second hand game sale stuff... don't much care for the consumer as it was your choice to buy the system in the first place to play the games you enjoy.

PC Gamers have been unable to sell there games for ages now and you don't see PC gamer crying.....

[skyblue14213]

Second hand video game sales have been around since the dawn of the video game industry and second hand sales have never been mentioned to be a problem until this current console generation. Do wonder why that is? I will tell you: it is because of greed plain and simple.

It is obvious that one of the main reasons why people buy used games is because it is cheaper than new games. And common sense on the most basic level dictates that if a company wants to increase revenue & sales they need to lower their msrp for each new game for the consumer to be more able to afford it. Yet you don't ever see the big companies lower their prices for their games outright when they get released thus you won't see consumers take bigger risks in buying games especially since most of the world is in an economic recession and people are more careful than ever when spending their money on anything.

All I see & hear are companies dancing around the subject of used game sales by giving their typical line of bs as in "second hand sales hurts businesses" and they do not go beyond that in admitting the obvious reason why people buy second hand sales which is the the cost of new games are too high.

Instead of doing something about it that benefits both the consumer & business by lowering their msrp on new games to around $40 they rather almost gaurentee an eventual tremendous loss of revenue & sales by alienating their customers by putting draconian restrictions on consumer rights.

With all of the fickle dlc bs this console generation & other tactics that are used by companies to nickle & dime the consumer + the economic recession that is effecting everyone it is no wonder people are not running out to buy the latest game at the full msrp.

I own multiple different consoles & acessories + 100's & 100's of games(+ over 100 digital games also) in which I buy more new games than used games, and if used games get surpressed in any way, shape, or form I gaurentee you that I wont be investing any of my money in any gaming products that suppress or restrict used games in any way. I understand that businesses have to make money, but the escalating greed at the epidemic level that has been displayed this console generation absolutley disgusts me.

If used games were really a big problem like these companies make it out to be they would have all been out of business a long time ago instead of pissing & moaning about a nonsense minor issue at best like they are now.

If people want a draconian restrictive game industry be prepared for sky high prices to stay high for a long time like the online gaming services that the big three already provide, but it will be much worse than ever experienced(think much worse than the video game prices in austrailia) once the major companies get the ability to completely dictate prices for anything gaming related. I am not going to even get into consumer ownership rights if companies have total control.

People that support the stripping of the rights of other people in general because they think it is right according to them should be subject to what they preach since that is what they support.

[PirateThom]

It was never a problem because it cost less to make games. Even games that would be seen today as "commercial failures" made healthy profit and, before that, there were no stores built around trading in games. Game prices haven't gone up since last gen and are actually cheaper than they were when the SNES/Mega Drive came out, but the cost to develop them is so much higher.

The number of developers who have gone out of business should be testament to the fact there's something wrong with where the money is going.

[Godz Kastro]

Dude, I agree that is a good point however it's a cycle. Do you think the state of the industry is where it is now due to used game sales? Pre-owned games cut into their profit so MSRP is raised. It's a cycle...

I do think if this measure is taken then game companies need to chill out and throw gamers a bone here and there. We'll see...

[kagon01]

Corporations hate competition that is why they're doing it, and of course the foolish people that continue to support them. I will go retro and PC, I won't be dealing with disgusting issues like this...

[PirateThom]

Good luck with buying second hand PC games.

[kagon01]

At least with an open platform you can find solutions, unlike a closed controlled platform that will be less reliable...

[oldskoolgamer702]

if thats the case count me out too. there going tooo far

[susanto1228]

Well I wasn't going to buy a PS4 till much much later but Ill put in my 2 cents..

If they do release the PS4 with this lock on second hand sales I won't be buying a PS4 ever...90% of my bought PS3 games are second hand because I can't afford overpriced PS3 games

If MSOFT follows suit, which I'm betting they won't they I'll definetly only buy the 720 because I can only afford buying new games for one system. My guts tell me that MSOFT will not fall suit because they are actually making money off their hardware unlike Sony....Sony is just stupid and stubborn because it's their asian business culture ..yet another nail in the coffin for Sony.

