Right now it's only a rumor. Not surprised about the backward compatible part, but disappointed that they would lock out used games. A new PS3 game can cost $60, PS4 game costs are sure to be even more.
http://www.1up.com...estrict-used-games The PlayStation 4 is widely believed to be between one-and-a-half and two-and-a-half years away, meaning it may still be more than a year before any official details make their way out. Yet we're already hearing some preliminary information about Sony's next home game console, including details which will not be welcomed by those who value the ability to buy, sell, and trade used videogames.
As digital content has become more commonplace, games have increasingly become non-tradable commodities. Anything purchased through Steam is yours forever; even if you never play a game you've bought (unless it's purchased as a gift), it is linked to your account for good and cannot be borrowed or sold. Digital games on consoles, whether they be from the Xbox Live Arcade, Wii Virtual Console, or PlayStation Network are also permanent purchases. The same can be said for app purchases on iOS or Android, and this extends beyond games to digital music and movies acquired through iTunes or Amazon.
But physical games have, much to the chagrin of some publishers and developers, continued to remain free of such restrictions. Online passes restricting access to certain features in used games without an additional purchase have made some used games less desirable, but generally speaking the core experience a game provides can still be passed on from person to another without any fuss.
Gamers were understandably taken aback when it was reported that the Xbox 360's still-unannounced successor would feature copy protection disallowing the use of secondhand games in some capacity. There are those in the games industry who have long despised the sale of used games -- through GameStop in particular, a retailer accused of pushing used games that the publishers don't get a cut of ahead of new games -- but aside from the specific restrictions placed upon them through online passes, gamers have been free to trade and sell their physical games as they see fit.
There was some skepticism Microsoft would implement such a restriction because of the idea gamers would respond by flocking to Sony's new, used-game-playing system. But if a new Kotaku report is accurate, the PlayStation 4 -- code name Orbis -- won't be a bastion for used game players, either.
Describing the information as having come from a reliable source who "has shared correct information with us before," Kotaku reports the system is currently set to be equipped with an AMD x64 processor and AMD Southern Islands GPU which would allow it to output at a resolution of 4096x2160. (1080p, for comparison's sake, is 1920x1080.) It would also be capable of handling 3D games at 1080p, a notch above the PS3's limit of 720p for 3D gaming. Early dev kits are said to already be in developers' hands in preparation for a launch during the holiday 2013 season.
But the most eye-catching detail is that Sony, too, will allegedly become more averse to letting gamers play used games. The system will reportedly offer games in two ways, similar to the setup on Vita: They can be purchased on Blu-ray or as downloads through the PlayStation Network. Downloads would be locked to your PSN account, as would any disc-based games you purchase. Doing so in the latter case would enable you to save the game to the system's hard drive or download it from PSN later, which does admittedly sound convenient.
It gets more restrictive from there, and it's not just used games which are largely being given the cold shoulder. Backwards compatibility, a feature which was available on PS3 for PS2 games before it was stripped out in later revisions of the system, would be gone from the start. It was not mentioned, but it's possible PS3 games could be made available for download on PSN, again mirroring the situation we see on Vita where physical PSP games cannot be played but certain digital games can be transferred to or purchased on the new system.
Whether you opt to download or purchase games at retail, going online would be a requirement. Even with games on discs, connecting to the Internet would be necessary for making use of them which, as Kotaku notes, is something PC gamers are already accustomed to. This is potentially a big sticking point, as requiring an Internet connection to make use of any game could make the system unusable by a certain demographic. And if the Xbox 360's successor employed a similar scheme, it could mean that those without Internet will have a much more limited selection of game systems to choose from next generation.
Despite how it may sound, the source suggested these new restrictions would not completely eliminate the ability to buy and sell used games. Doing so would simply yield a much more limited experience, though details were not forthcoming on exactly how this would work.
From the sound of it, this would essentially be an online pass for all physical games built in at the system level. Many publishers would surely be pleased, particularly if it saved them the trouble of having to implement an online pass themselves. Ubisoft may have been able to avoid making Driver: San Francisco's online pass free if the system had not been in their hands to botch up. Then again, for all we know, PS4 game buyers would still be forced to input a code to prove they purchased a new game and situations like Driver's could still arise.
GameStop CEO Paul Raines recently cast doubt on the possibility of the next Xbox (or any system) blocking used games. He may be right, but probably only in so far as used games will be playable, just in very limited fashion. A great deal of the company's business is derived from the sale of used games, so it's easy to understand why Raines would take such a stance. Hardware and new software sales don't present the high margins secondhand games do and GameStop would like to keep things the way they are.
While many publishers and developers have come out against the sale of used games, there is a case to be made that their effect is not as detrimental as opponents would have you believe. It's entirely possible that someone buys and sells only used games, never spending a dollar that ends up in the hands of those who made them. On the other hand, a used game may be sold in order to get money to spend on a new game. Alternatively, a used game may be purchased that introduces someone to a new franchise. That person then purchases downloadable content for that specific game (with the money going right to the publisher) and, when a sequel comes along, he or she is compelled to purchase a new copy at launch before buying DLC for it, too. This may not happen in every situation, but just as is the case with piracy, a used game sale cannot be directly chalked up to a lost sale and nothing more.
Keep in mind none of this used game talk is confirmed; it's possible Sony and Microsoft are considering such functionality but will ultimately opt against it. But if they do not, we'll get the chance to see if all of those gamers who were angry with this news when it first surfaced in January are serious about not buying a platform that inhibits the use of secondhand games.
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