As if this morning's Xbox 720 hardware rumour and this afternoon's Wii U one weren't enough, new claims regarding Xbox 360's successor have hit the net.
The report also claims the console may not play used games. The anti-used game system could in theory link a copy of a game to a specific Xbox Live account.
It further suggests that the new Xbox will ship with a second generation Kinect sensor featuring an on-board processor that allows it to better detect users' motions, and that Microsoft is considering launching its new hardware with a smaller controller than Xbox 360's.
Comments
83 comments so far...
Lsnake on 25 Jan '12 said:
Blu-Ray makes sense considering the increasing quality of audio and video, and that the 360 has already made some compromises to make room for games.
But not playing used games? Microsoft can't be that stupid.
Dannyb0yUK on 25 Jan '12 said:
If Microsoft decide to try and block the use of pre-owned games entirely, I'm pretty sure there will be an epic backlash which will quickly change their minds. I appreciate that they make more money from software sales than hardware (actually, I'm not sure how true that is, given their sideline of extortionately priced accessories) but there are too many gamers out there who would find that a deal-breaker.
moogiesboy on 25 Jan '12 said:
^^ If true. This bitch deserves to be hacked straight away!
theideal on 25 Jan '12 said:
One console/one account combination with the option to transfer, exactly like Live Arcade games, I can deal with. Solely one account...? f**k that noise.
sbradley88 on 25 Jan '12 said:
Balls to that preowned thing.
JD_Method on 25 Jan '12 said:
If that anti-used game system is true, then Microsoft can absolutely, positively, unequivocally, sod off.
DavidVM on 25 Jan '12 said:
Pre-owned thing is asking for trouble from not only consumers, but retailers as well since they make a tidy earning of the used games market too.
Most concerning to me though is the smaller controller; if we're talking dual shock size then the Xbox no longer has an edge for me over the Playstation, which will result in Microsoft and Sony having to mud wrestle in my front garden to win the chance to beg for my money next gen.
lordirongut on 25 Jan '12 said:
The used game thing can go away. Now that absolutely is a deal breaker. I can cope with other nonsense by that's a step too far. Halo and Forza are good but if that's the price of them, I can happily live without.
Sentinator on 25 Jan '12 said:
Blu-Ray? Can see it. Not supporting used games?
jukkiz on 25 Jan '12 said:
I wouldn't even consider X720 if it blocked used games.
Not because I buy a lot of used games, but because I want to sell any rubbish I accidentally buy.
It would also be really bad for business. Nobody would dare to buy games as in impulse purchase, because they'd be stuck with it if it turned out to be rubbish. People would research the game to death and probably end up not getting it, "just in case".
Hopefully that's just a rumour.
But the blu-ray player is very good news. Very, very good news and a sensible move.
steve_2003 on 25 Jan '12 said:
I think I'll wait until a month before Microsoft's official announcement, anything before then is really not worth reading. Those of us gamers who have seen a lot of hardware launches in the past, realise how much nonsense is reported this far from launch.
It's fun..... but nonsense.
Mmmmgrolsch on 25 Jan '12 said:
If the Nextbox couldn't play pre-owned games then it will be DOA!
Same here.
Anyway I very much doubt MS are that stupid.
TOKEN on 25 Jan '12 said:
Well i hope they like slow sales,chart topping games driving console sales?i will defferently be checking independent reviews on games and not reviews that are writen by scared people affraid to miss out on exsclusive reviews and storys.
Ill tell you where the money has gone for make first party 360 games,buying good reviews for games*only kidding*
TheLastDodo on 25 Jan '12 said:
RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR RUMOUR
timewarp1 on 25 Jan '12 said:
Most of the report is rumor and heresey so wouldnt expect this to be true - I mean how does a machine tell if the disk is second hand? and what happens if the console RRoD and you get a new one ? There are not enough xbl accounts to warrant it being something to do with online passes or whatever. It doesnt make any logical sense what so ever. Bull s**t
Agent75 on 25 Jan '12 said:
Never in a million years will it support Blu-ray, what with it being a Sony format. Another report a few weeks back suggests Toshiba's HD DVD format which is just as good for games.
JBoo on 25 Jan '12 said:
Stick with DVD's or CD's
lordirongut on 25 Jan '12 said:
Sony don't own Blu-ray (while they pioneered it, it was with the assistance of a whole group of tech companies and there are 19 companies on the BRDA Board of Directors) which is why the WiiU is using a variant of it, and HD DVD has been dead since 2008.
z_surf_z on 25 Jan '12 said:
I say good that it wont play used games! publishers don't earn anything from used sales, and with Dev costs so high these days and continuing to rise, I would rather have this than a market crash, or shovelware, besides games are so cheap after a month or two.