[Godz Kastro]

If you can't afford full retail games then there is always xbla, psn for cheap downloadable titles and iOS/Android on other platforms. Where does this sense of entitlement come from that you HAVE to play these games and that devs shouldn't make any money from you enjoying their game... Think about it from their perspective.

[vega275]

I agree with what he's saying. there is no sense of entitlement except from publisher trying to get more money from customers.

1) lets stop with the BS that dev's are hurting because of this. developers are paid to do a job buy their employers which are publishers to make a game. that's their job. they don't get paid off commision from game sells. they are paid a salary just like you and me.(if you work) so the Myth that dev's are hurt is bullsh&t.

2) publisher make their money from retail since they are the one's the buy the games and system directly from the company. so the product is already paid for before you even buy the game.

the problem at hand is companies are greedy and want a peice of gamestop action cause they feel the 2bil they make should be in their pockets. for games they've already made money from the first time. it's greed plain and simply. because money from these online passes or seanson passes only go to line the pockets of the publisher not the dev's. since none of them work on a commission.

[hazardman]

Im wondering if MS and Sony go thru with the no used games allowed how it would affect retailers who sell used games..Best Buy/Gamestop/MicroCenter to name a few. Will these retailers not carry their consoles. Used games is big business. IDK what the hell these people are thinking. Every game that come out next gen better be GREAT because if you buy a game and you dont like it your fucked. Cant trade or sell...again WTF!!!

[TotalHitman]

Do it Sony and you've lost me! I don't usually buy second hand, but implement this and I'll avoid.

Xbox and Nintendo isn't an option. I'll probably get a Steambox.

[Trentdrko]

But Microsoft are doing the same thing. They say used games will not be playable. I think Sony is doing it because Microsoft is doing it. I think this idea is okay. I usually buy games new anyways. The only games I buy used are games that I am late getting that still cost the same price and I also buy games that are kind of old used. This idea isn't so stupid because a lot of people buy new games anyways. But that do suck for gamestop and bestbuy. It will hurt gameatop the most because most people buy used games from there.

[RuleofOne343]

It was a rumor about a year ago, but they have not followed up on it or filed a patent like Sony. if not a whole industry thing or backed by it , I don't see MS doing it but they will take advantage of it.

[dmonee]

In a perfect world, this type of system would work as follows. You will still get the gamers that pre order or pick up the new game in the first week or two. Then there is a period of a few weeks that the used game sells just as many copies. This makes sense considering the amount of time a game takes to finish and it's replayability. Some great multiplayer games don't have this problem. That's when the trading in begins. By taking the used game transaction away, Sony may only marginally generate more sales in the first few weeks. The frugal gamer such as myself, will then play the waiting game. I will wait for either a retailer deal or for the game to drop in price. Which is what I do now anyway. The problem I see happening, and it's happening now, is that games for download over Xbox Live or PS3 are more expensive than in the retailer arena. Why am I going to pay $30 for Mass Effect 3 when I can get it for $17 preowned somewhere else. My fear is that Sony has proven stubborn and arrogant over the years, and expect people to purchase their products because they say Sony on them. Look how long it took the PS3, the PSP to pick up steam and become relevant. I remember the whooping took after the PSP and PS3. Both we're paperweights for about 2 years before the content got flowing. I hope the Vita will succeed as well. As gamer, I hope, and think the Vita has alot of potential. But, Sony EXPECTS it to succeed, and hasn't done anything to Market it past it's launch. They need to make me excited about it. I'm getting off track. I think Sony can survive by banning used game sales. Yes it will abandoned some early adopters of their games, but these consumers will come around when the price is right. The problem is going to be when SONY decides the price is right. With games in the next generation to rumor costing $65 - $70 alot of people are going to wait to purchase when the cost is lower, and if SONY thinks they can make people wait a year or a year and a half, then they will suffer. We all know that it's easy to forget about games even the great ones a couple of years after they release. There are game that came out 3 years ago that are really good I guess, priced at $8, that I still haven't bought because of everything else that's out right now. I don't have the time and feel that playing a game that is 3 years old is like taking a step backwards in the evolution of gaming. This is how I feel and understand othes feel different about older games. My point is that Sony better be careful about how they implement this. They may win a small battle here, banning used games, but it could ending up costing them more in the long run.

