200°

Pachter: Sony's Jack Tretton "Totally Opposed to Blocking Used Games"

According to market analyst, Michael Pachter, who recounted a meeting he had with Tretton at E3.

"He said, 'for the record, I'm totally opposed to blocking used games. I think it's great for the consumer that they can buy those. We have a customer that buys our console late in the cycle, pays less, is looking for value priced games, and I think it would be anti-consumer for us to do that'," Pachter told GameTrailers.com

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escapistmagazine.com
Prodigy-X4097d ago

Looks like PS4 will play used games then.

fermcr4096d ago

Any next gen console that doesn't permit playing used games, is a NO buy for me.

As this goes, the PS4 is a buy for me.

shivvy244096d ago

i always buy it new even if its many years old , so i really dont have a problem with it , but if ps4 would block used games i can see it affect others that do go for the cheaper option ! but i think its great that they wont block it

shutUpAndTakeMyMoney4096d ago (Edited 4096d ago )

This should kill every future ps4 used game rumor.

But then again news from 269 days ago.
"Sony CEO Jack Tretton 'totally opposed to blocking used games'"

http://n4g.com/news/997036/...

He should also say "We are not doomed".
To stop the doom articles.

Only MS has the balls to do this imo.. They charge for multiplayer.. Everywhere else on earth it's free. They are really like apple for the console market.

deSSy27244096d ago

Thats exactly why i have much more interests for PS4 and Wii U, online is free..... maybe Xbox 720 too but only for SP games and exclusive games (i heard MS has 4 new IPs in plans for next gen hmmm)....

Root4096d ago

You know I never understood why they havent said something regarding the doom and gloom Sony gets all the time these days

Even a joke at E3 or something about it would be funny to me

JoGam4096d ago

Maybe they will implement an extra fee to play used games sorta like they do when you buy online pass for multiplayer. I just hope Sony somehow allow used games because if they dont and Being that Jack made the statemen it would be a contradiction.

Kur04096d ago

to be honest online passes really aren't that bad when you think of how much money they probably pay to keep servers up. Its only bad when EA does it because they like to close game servers after only 2 years for their sports games.

3-4-54096d ago

And if PS does then so will Xbox.....it's dumb for either side not too.

MikeMyers4096d ago

Pretty much but one thing people forget, it is the 3rd party publishers who may have more input. Steam already does this to an extent and they don't seem to get nearly the same backlash.

rainslacker4096d ago

I'm fairly sure it will. But Tretton isn't the end all be all of Sony. His personal views may not make a difference in board room decisions when they start looking at market analysis, where more money would mean cutting out used games...in theory at least.

I'm sure most board members of all companies who are gamers, or even somewhat consumer friendly, feel much the same way as Tretton. But these guys are business men, and to that end they have a responsibility to their company and investors to turn as much profit as possible.

Either way I'm doubting either system will block used games. I don't think either MS/Nintendo/Sony want to receive the fallout among their consumers for that decision.

Sniperwithacause4096d ago

Agree. Just because Jack dislikes the idea, doesn't mean everyone at Sony feels the same way.

TheGamerDood4096d ago (Edited 4096d ago )

"His personal views may not make a difference in board room decisions"

Whenever he's being interview he's talking on behalf of the company and not expressing his own personal belief.

@dboyc310
"One console manufacture can't go into it alone because they'll just shoot themselves in the foot."

Which is why Sony will let them. lol But I think after the backlash MS will change directions on this issue, because either you allow users to play used games on your system or you won't sell any games at all.

rainslacker4096d ago

I don't disagree. However he was asked his personal opinion on the matter, and that's the answer he gave. For all we know Sony has discussed this issue at length, and that may be what the company line is. That doesn't necessarily mean that it is what they would do. Like I said they have to make business decisions, and sometimes personal feelings have to be set aside.

Just seeing Kaz over the years he seems to be a gamer. I'm sure his views aren't much different. But that doesn't mean what's good for them personally is good for business...however I think they realize what you say, that this decision would be momentous, and not something that should be pursued lightly.

Given the amount of hyperbole spewed by the publishers on this matter, it's hard to discern the facts over actual lost revenue. One thing I know for sure though is that it is anti-consumer, and basically takes away all ownership rights, to which I am completely opposed, as apparently are many others.