Sentinator on 25 Jan '12 said:
I seriously forgot all about HD DVD
Does that make me weird?
Houdini Splicer on 25 Jan '12 said:
If the rumor about pre-owned games is true (which it won't be, and if it is i'll be extremely surprised) then the 720, or whatever they call it, will be the death of Xbox, as this will annoy sooooo many people, well, maybe not death, but they won't be able to expect to beat either Sony or Nintendo in any way.
There are other ways to go about raising money than attempting to shut out the pre-owned market, it's just publishers are too lazy to look for them. (and no, online passes are not a good idea)
Black Mantis on 25 Jan '12 said:
I suggest people read the original Kotaku article in regards to the anti-used rumour. Quote below.
"It's not clear if that means that the system wouldn't play used games or how such a set-up would work. Obvious approaches—I'm theorizing here—like linking a copy of a game to a specific Xbox Live account could seemingly be foiled by used-game owners who would keep their system offline. My source wasn't sure how Microsoft intended to implement any anti-used game system in the new machine."
Obviously their source has no clue as to what Microsofts plans are. Personally it wouldn't bother me too much, as I've yet to buy a used game this gen. More worrying is borrowing, as that's how I get my CoD fix.
I believe the Blu-Ray rumour though, but if they are making the joypad smaller, I hope it isn't DS3 small.
verynaughtyboy on 25 Jan '12 said:
This is the second article in which you have made this exact post! And now I've looked at it too long and the word 'rumour' is starting to look weird!
Barca Azul on 25 Jan '12 said:
Be intersting to see if the media will be the same for all next gen. I hope so, as no matter what machine you own, devs will have equal space and bigger scope.
No used games, I wonder again if all 3 will put something like this in?
TheLastDodo on 25 Jan '12 said:
Yeah sorry about that, hopefully The Daily CVG will take the hint.
lordirongut on 25 Jan '12 said:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Namco-Tales-Aby ... 823&sr=8-1
That game was released in November.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TALES-VESPERI ... 500wt_1156
And that one in 2009.
Black Mantis on 25 Jan '12 said:
Those games are rare, limited releases though. I'd expect to pay more for those, as they hold there value due to limited quantities.
Reegeee on 25 Jan '12 said:
b*****ks to the pre owned stuff (Which is clearly rubbish anyway), it's the other stuff that concerns me. I actually don't want Kinect to be honest and I like the Xbox pad the way it is. I know it's all rumours but I do worry about this new console. I just have a feeling they are going in the opposite direction to me.
KesMonkey on 25 Jan '12 said:
Sony is one of nine companies that founded Blu-Ray. Sony is also one of ten companies that founded DVD. They do not own either format.
The capacity of a Blu-Ray disc has no bearing whatsoever on the Playsation 3's rendering performance capabilities.
kakah on 25 Jan '12 said:
I don't get the hostility against anti-used games.....NOT!
These are rumours but I wouldn't put it past the big publishers (UBI and EA) trying to push for this.
lordirongut on 25 Jan '12 said:
Even games that aren't hold their value for ages, though. I can remember Call of Duty 6 holding its price until Black Ops came out and that certainly wasn't a limited release.
Besides, that those games are rare, limited releases presents another problem. What if I miss out on the initial batch - am I just screwed?
Chris_Shanahan87 on 25 Jan '12 said:
Sony does NOT own Blu-ray but I can see Microsoft coming up with their own proprietary format like Nintendo are doing with the Wii U.
love my Xbox though, so i'm SIKED
Fr33Kye on 25 Jan '12 said:
I look forward to an improved kinect but if the next xbox cant play used games then Gamestop just wouldn't stock it. And the xbox is kind of a big deal in the US. They still might be able to get away with it, no way of knowing how other retailers will react. Doubt it's true but it's not outside the realm of possibility.
IplayVideogames on 25 Jan '12 said:
The 720 will be forgotten when PS4 is announced.
vitorfernandes83 on 25 Jan '12 said:
No used games? That's good, it means I'll hack mine or go to the ps4, one less decision to make in life
a3HeadedMonkey on 25 Jan '12 said:
How could they even enforce this? Buy a used game, put it in your new, offline Xbox & then what?! You can't assume everyone has the internet so I can't see how it would work.
a3HeadedMonkey on 25 Jan '12 said:
Just like the 360 was when the PS3 was announced? lololololololololol
dicky1993 on 25 Jan '12 said:
everyones moaning about the used games feature but i'm all about..