[dmonee]

I think people aren't understanding the severity of the used game sales market. Look at the statistics of used game sales. Go research companies that would still be in business if it weren't for the used game sales market. The bigger the used game sales market gets, the less and less content console gamers are going to see. Developers post this all the time. Costs are only going to get higher for big budget games. This is probably going to translate into paying higher prices for games as well as developers releasing less games. There stakes are becoming to high for these companies. This is why alot of small development teams are only doing handheld and mobile games. I don't want this, and think mobile games suck. Take a company like 38 studios for example. They sold less than a million copies of KoA woldwide for both systems at retail. KoA sold a half a million in the used sales market. That means 50% of the original game sales came back into the used game market. Had they made those 500,000 sales on the new market, they wouldn't have defaulted on their loan in which the Rhode Island taxpayers are on the hook for now, upwards of 100 million dollars. It's not to say 38 studios wouldn't have buckled anyway, but at least we could have seen their next project come to fruition. They are not the only companies victimized by used games. Some successful companies are victims of this, and they say it's not worth spending the money to develop big budget games, with such a high return risk. Look at anything David Jaffe tweets or Facebooks or Blogs about. I'm not saying Sony is in the right here. But, something needs to be done about it. We'll call it "Used game sales reform". If developers could reciprocate some of the profits made on used game sales, maybe through contracts with retailers, then it's possible that this could go away. Other than that, I can't really blame Sony on this one. If anything, it excites me even more about the next generation, knowing this is how far Sony will go to protect their future assets!!!!

[Mr-Dude]

lol at al the little children who cry wolf and jump ship...
Sony will never do this, and if AND IF they really are going to do it, then i will stop gaming. I'm not buying another Xbox... my 360 is gathering more dust than my vaccuum cleaner and then i rather spend the money on holidays... It's sad that everybody will scream and moan at Sony, and tomorrow they are best friends again.

You are a fan, or you are not!

[RuleofOne343]

Their a difference between being a fan or a Fool

[ufo8mycat]

LOL Sony

They are suppose to try and make up for their mistakes with the PS3. New generation fresh start.

This tech is only going to anger consumers and cause a big back lash, impacting on the sales of the machine.

Sony cannot afford another sub-par generation. You should be attracting consumers not making them angry.

I don't buy used games personally but I am pretty sure there are A LOT of people that do.

[Master_S]

Thanks SONY....idiots.

[Miacosa]

Nothing new here as the market moves more and more to digital distribution this is bound to happen. Hopefully, the market will also mimic Steam's PC style consumer friendly manner. The good old days of swamping games or renting them is probably coming to an ending in the next 5 years or so.

[TotalSynthesisX]

Looks like I'm not buying a PS4. Good job, Sony. You lost a sale because you're too concerned with saving a nickel. If Microsoft follows suit, well... Either I'm gonna have to stick with the Wii U or just find a new hobby.

I hope this isn't an early sign of the industry going to crap...

[bobtheimpaler]

Firstly, I doubt this will happen. Not exactly like this anyway.

That said. Blame the major game retail chains that rip people off by charging ridiculous amounts of money for used games.

"Would you like a second hand copy of this game instead? It's ONLY $5 less." Happened to me plenty of times at EB. Now I just import or buy from JB HI-FI

By the way, there's these things on PCs called Steam, Origin and U Play that accomplishes the exact same thing.

Playstation Network has playstation plus which offers free games all the time and they offer some games pretty cheap with or without plus....like it or not, this is already happenning now.

