Rumour alert: Next Xbox will use Blu-ray and block used game discs

Anybody who's been keeping an ear to the ground must have seen this coming. The Industry is moving on Mass to block or stop the reselling of pre-owned games. So no real surprise, if anything I'm surprised its happing this quickly.
 
I don't see many of these consoles being sold.

People will just stop buying all together.
 
Kuga said:
I don't see many of these consoles being sold.

People will just stop buying all together.
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's sales reached $1bn in 16 days.

Skyrim sold 10 million units & made $650 million in a month.

People will not stop buy just because pre-owned sales are blocked. In anycase if I where the devs I would put a back way in. Buy a game pre-owned and pay an re-activation charge to play.
 
Well the BL issue was a given, they had to go there. But not allowing used game play?! WTF really?
 
markface said:
Well the BL issue was a given, they had to go there. But not allowing used game play?! WTF really?
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Yeah it seems like a bit of a dick move, but personally I've bought about 3 second games over the years. Price drops and specials are always just around the corner.
 
Tomorrow in the news: VW & Toyota develop biometric security devices in cars which make it impossible to trade used vehicles!
 
Murph said:
Yeah it seems like a bit of a dick move, but personally I've bought about 3 second games over the years. Price drops and specials are always just around the corner.
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Yep retail prices drop & there are always specials. The few pre-owned titles I've bought either always have damaged cases, damaged & or missing booklets & sometimes even discs that look like someone played frizzby with them. I prefer to buy new.
 
I wouldn't buy a device that blocked used games and I can see them facing legal action for interfering with trade. Certainly the authorities should get involved and it would appropriate for them to ban the sale of the console.

C-Bear said:
Tomorrow in the news: VW & Toyota develop biometric security devices in cars which make it impossible to trade used vehicles!
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Exactly, these media guys want special treatment. They want their products viewed as the same as other physical goods, and treat us to silly adverts equating copying to stealing physical property, but then don't want what they produce to be treated differently to physical goods when it suits them.
 
OmegaFenix said:
People will not stop buy just because pre-owned sales are blocked.
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I don't think people will stop buying outright, they will just be a lot more careful with their purchases.

i.e. I would probably buy 50% less games, simply because only about half the titles I end up playing end up being "keepers", if I can call it that.
 
Strifehart said:
I don't think people will stop buying outright, they will just be a lot more careful with their purchases.

i.e. I would probably buy 50% less games, simply because only about half the titles I end up playing end up being "keepers", if I can call it that.
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Yep and waiting for specials.
 
None of this is actually confirmed yet, it is all just speculation.
And even if the next XBox does block pre-owned games I'm not bothered. I don't mind paying for games that are worth playing. I think R500 is totally worth something that provides hours and hours of entertainment for me.
Also considering that pre-owned sales are killing the industry and forcing some of the smaller devs out of the game it would make sense to include something like this.
 
Finally! Jeez the calls were already there for Blu Ray when the Slim model was in development. Perhaps even a little bit before that. Huge pieces of content will not have to be omitted this time around.
 
But it would mean you couldn't bring your legit copy of your game to a mates house...thats ridiculous!
 
Jase, do you equate purchasing a second-hand game with piracy?

Steaksauce: I would have thought that the smaller devs are using XBLA to distribute their work, as opposed to churning out discs.

Most of my console games are second hand, and I sometimes share games with friends, so this would put a damper on things if also adopted by Nintendo and SONY.
 
phoenix said:
Jase, do you equate purchasing a second-hand game with piracy?

Steaksauce: I would have thought that the smaller devs are using XBLA to distribute their work, as opposed to churning out discs.

Most of my console games are second hand, and I sometimes share games with friends, so this would put a damper on things if also adopted by Nintendo and SONY.
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Actually not Phoenix, there is an exchange of money BUT the devs. don't see a cent of it. I also understand that there are many people who cannot afford our gaming habits and second hand games is a way to make that more affordable. For instance, I can go out and purchase a few new releases without batting an eyelid as I am more financially stable than say 10 years ago. My gaming habit might have died off back then if it wasn't for second hand games AND piracy (/flamesuit on!).

In my eyes once off online activation is a way to curb piracy. I do however have a problem with having a persistant connection to play a game (see Diablo 3) as I work in remote places where internet connectivity is limited to email and basic browsing. I bought Starcraft 2 and have basically never played it due to limited offline play.

Edit: Perhaps if devs. or a third party could negotiate a type of a buyback. For example, you purchase a game through Steam, you play it until you are bored and steam 'purchases' that activation code / game back from you at a discounted rate (the game is then removed from your Steam Library). They then resell the game as second hand? The devs. then can earn a bit for the resale. Sounds a bit silly but I am thinking along the lines of second hand cars (although car manufacturers don't earn squat on second hand cars).
 
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I guess it’s a rumor, but according to the Law of Dauntless Prophecy, all Microsoft rumors are true: “word” on the “street” is that the Xbox 720 will sport some inherent means of combating used sales. This has been an incredible opportunity to dish up steaming populist goulash, a dish I have a hard time watching people eat.

The fantasy scenario for publishers is to sell you something, and still own it. I would make a terrible despot, because that’s the sort of thing that wouldn’t occur to me. I may not be the Prince Of Empathy or whatever, but at the same time it seems strange to me to sell partially substantiated un-things. In some ways, though, we’re already there.


Actually, no - we are there, on the PC, and we’re getting close on the major gaming appliances. It didn’t destroy PC games to have single use codes, or to have the defacto digital service give no recourse for trading in software. It didn’t result in those theoretically lower prices for new games, and outside of the occasional shadowy enclave, Steam is considered the morally impervious Gold Standard.


I’m on record as saying I don’t agree with the practice of purchasing used software, and it’s my choice not to engage in it. I deperately want to retain that choice, because it lets me feel superior. But disallowing trade-ins via some techniwhatsit or woozle isn’t productive - it’s lose, lose, lose from a consumer perspective. Day-and-date Digital Delivery would have all the same “features” as regards a user’s control over their property though, but people hate it less, for reasons I can’t entirely explain.
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Source: Penny Arcade
 
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