It's Official: PS4 Will Not Feature Used Game DRM Like Xbox One

[Damienalexi]

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/It-...One-56264.html



"This is a crazy bit of news because it's not actually new but Sony went ahead and kind of circled everyone back around to an earlier point they made regarding used games and DRM. Hence, the company is answering new questions retroactively and confirm that the PS4 won't have any built-in blocks against used games. Put that Angry Joe rant away, because you won't need it for the PS4.

Kotaku [via Maxconsole] had a few questions about the PlayStation 4 and its used game DRM as well as always-online functionality. Kotaku contacted Sony directly and a representative for Sony pointed Kotaku back to one of their own articles, reiterating statements made by Sony's top dog studio chief, Shuhei Yoshida, where Kotaku originally published this info back in February...

At a roundtable this morning, Sony's game studios chief, Shuhei Yoshida, told reporters that any requirement for users to register a game online in order to play it would be left to game publishers. Sony won't require that." (Emphasis added.)


Kotaku promptly apologized to gamers for not having caught it earlier. Kind of crazy...these witch hunts, eh? You kind of lose sight of important info that nulls and voids the whole witch hunt in the first place. Ah, crazy kids.

I'm betting a lot of people are feeling awfully silly for having missed such an important piece of info buried under all that Microsoft rage. I wonder if Sony will blame gaming media for not digging through their archives the way Microsoft blamed gaming media for their executives giving out inaccurate and incomplete info?

Anyway, this already makes it clear that if publishers want to DRM-up the PS4 they'll have to use third-party means to do so, which actually has nothing to do with the PS4 or Sony (e.g., sort of like how Ubisoft uses Uplay DRM for games on Steam or EA used to use Online Passes).

This clears up a few things:
1.) The PlayStation 4 can play games offline without having to be online. This was clarified the day of the PS4's reveal back on February 20th.
2.) Sony will not have any mandatory DRM for used games. You can buy, play, trade used games on the PlayStation 4 just as usual. No additional registration fees, pay-walls or internet registration required.
3.) If you so choose, you can play games from disc, download them from the digital store or remote load them. Sony doesn't mandate any method over the other for multi-format titles.
4.) Just for extra clarification the PlayStation 4 does not and will not require a constant always-on internet connection.

So basically what we have here is a collage of previous statements confirming Sony's stance on the gaming market: They support you, the gamers.

Keep in mind that we're not totally in the clear regarding used game DRM for any console, including the Wii U. Third-party publishers may use the opportunity to go overboard one way or another and so, sadly, just like Master Chief and his unending fight with a bunch of aliens that all look alike, the fight isn't finished.

While I don't know if it's still necessary to keep tweeting #PS4NoDRM at Sony, it certainly wouldn't hurt to use NeoGaf's momentum to direct the attention toward third-party publishers. I doubt they'll like the sentiment because of greed and all, but so far Sony seems to be building up the PlayStation 4 to be as good a console as the PlayStation 2, barring greedy pulbishers.

And just so we can finally end this argument of comparisons: The PlayStation 4 will not have built-in used game DRM like the Xbox One. #Dealwithit

https://s.ytimg.com/yts/swfbin/watch_as3-vflp3hi8y.swf"

[Wyzak]

I'm sorry but I don't agree with the article.

At a roundtable this morning, Sony's game studios chief, Shuhei Yoshida, told reporters that any requirement for users to register a game online in order to play it would be left to game publishers. Sony won't require that." (Emphasis added.)

I read that to mean that Sony has the functionality, but they won't force it on all games automatically. It will be up to the developer to decide if they want to use Sony's functionality or not. Obviously we know which developers will enable it by default, so this is hardly an official statement saying that it Sony doesn't have any DRM on used games.

[Wesley]

I read that to mean that Sony has the functionality, but they won't force it on all games automatically. It will be up to the developer to decide if they want to use Sony's functionality or not. Obviously we know which developers will enable it by default, so this is hardly an official statement saying that it Sony doesn't have any DRM on used games.

Its effectively the same scenario as the PS3, so its a better move for the company. Microsoft will obviously attract the developers greedy enough to use the feature to extort more money from gamers (read: EA and Activision) but the PS4 and the Wii U will be the home of indie games, because both support self-publishing and they don't ask for more money when the game needs to be re-certified after a major update.

Also, I think this is a great idea. Sony's effectively saying (said?) that they made the tech and it works, but if the publishers and dev studios are silly enough to use it and risk alienating their entire user base on the other two consoles, then its their fault entirely. It keeps EA looking like the bad guy and Sony and Nintendo are in the clear.

[zero-g]

I'll believe it when I see it. Maybe this whole Xbox snafu will open the eyes of some publishers and game co's but I'm just not sold that there isn't something lurking in the background regarding the PS4. Heck E3 is right around the corner, lets see what comes out then. Still this is good news and I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

[hugo69er]

I think the xbox 1 might have this from the beginning to test the waters but if it starts to hurt them they might release a firmware or something that removes it?

[Solitude]

Made me laugh out loud.

[Kwaai]

Made me laugh out loud.

Haha agreed, saw it here as well: http://mygaming.co.za/forum/showthre...est-Burn-Ever!

[Hagan]

All is fair in Love and War - and the gaming industry.

Big up to Sony, not too sure about developers though.

[Lothy]

I'm sorry but I don't agree with the article.



I read that to mean that Sony has the functionality, but they won't force it on all games automatically. It will be up to the developer to decide if they want to use Sony's functionality or not. Obviously we know which developers will enable it by default, so this is hardly an official statement saying that it Sony doesn't have any DRM on used games.

I bet Sony had the same procedure in place and after seeing the response that Xbox got just changed it around a little. So instead of it having the feature out right, the basically pass the buck onto the developers making them the bad guys.

As Agent Smith would say "You hear that Mr Anderson, that is the sound of inevitability"

[KofDelight]

Well the estimate pricing of the Xbox One will be around R7500,since the kinect comes with it, and the PS4 at around R5400(standard edition), from the articles I've read.I'm just really happy Titan Fall is coming to PC,since that is the only game on Xbox One that caught my eye.