[Th3 Chr0nic]

I really dont get why game makers think they have the right to do this. People have been selling and trading used goods forever. If automobile manufactures did this then we would all have keys with our DNA laced into them or some bullcrap.

oh wait soon we will all have a chip or something embedded in our skin cause of companies like sony

[ForgottenProphecy]

I have to admit, if this gets implemented, and games are a lot cheaper, like $30 for a standard release day price, I wouldn't mind it at all. Why do we buy games used? because it is cheaper, and not all of us have the money to buy all the AAA games that come out every year. Downloadable games is a way to avoid this, but didn't work for Microsoft and Sony, because games tend to be the same price, if not MORE expensive on PSN and Marketplace. Steam games are so much cheaper, but (this is MY opinion) the games aren't really worth it, even at cheaper prices. Some games appeal to me on Steam, but they are all on PS3/360. Just my opinion on all of this.

[finite]

ILL buy the PS4 and the next xbox if they stop pre-owned, why cause I am a PC gamer and don't cry if a game is shit after buying it. and I prefer to Support the Publishers and Developers instead of the money grabbing stores that only care for themselves and do not even think of the companies that spent years creating the games.

Stores like Game, Gamestation and Gamestop did perfectly OK before they started trading pre-owned, its just greed and look what has happened to them even though they make shit loads of profit they all spent out with Game and Gamestation going into administration and Gamestop making a massive loss in 2012 LOL pathetic

[Drainage]

sony doing everything they can to not go bankrupt these days.

[fresh2death93]

No way im buying it if it happens, and if all consoles were to do that i would only game on PC and abandon consoles , because im not spending one penny for some shit like that.

[Blasphemy]

I would have to think twice about buying PS4 if this was implemented and think 3 or 4 times about buying the games if I did actually buy PS4.

[evilhasitsway]

really this wont matter for awhile cause like it said it will take 2-3yrs to get patent if it even passes. the ps4 or whatever they will call it will be out before that.

[evilhasitsway]

and they probley wont use it until it passes the patent cause they could end up gettin sued for using someone else technology. so i dont see this being used for the ps4 maybe way down the line as an update patch or something but either way you can usually tell if it is a good game or not before you buy it. like if its a gta game you know its probley worth buying or a metal gear game.

[Flewid638]

It's like saying I can't let anyone borrow a game, or I can't bring a game to a friends house because the disc has already been tagged to my system.

It makes bringing software out of the home obsolete.....which again, is retarded.

[evilhasitsway]

and another thing is ms is probley gonna try to do something similair because they loose money as well not just sony. this isnt anything new there was rumor of this from sony and ms making next gen games like this cause they would make more money by doing this so either way you say im not buying ps4 well the 720 like i said will most likely have something very similair. so you can stop the crying and get over it.

[RuleofOne343]

Not a big fan of this console. own it cause I like some it's games + BD player . but like others have stated or even mentioned this is commercial suicide, concept not fully thought out , unless this is a Universal concept through out the industry, this will be end badly .

[J86blum]

Does this mean my 2nd hand playstation 3 games are safe?

I'll accept this along as I can 1.play PS1-3 games on the console (sometimes finding old games in good conditions at sales is fun.) 2.keep the online free.

[susanto1228]

I also wanted to make one more comment...

How many PS3 and Xbox 360 are crap 60% of them?

So at new prices do they think we are going to be buying
these crappy games. It's going to put a lot of pressure
on developers to put out QUAD AAAA games...freaking impossible
they can barely manage putting out triple AAA titles can you imagine???? geez what morons....

In a perfect world every game would be like Skyrim but it's not so....they are in for a big shock.

[kingPoS]

I suppose this Sony's response after having witnessed the PlayStation 3 itself used as an enabled game ripper.

[skyblue14213]

If this anti-used game practice is adopted universally by game/console companies I expect the video game industry(for those who support it) to crash much worse than the video game crash of 1983, I guarantee it.

No intelligent common sense consumer in their right mind will be able to afford this type of draconian restrictive business practice even if every game got perfect scores and the economy is booming. If the online stores like live and psn are any indication 50,000 to 100,000 consumers at most would be able to afford it if it ever came to be & that is being way too generous.

Not to mention people don't take kindly to person's or businesses restricting their GOD given rights and will dump the industry that supports anti-consumer practices faster than the industry could blink & figure out & realize what they did wrong(which is pretty obvious).

I would not support any company or person that supports this anti-consumer practice even if they were giving their products away or paying me to take their products.

