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The Death of Used Game Sales?
xtracto writes "The Inquirer has an interesting piece about a new Sony Patent on a technology that may possible prevent DVD disc media users from using their purchased disks in other machines after they have used them on a specific reader. Commentary also available on Joystiq. From the Article: 'While many are aware of the double profit companies make on pre-owned games, this would ensure the death of trading games between friends and even going to a friend's house to play a little multiplayer.'"
And what if you upgrade your DVD drive? Are you screwed? I'll believe the tech when I see it. I'm not sure Sony has the guts to try something this restrictive.
Against stupidity the Gods themselves contend in vain.
... it just ensures that the first time I get a game like this and the system fails that I sue Sony. Alternately, it may ensure that *everyone* starts burning copies of their games.
Copy protection as it currently exists hurts no one but legitimate purchasers of the material. It costs the pirates maybe a few hours of time or in worst case a day.
So long as the hardware isn't secured, the data that is being read in it can't be secured.
Alot of this new BS with sony and drm/copy protection/etc is seriously making me consider NOT buying a PS3. I don't want to support this kind of stupidity.
Be the first significant console I didn't own since the Nintendo days.
Shadus
This is NOT going to happen. Many major game retailers (e.g. GameStop) make a significant amount of money on pre-owned (used) game sales. You can bet that they'll fight Sony tooth-and-nail to keep them from implementing any system that permanently binds a game disc to a single console.
It's also a pretty ridiculous idea, as I know a lot of people who bring together their games and/or consoles to have parties and whatnot. This kind of (legal, by the way) game trading and loaning is a form of free word-of-mouth advertising for game companies.
Going back all the way to my Atari 2600 in the early 80s, I can remember buying way more console games after having borrowed a friend's copy or renting a copy from a store that I have from reading useless magazine ads and reviews.
Arguing about vi versus Emacs is like arguing whether it's better to make fire by rubbing sticks or banging rocks.
Sony - Playstation 3 (confirmed name)
... Halo.
+Blu-ray drive
+Lean Mean Sony Company Gaming Machine look
+Backwards compatible with PS2/PS1 games
+Games: Final Fantasy series, GTA series (first serve, anyway)
-Lock out technology to make sure that when a review says a game has no replay value, that means no one else can replay it, either
-Probably makes lousy burgers
-Expensive
-Same old controllers
Microsoft - XBox 360 (confirmed name)
+First to launch
+XBox Live features
+Games: Halo,
+It's white?
-Plain old DVD drive (no advanced drive- what is their's, HD-DVD?)
-Only partial backwards compatibility
-Same old controllers
Nintendo - Revolution (tentative name)
+Smallest of the three systems
+Innovative, new controller interface
+Backwards compatibility for the past 20 years
+Ability for controller attachments greatly increases game immersion and developer freedom
+Games: Zelda, Mario, Smash Brothers, Metroid
-Regular DVD drive
-Lack of HDTV support (IIRC, it has high resolution, but not HDTV)
-Arms or wrists could wear out faster than after a "session" with certain Pamela Anderson videos (this remains to be seen)
-Ability for controller attachments could overwhelm people who get 15 different types (there are already two "official" regular attachments- the Ninchuck and the shell)
Personally, I was leaning towards a Revolution when they first revealed the console, and I'm hard set on it now that I know about the controller. Sony's attempts at similar "prevention" in other technology realms ("P.C. phone home") helps make my mind up. Sony can keep their anti-customer DRM and Spider-man font. They won't get another cent from me.