Thatguy-3104096d ago

Honestly if Microsoft rumors are true I believe sony will follow. Microsoft is going with blue ray disc's which to me if they do it I'm pretty sure sony will too. One console manufacture can't go into it alone because they'll just shoot themselves in the foot.

Mounce4096d ago

Sony Meeting with every management-staff in a room...

"Just as Planned..." *twiddles fingers together with a bottle of wine for each*

Microsoft, you gonna go against used games? Naw, Sony's all for the gamers...Cmon in, buy a PS4~ . . .

ziggurcat4096d ago

there was no proof to suggest that it was going to do that to begin with.

knee-jerk reactions to a filed patent (an identical patent was filed prior to the PS3 launch, btw), and unsubstantiated rumours =/= no used games on the next playstation.

DOMination-4096d ago

There's no proof that MS are either. These "rumours" have been around for ten years. I don't think it'll ever happen for physical media. Besides the EU probably wouldn't allow it

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 4096d ago
BitbyDeath4097d ago (Edited 4097d ago )

Good, i need somewhere to trade my old games into.

miyamoto4097d ago (Edited 4097d ago )

Jack said this many times before though i did not like Uncharted 4 MP online pass.

As always Kotaku is full of it
"desperate for hits"- Hideki Kamiya

MattyG4096d ago

You realize Kotaku isn't the only site that said this, right? That rumor has been reported nearly everywhere by now.

DarkBlood4096d ago

lol, must be a blackhole causing a time disturbence :P

miyamoto4096d ago (Edited 4096d ago )

LOL Uncharted 3 I mean....
glad you notice that. XD
thanks!

kma2k4096d ago

Im looking forward to the day when this is confirmed. I have used gamefly for the last 2 years & i have gotten used to having a new game to play every week & really dont want to go back to buying games!

riverstars864096d ago

Yea, if both systems end up blocking used games, it makes you wonder what will Gamefly do to adapt to this news? I hope there is something out there to keep this company sustainable, I just don't know what that will be.

kma2k4096d ago

yea ive been thinking & worrying about it to. Maybe they work out some kind of deal to get some kind of dlc codes or something like that. If my monthly fee had to go up by $5.00 a month to make this happen i will be fine with that.

In just over two years ive been sent just shy of $7,000 worth of games (yes i have a spreadsheet) & its only cost me just over $800. Wow i hadnt done the math to realise im paying about $5.00 per game & of the 161 games ive gotten 74 of them i got on launch day, I got dead space 3 yesterday & it cost me around $5.00 insane to think of it that way!

Trenta274096d ago

While this information is cool and all, all I want is for Pachter to SHUT UP -.-

LOGICWINS4096d ago

Agreed. When someone asks Pachter a question, he shouldn't respond...just to appease you, a random person on the Internet.

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150°

Sony Patents To Prevent You From In-Game Harassment By Reading Your Emotions

A new patent recently published by Sony wants to gather biometric data of gamers to track whether one is being harassed using AI tools.

Profchaos1d 9h ago (Edited 1d 9h ago )

I hope this is one of those patents that never comes to fruition.

I already dislike the fact you can pay a significant amount for a online service buy associated games and content on said service and get banned from that service over potentially a misunderstanding the bans are already handed out for flimsy reasons

I'd rather see money invested in a ban that simply removes the offensive players ability to communicate with unknown players allow them to continue party chats with friends but not with Joe blow on cod.

exputers1d 5h ago

Agreed. Blizzard recently banned a college Overwatch 2 player who's dependent for saying "shit." Pretty harsh.

Profchaos14h ago(Edited 14h ago)

How rediculas really. You can't say a word that's allowed in most PG films and prime time TV but the game is based around killing the enemy team using guns, explosives etc.

It's just backwards.

just_looken16h ago

What your talking about is called block list

In 2006 a spaceship dropped of the playstation 3/xbox 360 i say that that generation was the last great gen with game functions/tech that has yet to comeback

Anyhow the playstation 3 if you block listed a id they could not talk to you in chatroom with either text or voice. But that was pre mind fucked 2018 when people were more human than sheep.

