Sony's PS4 To Have Less Stringent DRM Than Microsoft's Xbox One

Tackhead writes "E3 is turning into Bizarro World this year. Sony has not only promised that the PS4 will support used games without an online connection, they trolled the Xbox folks hard with this Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video. Compounding the silliness, and hot on the heels of the political firestorm surrounding Donglegate, Microsoft went for rape jokes during their Xbox presentation." Similarly, onyxruby writes "The Verge covers how Sony has crafted policies explicitly to make the PS4 consumer friendly to the public. They make the case that the PS4 will be superior in nearly every way [to the Xbox Next] by not requiring an Internet connection, not restricting used games, supporting indie developers and selling for $100 cheaper than the Xbox One." And if you're interested in the guts rather than the policies or the politics, Hot Hardware has a comparison of the internals of both of these new offerings.

Comments

It is all software, really

[morcego]

The real problem is, it can change any time. PS4 can become more stringent, and XBox One could become less (well, in theory).

I'm not sure I trust Sony not to be an asshole regarding DRM. It doesn't have that good a track record. It is a good bet the moment the marketing hype dies down, and the stock holders start pressing, they will tighten their DRM.

Re:It is all software, really

[gstoddart]

The real problem is, it can change any time. PS4 can become more stringent

If it starts out not requiring any internet connection, and you never update it, it won't get any more restrictive.

It simply won't be given an option by some of us -- my next console will never see a network, because it's not like I trust Sony either. But the next XBox is definitely not something I'll even consider.

Re:It is all software, really

[Moryath]

They don't give a damn about a few angered /. posters who swore off Sony because they couldn't run Linux on their game consoles.

They are, however, KEENLY aware of the legions of users who stopped buying shit from their online store and basically deserted the console following their leaving the customers' credit card data right in the fucking open.

My PS3 is a standing blu-ray player that isn't allowed to have a network connection these days for good reason, and I suspect Sony realized that there's no chance in hell of my buying their box if it required a net connection knowing their track record on the subject.

That decides it

[areusche]

My next console will be a PS4. Vote with your money, if the Xbox One sells poorly and the PS4 sells record breaking amounts than the point will get across to the middle managers who come up with this junk.

Re:That decides it

[BeardedChimp]

Wasn't it decided that after the Sony other OS fiasco et al. that we should vote with our wallets and stop buying from them? I'm voting with my wallet and buying neither.

Then do what I did.

[Anonymous Coward]

I got an XBox 360 a few months ago. My first one. I also got 7 games from the used/discount bin and paid less than $50 for them, combined. The system has provided me with hundreds of hours of fun so far, and I know there are lots of other great games awaiting me.

You can wait one, two, even three years and see which way the wind blows for the next generation of consoles. Is the PS4 getting better titles? Is the XBox One as prone to hardware failures as the 360? Did Sony remove features or add DRM to used games? Is either console molesting children?

Wait and see, and your decision will be much easier. Your wallet will also thank you.

In the meantime, play on the current systems.