Xbox 720 Could Require Always-On Connection, Lock Out Used Games

MojoKid writes "Sony's next-generation PS4 unveil is just two weeks away, which means leaks concerning both it and Microsoft's next-generation Xbox Durango (sometimes referred to as the Xbox 720), are at an all-time high as well. Rumors continue to swirl that the next iteration of Xbox will lock out used games entirely and require a constant Internet connection. New games would come with a one-time activation code to play. Use the code, and the game is locked to the particular console or Xbox Live account it's loaded on. Physical games will still be sold (the Durango reportedly supports 50GB Blu-ray Discs), but the used game market? Kiboshed. If this is true, it's an ugly move on Microsoft's part. Not only does it annihilate the right of first sale, it'll eviscerate any game store or business that depends on video game rentals for revenue."

Comments

Re:If these rumors are true

[Sique]

And then you run afoul the ruling of the European Court of Justice, that allows explicitely for resale, and requires the original seller to remove all hindrances for a resale should the current owner want to.
And don't come up with that "it's only licensed!" stuff, this doesn't fly in the E.U. It's either a sale (and all the usual conditions for a sale apply), or it's a rent (and then the usual conditions for a rent apply).
For reference

Where the copyright holder makes available to his customer a copy – tangible or intangible – and at the same time concludes, in return form payment of a fee, a licence agreement granting the customer the right to use that copy for an unlimited period, that rightholder sells the copy to the customer and thus exhausts his exclusive distribution right.

Re:If these rumors are true

[Sique]

That's why Valve is currently dragged into a German court.

Re:Always on = !on

[Anonymous Coward]

You seem to have a misguided sense of trust in your average consumer... This is stuff that is very much a no-no for the Slashdot community, but the average consumer doesn't care about these things: They will want to play the next CoD, and they -might- find out afterwards that these are the restrictions to their console, but will have already forgotten the next day (or stopped caring).

Re:Always on = !on

[FyRE666]

"No, because the steam games are sub $10."

I'm on the UK Steam store right now, and unless the US version has a totally different pricing structure, all current titles are way over "$10".

Borderlands 2 = £29.99 ($47.11)
Call of Duty Black Ops 2 = £34.99 ($54.97)
Devil May Cry = £29.99 ($47.11)

So basically you're lying, and I'm surprised your comment has been flagged insightful. Not only that, but trying to justify Steam's system because you can get around it by criminal means (in the eyes of the games companies) is ridiculous.