But hey gta 6 is coming out billion dollar budget without a single player custom character creator and without singeplayer coop off/online something saints row 1-3 had on the xbox 360.

z2g1d 2h ago

Take my social security and bank account numbers too! Here’s a picture of my wife and our address.

phoenixwing1d 1h ago

Cmon where's the pictures of your children. Don't hold out on them.

H91d 1h ago

At this rate I feel Sony will eventually sell a room to play games in it where they can monitor your every breath

jambola22h ago

I genuinely get a bit worried sometimes when a friend says something that could be offensive In a party
Because I have no trouble believing some bans would happen when in a private party for saying something wrong

SegaSaturn6691d ago

I want them to censor erotic content by measuring my groin temperature so i dont get too distracted while playing black ops 2.

Popsicle1d ago

Terrible idea. Not only do I not consent to providing my biometric data, the potential for mishandling biometric data is almost a certainty. Positive stress and negative stress can produce similar changes in biometrics. Interpreting the precise emotion a person is feeling is not only invasive but could be easily misconstrued. I hope this never comes to fruition.

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130°

Sony Could Increase Your Game's Difficulty If It Sees You Complain About It

Sony has recently published a new patent that wants to dynamically handle the games' difficulty and gameplay based on the player's emotions.

jznrpg1d 17h ago

This is something I might use. Sometimes I play some good games but they don’t have difficulty option and are a little too easy.

Profchaos1d 17h ago

Souls games will be like that players struggling make it harder

PassNextquestion1d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

I think if used correctly it could work well

jambola1d 12h ago

cool idea
cool idea for horror games especially
the way it's explained here sounds like it could never be forced hopefully, so that's ok with me

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280°

Sony Taps Bungie's Head of Revenue to Lead Live-Service Games

Sony has recruited Bungie's head of revenue Jaremy Rich to head up its live-service gaming division, Rich has announced on social media.

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techraptor.net
ChasterMies22d ago

Please do not put Destiny’s monetization into Sony’s first party games. The monetization is what’s driving players away from Destiny.

just_looken21d ago

The new temp boss is the sony cfo bean counter so i can see this being a thing get every penny.

Cacabunga21d ago

PlayStation officially losing it.. fans will never support gaas games

just_looken21d ago

@car

The new boss did a interview in japan he wants to tap into the mobile market like nintendio so he give 0 fucks about gamers/fans

https://www.pushsquare.com/...

Redemption-6421d ago

@Cacabunga
You only speak for you and those who think like you, but most fans will support what they want. Playstation and PC fans are literally supporting Helldivers 2 and that is a gaas. Maybe you wouldn't, but many more would if they like it.

Huey_My_D_Long21d ago

@Redemption-64
Look, Im not making any judgement calls about this guy, but I will say that Helldivers 2 GaaS model is unique to Helldivers, and legit the only other game I can think of thats similiar was the Avengers game except HD2 pass is still better.
The fact that you can earn in game currency in a way that doesnt make you feel like you have to grind forever, as well you being able work on that pass that you bought...on your own time without a time limit...that right there is fucking huge to me, and I can't name any game other than avengers that avoided trapping players with FOMO logic...I think GaaS on HD2 shouldn't be compared to the rest of the industry...it should be copied.

Einhander197221d ago

Cacabunga

Helldivers 2...

Redemption-64

In Europe it's a 60 40 split favoring PC.
In the US its a 60 40 split favoring PS5.

So PlayStation owners supported the game just fine, it's not getting carried by PC or anything like that.

FinalFantasyFanatic21d ago

@just_looken,
I'm perfectly fine with the way Nintendo entered the mobile market, I never touched their mobile games, meanwhile, the console/handheld stayed the way it is. As for being a bean counter, he's probably going to reel in these massive budgets that Sony's studios have had lately, I haven't played Spiderman 2, but I cannot see how they almost tripled the budget for that game.

@Redemption-64,
That's an exception to the rule, I'm expecting a lot of these GAAS games from Sony to fail, to be fair, they only need a few to succeed, but I would have preferred that they put more of their resources into other types of games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 21d ago
DivineHand12521d ago

True their monetization is driving players away and at the same time, their decision to chop out content and convoluted systems is keeping new players away from the game.