WHY A SMALLER CONTROLLER, DON'T CHANGE THE CONTROLLER, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY????!!!!!!!!!!!
dicky1993 on 25 Jan '12 said:
haha sure sure, they'll both do fine, but MS will swamp opposition as per usual, better brand name
Aer0Smith360 on 25 Jan '12 said:
Im not that bothered if MS are to include Blu Ray as the media format due to me getting one for Xmas. Also I very much doubt MS could stop used games been played on the account/console, unless it's when the disc is inserted into the tray and a one off code is required to be inserted before play, but that would just be rediculouse!
Kinect 2 being bundled in the box is fine by me but just hope its not really required to use!
Smaller controller...do not know what to think of that hmmmm
Can't wait for e3 with all the next gen console rumours floating around
KK-Headcharge78 on 25 Jan '12 said:
Not fussed about blu-ray to be honest, didn't stop me flogging the PS3, it can't harm though I guess. As for the 2nd hand blocking aspect it would be nothing short of commercial suicide were it true, personally I call excessive bulls**t...
Black Mantis on 25 Jan '12 said:
CoD and FIFA are exceptions to the rule (maybe GTA V) of course, as retailers know that they'll sell regardless of how high they keep the price until the next iteration.
As for missing out on limited releases, you're better off now than you were in previous generations with digital download releases becoming more frequent on consoles. Next gen will hopefully see an improvement. I remember missing out on Baku Baku Animal, Samba de Amigo, Otogi on their respective consoles and still have people asking for my copies of Shenmue 1/2, Panzer Dragoon Saga to this day.
Obscure_Metaphor on 25 Jan '12 said:
The only way this will happen is if Sony and Microsoft both agree to not support used games. If one does, and the other doesnt, thenguess which console we'll all buy and stick to?
Reegeee on 25 Jan '12 said:
Absolutely, I think the 360 pad is the best pad ever made. If Sony can keep the same one through 3 gens then there's no reason for MS to change theirs.
flyfletch on 25 Jan '12 said:
There is no MS would be that stupid, but even if they did, it wouldnt really be a deal breaker, just be more careful what you buy. If you think about it, we didnt really have a used market on this scale till the ps2 came along, we got along fine before that, Its prob not worth worrying about anyway, as there is no way MS would be so stupid.
coldburner on 25 Jan '12 said:
I own a PS3 but if this X720 proves to be a mean machine with blu-ray support, I would jump ship and become xbox fanboy and wear black and green coloured t-shirt and matching trainers and mullet. I always like the xbox 360 pad over dualshock anyway!
BenThomasFoster on 25 Jan '12 said:
Well so long as they have a Steam style system where you can install the game permanently on the Hard-disk (since obviously the disk is almost useless) then i'm kinda fine. The problems come in at this is basically taking away one of a rights, which is a shame
ei8hty5ive on 25 Jan '12 said:
Having Bluray is good but having no used games will kill the console.
alan666 on 25 Jan '12 said:
MS will simply be shooting themselves in both feet if they locked out used games.
sonic_uk on 25 Jan '12 said:
Oh man, Kinnect - being forced upon us as usual. How predictable. 360 was my preferred console at the start of this gen but MS seem to have forgotten people like me, the guys who bought their machine for its proper games and made them what they are today. As for the used games debacle is that even legal? To deny customers of a choice? It dosnt really affect me as I only buy old retro games used as its the only way to collect them once they are out of print but still it is one of the biggest p***takes in history as far as consumer rights go if it turns out to be true, which in all honesty I really cant see it becoming a reality. And the smaller pad? Basically MS making it more difficult for you to play using the superior control method known since the 80's as the joypad. "But don't worry," says Ms, "you can now play the game with your bundled Kinnect"... "F*** YOU MS" is my response to that.
Anyway, I guess that's me out then, I hate Kinnect with a passion, and I want nothing to do with that piece of crap. Having it as an option is one thing, but forcing it upon you is another. Its a shame as I enjoy Forza (although 4 was basically 3 with a few new tracks) Halo and Gears, but as MS have put all their eggs in the shovelware Kinnect basket there are no other 1st party franchises left that interest me anymore. Now looking at you Sony, what can you offer to make me interested in your next gen console? We will see.
