Looks like Sony wants to use used game protection next generation

Past games will still work used, in the future i'm guessing all games will be available for purchase someway or another through digital distribution. As much as I thought this would suck, it just means there will hopefully be better ways to get content.

If you would have said this 7-8 years ago, I would have been more upset

This sort of thing is inevitable. If Sony implements this measure and doesn't totally get destroyed because of it, you can count on Microsoft to eventually implement a similar solution. If this doesn't pan out, well consoles most likely won't have disc drives in the future anyway. That, and an increasing amount of games will probably be on cloud servers.

I'm not immediately affected because I very rarely buy used or sell games, but it does suck for historical preservation.

I don't think they'll implement this, Sony file a lot of patents they have no intention of ever using just in case they might need it.

Sony does it - Microsoft and Nintendo will easily pick up the gains. If Sony and Microsoft start talking with one another to implement this, it could amount to collusion, so I see no way in which they do it. I think these are probably the last generation of consoles with disc drives in them, so this is the last time they'll have to deal with this 2nd hand market.

No one complains that Steam does this. I was hoping that the 720 and PS4 would both be 100% digital distribution. Unfortunately they decided to include an archaic and dying technology called discs. Physical media is dead. Sure there are still people out there using AOL, but f* em.

@Yillb said:

What's old is new again: PlayStation 3 won't play used games?Joystiq, 2005 and Furor Over Sony Patent LA Times, 2006.

... I remember this but didn't remember it was from before the PS3 launched, getting old here!

I get that it is a new patent but this is what companies do, patent stuff.

One more, all of this has happened before and will happen again.

Thank you! I was trying to find a good news article to link to when I mentioned that, but couldn't.

Glad somebody else remembers it.

What bothers me is that I am a busy guy that loves video games. So I only purchase games as I beat them and go on. I have a huge back catalogue of games I still want to play. If I can find the game "new" but reduced in price I buy that first since it is not a used game and they at least see a bit of money from the sale. Failing to find a game I want in the reduced bin (but new) I search hock shops to at least support my local businesses :P and then the faceless corporation of EB games is where I go for a last ditch effort. It is a very sticky situation indeed. I find the best solution for me would be to have every game available as a digital download. So that when I find time to play the game at least the right people will be getting my money. It is one heck of a pickle they have in the gaming industry. Granted, the movie industry has a used movies market as well....how do they handle things?

Well, seeing as how my PS3 is basically 95% Netflix/Amazon Instant Video/Blu-ray player and 5% actual game console at this point, I just don't care anymore. I have Steam.

A lot of people are acting like the fact they've patented this technology means that it's definitely going to be put into practice and I think that's a kind of crazy way to think about it. You can look back and see plenty of insane ideas that were patented, but never actually made their way into the real world. I wouldn't rule out the idea that Sony actually plan to use this technology in their next console, I think it's sadly possible, but if I had to make a guess one way or the other I'd say it's not going to happen.

@MordeaniisChaos said:

For example, if you want to buy a PS2 game these days, chances are it'll be used, just because it's been so long since most of those games have been manufactured, so they are only available used. If the PS2 had this kind of technology, they would have stopped producing units far longer ago than they did.

Agree with your points but I think there are two critical unknown factors.

1. The PS+ subscription service and 2. Sony's purchase of the game streaming service Gaikai. I can imagine Sony carry over the PS+ service for some type of fee (probably more than the $50 they charge now) and combining it with the Gaikai model to offer older PS1, PS2, PSP, and even PS3 games either for streaming or download. This would future proof their systems since they would control it all on their end regardless of physical format and DRM.

It would also be an underhanded way to make the PS4 backwards compatible since you would technically be able to play old game but only at a fee. Sony would also have a compelling launch library and be able to charge money for whatever bullshit propriety storage format (ala the PS Vita) to buff the PS4's HD. I can totally see a $499 console that is completely barebones, but then a deluxe package that comes with a bigger HDD and some type of access to PS+ for more. Then all the new games would use whatever proprietary DRM-locked blu-ray format. Maybe these games will be available as used games so that Gamestop/Best Buy/Walmart are happy.