Joe91321d ago

I don't think that will happen based on how things worked out at Naughty Dog now that we know what we do, seems they had the option to fully commit to live service games or stay making single player experences so they gave up on their live service game. We are not sure how things came about with Bend making a live service game but I hope that was not a forced situation. Sony doesnt seem like they are forcing studios to switch up but we will see, Sony's bread and butter is single player games it is how they dominated the console market.

Obscure_Observer21d ago

Yeah, I though Sony learned something from all their failures in the LS segment under Bungie´s disastrous leadership and supervision which led to games been cancelled, studios closed and all the people laid off.

Looks like Bungie still plays a major role in Sony´s LS initiative and Sony is not backtracking on their GaaS plans.

S2Killinit21d ago (Edited 21d ago )

Are we forgetting that Destiny is also a highly successful franchise? I feel like that definitely deserves mention here.

Besides, there is no reason why a person cant learn from past experiences.

Joe91321d ago

I agree, people act as if Destiny flopped when it came out lol it took 9 to 10 years for the numbers to fall yet people are still playing it add the success of Helldivers 2 no wonder Sony is going forward down this path.

S2Killinit21d ago

Personally, I see no problem with Sony also having service games as long as they make good ones, and more importantly they deliver the AAA story driven games that they are known for. So yeah, I agree 100% with you.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 21d ago
Christopher21d ago

I mean, this person made some pretty bad decisions at Bungie. I hope they've learned from them because I definitely don't see those type of ideas as good for PlaySation in general.

CrimsonWing6921d ago (Edited 21d ago )

Honestly, what’s to learn from? How to make people happily continuously dump money into a single game over its life-time? Buy season passes continuously for several years with a smile on our faces?

GaaS is a design decision that is everything wrong with this industry. The fact that Helldivers 2 did so well and people defend the monetization because it was $40 and is a fun game, scares the sh*t out of me to see that the door is open and all shift will probably be to replicate that in future games. We already know the ROI for traditional game dev cost isn’t doing it for them.

I thought with Jimbo leaving we’d see a change for the better… I’m not so sure now.

S2Killinit21d ago

Service games are being offered by everyone. Sony cannot afford to only create single player AAA games. No one can. They already said they will be doing both.

Abnor_Mal21d ago (Edited 21d ago )

Ps5 gamers in 2023 seemed to play more live service types of games, so regardless to how people feel about them, numbers don’t lie and Sony is going where the money is. I mean look at the excitement around Helldivers2, people are showing that they want live service games.

Christopher21d ago

They play long-time existing live service games like CoD, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Destiny 2, and the like. Mass majority of new live service games are considered failures and aren't moving gamers away from older games.

just_looken21d ago

Yep the huge issue with live service is they need paid players along with a reason to play them.

You forgot mobile market that also taps into that player base as well as the eve online style games there is only a certain amount of krakens/whales blind supporters compared to the amount of live service games we have its not sustainable math wise.

700 restaurants making food for every seat for 1000-3000 eaters just does not work out

Einhander197221d ago (Edited 21d ago )

Christopher

I am not a big live service fan and literally own zero of the games you listed, but that is not true, unless you call games that aren't the top games to be failures.

There are tons of live service games that are profitable.

Games don't have to be the biggest game ever they just need to make more than they cost.

I challenge you to show professionally prepared data that shows that more live service games fail than make enough to keep going.

Because all the data that I have seen shows that live service is less of a gamble than making a big AAA budget game which needs to survive off retail sales.

FinalFantasyFanatic21d ago

I sometimes wonder if we're at saturation point, where it's hard for a new game to join those ranks unless it's particularly exceptional, people only have so much time and money to devote to these types of games.

romulus2321d ago

Correction, they have no issue playing good live service games

shinoff218321d ago

Lol it's not even a quarter of the ps5s sold. Helldivers may have been a hit but let's not say most are enjoying it because truth is most(the real most ) don't care about it.

S2Killinit21d ago (Edited 21d ago )

I play what is fun. If a live service game is good I’ll play it as long as its not a money scheme which Helldivers is not.

And Im a single player gamer.

mastershredder21d ago

How do you kill a franchise that already been killed?
Destiny’s grind, cash-in-on-playbass-cha-Ching, and pop-culture-insertion mainstream-me-too bs totally killed any rep Bungie had. Sony/Bungie, if you are doing this to ward-off players, it’s already working.

crazyCoconuts21d ago

Headline truncated:
"... off a cliff"

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