BoringName on 25 Jan '12 said:
A smaller controller will allow more small 7 year old children to play Halo. Then in the future they will be prepared to control various robotics in a war against machines and prevent world domination. It's a long shot, but I heard it from an annoymous inside source so yeah.
darren_mccoy on 25 Jan '12 said:
If you don't like the Dual shock 3 controller you can get a brilliant wee black box off eBay. It lets you pug a wired Xbox 360 controller into your PS3. It has shut up my xbox loving friend, who now, has no excuse for playing all those PS3 exclusives because he hates the controller. Both controllers have the same amount of buttons and most games let you change the button configuration. Works like a charm. Costs about a tenner.
Chris_Shanahan87 on 25 Jan '12 said:
really not fussed about Blu-ray - it's just an interim technology.
MPH on 25 Jan '12 said:
So what happens if a rare, limited release of a game came out for the 720 and you couldn't get a copy? Should you be forced into paying £100+ for a brand new copy on Ebay after nowhere had any stock (and wasn't going to get any more stock)? Or should you be able to buy it relatively cheap second hand? I'd be f**king livid if I couldn't get a copy of ToV. Also if they didn't have such high RRP's then more people would probably buy games new.
kmcroc on 25 Jan '12 said:
All in on the BD aspects ,but the part where it may not play used games is a bit over dramatic even if untrue. you know how many people that would sway people from buying thier next gen console ,let alone if they don't buy the console WTF *** good will new studios & kinect matter.
lets hope them MBA at MS are not that stupid.
PMIKE5 on 25 Jan '12 said:
One of the reasons the 360 did so well is BECAUSE of the pre-owned games. If they stop people from buying preowned games, it's really going to harm games developers and push people to piracy.
Soviet1918 on 26 Jan '12 said:
Me to sod off +1
xxx128 on 26 Jan '12 said:
In every industry the customers dictate the rules from drug trafficking to weapons dealing. In videogaming the clocks tick backwards. We play what the companies and corporations want, when they want it. Hmmm ok lets try it another way...
Videogames always have been about value. Have a look on ebay and search for the rare megadrive or sega saturn games.
THEY ARE WORTH MONEY. My collection of neogeo titles is worth more than all current trend consoles together including the gimmick controllers. Bottom line is i will not pay money for something that does not hold ANY VALUE. Good luck microsoft for your future endeavours.
KippDynamite on 26 Jan '12 said:
Well I heard that it will use cartriges and ONLY play used games.
FlacidDonkeyGuy on 26 Jan '12 said:
If true it serves all the morons right, trying to tell me online passes are fine as it's costs to run matchmaking bla bla bla. You belive the PR & now you can't even rent games if this is true. Remember you allowed these rent seeking crooks to do this, with your blind support of online passes. By not taking it to it's logical conclusion, and this is where it was/is going to. Welcome to what PC gaming is like, only on a console for a premium on what will be overpriced & outdated hardware at launch on a overtly restrictive system.. you morons all deserve it.
Jensonjet on 26 Jan '12 said:
This was as obvious as the news that the console will still use controllers! Currently there's little option but to include it. It holds more space for larger games, and is able to play the format of choice for movies right now. And to think Microsoft tried to sell the idea the 360 could be an entertainment hub... yet is was a whole generation itself behind in its technology. Anyway, business is resumed, and people can stop worrying about whether the machine is download only, etc, etc. For at least one more system we'll still have the option to trade games, watch our retail-purchased movies, and walk into a shop and physically buy games. This absolutely makes sense, and is a wise move on Microsoft's part.
SavageEvil on 26 Jan '12 said:
No used games? Sounds like DRM and we all know how well DRM works right guys? Blu-Ray awesome, better be a high spec drive too, and not the noisy cheap ass DVD drives on the 360 either. Man that was some BS, cheap crap noisy slide tray drive on the 360, even the blasted cheap as hell Wii had a slot loading DVD drive that was whisper quiet.
veato on 26 Jan '12 said:
Rumours drive people crazy don't they?
sjholland87 on 26 Jan '12 said:
Smaller controller!?!
No! Please no! If there's one thing I hate about the playstation controls it is that they are flat and too small. Leaves my hands in awful cramps. The 360 controller is one of the best I have ever used.
Am I the only one who enjoyed using the massive xbox controller as well?
Dear god MS, think of the people with big hands
WHERESMYMONKEY on 26 Jan '12 said:
I remember hearing he same rumour when the 360 was about to come out. I highly doubt MS would impliment this. It'd be bloody suicide. Not only would no one want to buy it. But more importanatly no retailer would want to stock it.
svd_grasshopper on 26 Jan '12 said:
one wont implement DRM if the other doesn't. so if either console has it, i will glady turn to piracy, which is kind of ironic, since i generally buy my games brand new. don't care about online really, about 5% of all my gaming has been online (95% offline)
BR would be a good credential for the multimedia hub they are pushing - unless of course they want to force their own download/rental service onto the customer.
also the controller is a bulky bastard. all you paedo-handed folk better get used to something with a little more finesse.