You want to play hardball sony & anyone else that supports this anti consumer practice? We the people have nothing to lose & everything to gain in this situation, & you sony + anyone else that supports this this anti-consumer practice have everything to lose & nothing to gain in this situation. You don't believe me sony? I infinity dog dare you to pull this anti-consumer bs!

[danthebios]

Maybe Sony is keen in protecting Game companies from going bankrupt since making games with the latest graphics or engin or whatever would cost more thus making Ps4 a good platform for exclusives.

[ZeekQuattro]

Companies like Pandemic, Factor 5, and 38 Studios went under because they invested millions into new IP's that flopped. There are dozens of other companies that went under or are in the process right now like THQ for the same reason. Used game sales didn't put them under people not buying their wares did.

People should be able to buy used ,rent or burrow their games without being punished or locked out. No one should be left out because they don't make enough to afford paying premium for every game they want.

[metroid32]

If there selling retail games for £10 then no used games might work if they want £50 a game with no used games sales then consider yourself BANKRUPT BEFORE U START.

[The_Con-Sept]

I support this 100%. Developers of video games are getting screwed over by the second hand market. All of those games that you had an awesome experience with will no longer spawn sequels because you people can't buy them brand new. I buy all of my games brand new. I always ask for the factory sealed games. I never buy used games. How do I know it's a factory sealed game? I don't shop at gamestop. Simple as that man.

[animegamingnerd]

what about 10 years into the future when the consoles life is done and is no longer being manufacturer and games for it aren't being made there are people who take pride in owning retro system's and besides only big publishers like EA have complained about used game sells but never showed how much they are losing cause of used games in fact publisher like EA, capcom, square enix, and activsion some of their games deserve to flop people like you who defend publishers are part of the reason why i hate this gen and mostly likely will hate the next one even more

[black911]

If Sony is doing this so is microsoft. Say goodbye to gaming. Glad I had the chance to grow up on sonic and mario, and crash bandicoot :(

I'm about to go watch my old 90s blockbuster unreturned VHS of mario bros movie

[MRMagoo123]

In all honesty if sony does something that prevents me buying second hand games and using them i wont be getting another console i will just go full on pc instead of doing both.

[gninja92]

why is anyone surprised by this once online passes got famous you should have seen this coming a mile away as this is the next step. why do they do it for Power and for control. thats why becasue in the free market EVERYTHING is FOR SALE. EVERYTHING even laws, lawmakers, and money itself

[stumpa]

like many gamers i buy both new and used games and trade in or sell my games when i have finished with them if sony or microsoft implement a system in the new consoles that prevents me doing this i simply will not buy the consoles end of story whats next people can only buy new cars no second hand cars ? as dragonknight made an excellent point earlier in these comments "all games were new once and were sold as so" i will be voting with my wallet when the time comes

[MuhammadJA]

Getting rid of the used games is better in the end. People should stop being cheap and saving 5 bucks by supporting the hard working devs and buying new.

This doesn't affect me in any way as I buy all my games digitally.

[Drithe]

Screw you. I dont want to pay 65 bucks for a 5 year old game and should not have to.

[GamerzElite]

They are not blocking used game. Idea is once a game is registered on 1 console or account and if you want to use that copy in another console then they will ask you some money to reactivate your game for your new account or console.

[Tultras]

I've only ever bought a used game once.

I prefer buying New games, they just have a better unexplainable feel to them.

Although, i can see this move hurting Sony, since A LOT of people buy second hand games.

[Drithe]

I will never buy another Sony product again if this happens. I will stick to PC. The fact I cannot buy cheap used games to play is disgusting to me.

[Mr-Dude]

I'm sure it will not happen! This thing surfaces every time a new console is about to arrive. Microsoft had a shitstorm to endure about this same subject, now it's Sony.

The big three aren't stupid, they know everybody buys 2nd hand games! They will destroy their own company, and sales will fail so it will never happen. Don't you guys have brains and think? It's just some old patent some idiot used as a new DOOM article... because it's 2013 and the doomz haz tho continue he?

Jeez...