OBT Forum

...Hmm.

Actually, I think this may be a coming software trend.  For example, Microsoft knows how badly they're getting screwed in China - they might look at this as a solution.  For a gaming console, it seems a bit of overkill, but I guess it has to start somewhere.

Well the discontinuation of the PS2 recently shows we are on the dawn of a PS4 era. For years companies have yearned to cut out such game sharing, software piracy and I see such practices are continuing to ramp up. The entire computer industry is well past the enjoyable boom years I loved were games and software were traded freely by owners. It really fostered in me an interest in computers that is waning as such consumer unfriendly practices like this are fostered. Its all about the bottom line and sadly such stolid oligarchic practices tend to be the norm nowadays. I think it is ironic though that with such stringent protections they actually hurt themselves and ultimately reduce interest in their products. I do have hopes for the PS4 as the PS3 fell for short of its capabilities and morphed into a lame copy of Microsoft's Xbox. This however is a concerning warning flag as I wonder if Blu Rays and DVDs will also be affected.

I can actually see this working in a fashion.  However, I do not like seeing the both used game sales and rental getting hit by it.  There will likely be provisions made, as a lot of sales come from your corner video rental.  For instance, there are no less than 4 Hollywood video shops within 20 miles of my place.  Each place had 6-10 copies of Black Ops 2 on their shelves when i checked earlier this month, for both PS3 and XBox. 

How I would solve this "Problem" is through awareness.  Yeah, in my eyes, saving 2-5 bucks off of 60 is not enough to buy used.  The only times I buy used if it is at a HUGE discount, and never from Gamestop(new games at stop are opened, why would i pay full price for an unsealed game?).  Honestly, with the online way almost every game is going, we'll be seeing copies being registered to play online anyway.  I don't like marriage to a console, I'm more okay with marriage to an account, however.  If I take my game to a friend's house to show them how cool it is, I want to be able to play it, and if I like the game that much, my friends likely will too, and that'll make a sale.  However, with awareness that through used sales you're "hurting" the devs by not supporting them, it would be a little different(this really only applies for the small dogs in the pond, who sometimes put out some amazing games)

Now, with the prevalence of the cloud and all digital media, there are some changes happening.  For instance, through steam or origin(I mostly hate origin, but i digress) you can download a game you own to whatever device supports it an almost limitless number of times.  New system? redownload, you're good.  I dont think used sales should be made impossible, but I believe if you own a copy of something, you should be able to use it at your leisure, and sell it if it suits you.  Dont want BLOPS 2 anymore?  Log in to your playstation store, remove it from your account, sell the code to someone else.  That person then registers that copy via their store, for say a $5 fee maybe?  Who knows.  There are ideas out there, and console marriage should not be one of them.

Honestly, I'd just tout the fact that a used game at the stop is 5 bucks cheaper than new at best buy, and if you spring that extra 5 bucks?  you get a sealed copy with nothing*ahem, screw you gamestop*removed by the employees.