It's a patent, that doesn't mean anything. They could be spending all of their R&D on nuclear development, but until it's actually in place as a product, there really is nothing to get upset about. I wonder sometimes if most of these patent grabs are more to gauge what a company can "possibly" get away with as a contingency. What's more concerning is this feeling that is floating around that we don't know what these companies are going to do for the next gen, because they really don't know themselves.

While it doesn't surprise me that they filed for such a patent, I really doubt they would get away with actually implementing it.

@djou: We are a long way away from the kind of future where digital only is possible, especially given the markets served by consoles. Those systems would be a good way to add to the PS4's cool factor, but would not be a replacement for a used games market, because the chances of them selling Persona 3 for $7 would be pretty damn slim. And you'd be paying $400+ for the ability to do that, which kinda defeats the purpose of going back to play stuff you never got a chance to on a platform you didn't have the time or money for when it was still fresh.

@Gamer_152 said:

A lot of people are acting like the fact they've patented this technology means that it's definitely going to be put into practice and I think that's a kind of crazy way to think about it. You can look back and see plenty of insane ideas that were patented, but never actually made their way into the real world. I wouldn't rule out the idea that Sony actually plan to use this technology in their next console, I think it's sadly possible, but if I had to make a guess one way or the other I'd say it's not going to happen.

I have yet to see any of that yet. I also think that's a kind of useless statement, because again, while it probably won't be used because it would be a really stupid move, that doesn't mean it won't ever be used by anyone. They wouldn't have patented it if they didn't intend to get something out of it. It's a risk they've taken, obviously, but with the hopes of it not just being a waste of money. Of course it's not a certain thing, but that doesn't mean it should be dismissed. It's a little different when IGN and the other circle jerks post an unsubstantiated rumor that the next Xbox is going to be digital only, which isn't even an effing option.

@DaMaJaDiZ: Patents often end up used by someone. It's why people make patents, they either are going to use it themselves, or let someone else pay them to use it.

And, no one said it was going to happen. Your chance of dying in Afghanistan as a member of the Armed Services isn't exactly huge, in fact it's pretty tiny when you look at how many have served vs how many have died in the last decade, but that doesn't mean you won't die. I'm not, and have yet to see anyone else crying wolf. I'm just trying to put this out there because it is cause for concern, even if only a pretty small amount.

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@Gamer_152 said:

A lot of people are acting like the fact they've patented this technology means that it's definitely going to be put into practice and I think that's a kind of crazy way to think about it. You can look back and see plenty of insane ideas that were patented, but never actually made their way into the real world. I wouldn't rule out the idea that Sony actually plan to use this technology in their next console, I think it's sadly possible, but if I had to make a guess one way or the other I'd say it's not going to happen.

I have yet to see any of that yet. I also think that's a kind of useless statement, because again, while it probably won't be used because it would be a really stupid move, that doesn't mean it won't ever be used by anyone. They wouldn't have patented it if they didn't intend to get something out of it. It's a risk they've taken, obviously, but with the hopes of it not just being a waste of money. Of course it's not a certain thing, but that doesn't mean it should be dismissed. It's a little different when IGN and the other circle jerks post an unsubstantiated rumor that the next Xbox is going to be digital only, which isn't even an effing option.

I'm not saying it should be dismissed at all, and while I've not seen anyone on Giant Bomb saying that they're definitely going to use this technology, I have seen people talking about this patent the same way they were talking the digital-only Xbox nonsense on IGN. As you said though, putting this into action would be very dumb, and it's pretty likely they're just jumping on patent so they have that patent before anyone else. I think there's worth in discussing how this kind of technology could be used and might affect us, but I also think we should strongly consider that it might be that nothing comes of this patent at all.