Taking names, and blocking games: Sony and MS reveal account-bound physical game licenses

This is a mere speculative article, putting together the slivers of information which have slipped through the cracks of the marketing facade of Sony and Microsoft following the unveiling of their new systems.

For several months now Nintendo has been weathering the PR-wrath of EA, and finally it seems we could know why that unprecedented partnership had so suddenly collapsed into a smear campaign.

[DragonKnight]

For those that didn't read passed the title.

"This is a mere speculative article."

[Cubits]

Phew, good thing it wasn't posted as news or a podcast then!

[DragonKnight]

People have a tendency to take the title of an article as the gospel truth. This wasn't an assault on you or your article, it was an indictment on the readers who don't read.

[Maddens Raiders]

Yep, saw that Knight. So the story remains the same. MS is still the lone manufacturer thus far, to admit to blocking the ability to play used games on their console.

EA is up to no good here...and their usual underhanded money grab tricks. I know they're trying to wrangle SNE into this ponzi scheme with their multiplat leverage. Evil Bastards.

[The_Con-Sept]

His speculation reeks of anger..... At everything except Nintendo....

/FFB

He has an odd way of putting it but it sounds like a troll-Lolo-lollol-article.

[DragonKnight]

Agreed. My only purpose was to diffuse the inevitable "C? PS4 BLOX USED GAMEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!"

[Azurite]

Didn't they say all PS4-games will be downloadable?
Pretty much like Steam then, in that case account-bound keys would make sense.

[plmkoh]

Don't bother reading this article. Just someone who refuses to accept that his favourite console is not the best and competition has been running laps around it.

I mean really, why mention the 'PS4 patent', when it has already been shot down. He then goes on in an attempt to link Sony's preference to making new proprietary formats to a possiblity of implementing this, talk about grasping at straws.

And then the article somehow concludes and links to EA games being a mastermind of DRM, and Nintendo somehow is the Knight on a white horse in this mess, randomly inserted.

[Cubits]

The Sony patent IS relevant because that very technology is inside the Xbox One. Sony deflected questions about their implementation with "it's up to publishers/we'll see", and EA just dropped their successful online pass revenue stream (and companies don't do that lightly).

This isn't airy-fairy conjecture. The fact is the xbox one has this (and EA support), the PS4 might, and the Wii U definitely doesn't.

[Anon1974]

This is exactly the same thing we saw back before the PS3 released. Sony owns thousands of patents. Before the PS3's launch it was revealed Sony had a patent on a system that would sign disks onto a console so only that console could play that specific game (that patent had been around since 2000). Prior to the PS3's launch, suddenly people started losing their minds, claiming the death of used game sales. Just a quick history recap...nothing happened.

EA dropped their online pass system because fan's didn't like it. Just because Sony offers publishers and devs the choice to use DRM doesn't mean they're suddenly going to lock down their products. This policy is no different than Sony's existing policy on the PS3 now and we haven't seen a DRM armageddon.

Ask yourself, what do developers have to gain by pissing off their fan base? Nothing is going to come of this...just like nothing came of this exact same speculation before the PS3's launch. People seem to have short memories.

If you want to focus on the company to be worried about, how about the company that's flat out revealed they're going to require you to connect to the internet once a day in order to play content you've purchased, not the company that's repeatedly stated they believe any attempts to restrict used game access is "anti-consumer"

[plmkoh]

"The Sony patent IS relevant because that very technology is inside the Xbox One. "

That makes no sense, why would Sony patent something (to prevent someone from using it), if the Xbox One is using it?

"it's up to publishers/we'll see"

Doesn't really sound any alarm bells, region locking on the PS3 was 'up to the publishers' and yet we only saw one game in the entire generation, 6 years after launch with a region lock.

So nope, this whole article remains 100% speculation based on the authors twisted logic. Read the article and you will see.

[Cubits]

Iphones were full of Samsung parts, and Sony gets a cut of the licensing for every blu-ray player (just like in the One!). Having competitor's parts in your product is commonplace, and establishing patents is a part of that.

Knowledge is power!

[Hicken]

Actually, we don't know WHAT tech Microsoft is using for their used game scheme. We don't even know the full extent of what their policy will be on used games, though it certainly doesn't appear to be anything I'd like.

That, alone, makes it "airy-fairy conjecture."

To make matters worse, your article doesn't go into the details of the patent OR of Microsoft's method, meaning your equating the two IS nothing but conjecture(until proven otherwise). And you downplay Sony's frequent and recent clarifications about the subject, where they adamantly say they will not be blocking used games. Being "up to the publisher" is no different than the online passes of today.

But you conveniently leave that out, all in order to steer people towards the conclusion you want.

A lot of people do that: only give people the information they want them to have, HOW they want them to have it, so that they come to the conclusion they want others to arrive at. Certainly, it works on some, but it makes you look uneducated and desperate to others.

[Narutone66]

Read title, then see the link. o_O

[sean_35]

@darkride66 in reference to this paragraph

Ask yourself, what do developers have to gain by pissing off their fan base? Nothing is going to come of this...just like nothing came of this exact same speculation before the PS3's launch. People seem to have short memories.

What Sony has to gain is stopping illegal sharing of developers software, I don't think the I.D tagging of specific games to a system is intended to stop people buying 2nd hand software but believe they will implement it. To stop people swapping games with their mate's. Meaning more sales for them as you cant borrow your mates game & beat it, you will have to buy it yourself. There is also brand loyalty, you sound like a Sony enthusiast and there is nothing wrong with that but Sony like Microsoft understand this and know even though they might annoy their user base with their decisions you will eventually forgive them and return to the brand you like.