Microsoft Possibly Going It Alone On Used Games

What the actual and literal fuck. Watermarking the disks? Jesus.

We'll see. If they do one-use games, it could work if new discs were like 20-30 dollars as opposed to 60 (70 if they get greedy) we're sure to see for PS4 discs. But seeing as Microsoft pioneered the $10 HD tax, I doubt they'll do that.

Well alright, PS4 it is then. I hope many others will follow suit and send a message.

I've already decided not to purchase the next x-box since the only first-party Microsoft franchise I actually like is Halo. But I think this is the final nail in that coffin. The only used games I buy are the older, hard-to-find games that they don't sell at Target or Walmart anymore, so what's going to happen to those games when you can't even play them let alone find them? Some of my favorite games I bought used years after they were released, and I would always try to support the developer or franchise after words if I could. I understand why they would do this but it leaves a sour taste in my mouth all the same.

If this is true, it certainly made my choice for the next console I buy a hell of a lot easier. There's no way I'm going to buy a console that is digital-only to buy games. Even if that's the way the industry eventually goes, I'll switch over to PC where at least I have Steam and can mod my games.

Pretty much what SuperCellar2 said. After the 360 devolving from a great games console into an advertisement machine with a $60 yearly fee, I've decided to jump ship. I bought the original XBox (not the 360) at launch, and seeing the 360 mutate into the soulless monstrosity that it is today has been depressing. It makes me sad whenever I see a screen shot of the original 360's dashboard and wonder what could have been.

I'm done with Microsoft's non-Windows businesses. I don't expect any corporation to have my best interests in mind, but, with the 360, I feel like I'm just wallet to squeeze every last penny out of, regardless of customer loyalty. Their popularity this gen has convinced them that they can do whatever they want, and it's time that I stop giving them my support.

Sony, on the other hand, has learned a lot of hard lessons with the PS3, and I continue to be impressed with their goals and attitude. Between the PS4 and the ever-reliable PC, I think that I can deal with the loss of Halo.

I'll stay on the fence and reserve my judgement until we get some concrete details. There were some pretty outlandish rumors floating around about the PS4 before Sony's conference.

The real problem, if this is true, is what are they going to do if they had a widespread system failure issue like the RROD again? A repeat a event would be highly unlikely, but the consumer confidence for the brand would be devastated if replacement Durangos can't play games that were locked to a previous system. I can imagine they'll give you a store 're-download' option and mark the game as being enabled for an account, but the what about other people with accounts on the system? It'll be really interesting to read the finalized EULA that ships with the system if they go this route.

This is a really rickety bridge Microsoft is considering crossing.

"The idea that Microsoft would go it alone in their quest to keep people from playing used games is perplexing to me..."

It sounds almost suicidal considering how sophisticated gamers are now. If this does get announced at launch it's going to be a huge story among gamers and spread like wildfire through social media that the new XBox won't play used or rented games.

I also think back to the Sony press conference and just where was EA?
Is it possible some deals have been done for exclusive content on the new XBox among some Devs and big publishers in return for this?

We know some publishers want it because the more copies they sell the better for them.

If this is true then it's going to get very messy. Will a publisher calculate that more copies will be sold on a restricted console rather than making two versions? Seems doubtful. A multiformat approach will be even cheaper this time with the PS4 and new Xbox likely to be far easier to port across because they have similar architectures.

Whatever the doomsayers say about the growth of mobile gaming and the poor sales of the Wi-U and Vita there is room for both consoles as a cursory glance at massive console sales of the 360 and PS3 will show you.

In a two console environment locking one console to one game is a very risky strategy. I might have been underwhelmed by the PS4 launch but this is no minor matter and affects the cost of gaming directly. I could see this being a deciding factor for a great many gamers.

Microsoft are playing with fire here and it will take more than one superb sale on Live (which it is, 360 owners should check it out now) to convince that there will be a friendly environment for cheaper gaming if they try to kill used and rented games.

Either they're serious (and, therefore, crazy), or they're scrambling to disprove this idea as just a rumor, both of which being bad for business. Man, next-gen talk is so much fun. All the drama and plot twists that develop are just as entertaining as watching a movie.

If that's true, I'll just stick to a Sony console and PC. As usual.

Hmm interesting if Microsoft do go ahead in making a service like steam it may not be such a bad idea but i'll hold off on buying the console till I see the service in motion.

"The idea that Microsoft would go it alone in their quest to keep people from playing used games is perplexing to me"

This,this, this. I was about to post a thread about this on the forums. Do you really think that MS will go alone with idea of restricting 2nd hand games? We heard nothing from Sony yet, PS fanboys beware.

To be perfectly honest, I will hold judgment of their choice until I see the starting price of the new Xbox.

If it ends up being rather cheap, like around $300-350(as opposed to the rumored price of the PS4), then I could see people getting one despite the fact there would be no used games available to purchase.

However, neither of those will remedy their lack of good exclusive titles, which is the whole reason I ever regretted getting a 360 instead of a PS3 in the first place.

I think Microsoft has a rough road ahead of them...

If Microsoft does go down this route, then I guess I'm going with Sony next gen. I'm in no rush to get a next gen console, but this is pretty telling nonetheless.