Nik666uk2 on 26 Jan '12 said:
And that's why I'll never own one, typical Microsoft, give a little, take a lot!!!!!!
nb_nmare2 on 26 Jan '12 said:
That would be a ridiculously stupid idea. Using blu ray would have the advantage of allowing blu ray movies to be watched (a major plus point for many potential buyers), while HD DVD is a dead format.
nb_nmare2 on 26 Jan '12 said:
I'm not sure why you and other commentors think such a thing would be so difficult or complicated to implement. The PC has had games that can't be re-used for years, the most obvious example being anything that requires Steam.
(Oh, and the PC has also had games that require codes to be entered before play for decades. In fact, back in the early 90's many PC games required a code to be entered every single time you ran them.)
freds1 on 26 Jan '12 said:
So what are you saying?
veato on 26 Jan '12 said:
He seems to be repeating OUR RUM over and over. Not sure why. But then I don't drink the stuff personally.
ted1138 on 26 Jan '12 said:
On every Blu-ray disc there is an area that can be written too by any Blu-ray player. It was designed to imprint the code of the first player to play that disc, thus making it only ever play on that one machine. If a disc was played, and then copied, each copy would contain that first players code, and if Sony were to come into possession of a copy, they could then add that players code to all future discs, thus making them unplayable on that machine.
So far Sony haven't used this feature, as piracy on the PS3 is still very low. But the longer Blu-ray goes on, the more chance there is of it being open to piracy. So no doubt this will be a feature of the next gen consoles if they use Blu-rays...
freds1 on 26 Jan '12 said:
Well that would explain it.
sonic_uk on 26 Jan '12 said:
I agree. I can play any of my retro games years from now without having to worry about online activation's, drm, passes etc. Imo this gen and the rise of Steam and its ilk have totally ruined the value you get from a game. A digital download to me has no value at all as there is no way to play it if you ever lose the data and cannot re-download it again or if its locked to one account etc. With a physical product that simply requires the machine to play it on and nothing else you can keep and use it forever. Can't say that about digital downloads or the way the consoles seem to be heading either.
Mmmmgrolsch on 26 Jan '12 said:
But that just implements more problems. What happens when you've got 5 new games or more and your console breaks and you need a new one? Buy all games again? What if you owned 2 consoles like many people do, buy 2 copies?
KayKay on 27 Jan '12 said:
Blu-ray support would be cool, but if this one copy, one machine thing actually happens the XBOX will lose my business. Period. I moved away from PC gaming to console gaming to avoid this very thing. I understand that piracy is rampant, and it's not something I practice, but I'm tired of being punished because someone else does. For the PC it started out with CD keys. Alright fine. Now it's online REGISTERED CD keys in order to A) play the game or B) get DLC / play it online, and you can never use that CD key again. A lot of game stores around here won't even buy back used PC games because their online features are useless once they've been registered.
TL;DR - Blu-ray is awesome. Used game playability getting the nerfbat is me becoming a 100% Sony customer and Microsoft can DIAF.
sonic_uk on 27 Jan '12 said:
I agree, and welcome to the site btw. I moved away from PC gaming mainly because of the online activation crap, but now the consoles are getting more and more like it as you say. I don't intend to buy the new Ms console now for the reasons I've stated in my earlier post but if Sony adopt a similar tactic I wont be buying their new console either which leaves me with my PC and the p***take of having to crack games I legally own if I wish to carry on playing them once the servers have shut down in the future after a fresh format or change of hardware, and my retro machines which I can play whenever I like due to the fact back in those days online activation b***locks didn't exist and publishers didn't feel it right to rob you of your consumer rights at every opportunity.
KayKay on 27 Jan '12 said:
Thanks
. I think that if this spreads to the PS3 I'll still buy Sony products on the basis that A) XBOX exclusives aside, games just play better on the PS3 B) the controller and interface is more girl-friendly and C) I can't stand the Wii. Plus, most of my friends that console and aren't still choking down Steam/MS DRM 'bullocks' so they can mod their games own PS3s for the same reasons.
But, this entire thread goes under the assumption that this is actually happening. We'll have to wait and see. And hopefully the views brought forward here will make it to the XBOX developer ears and if there are any retarded ideas about actually system locking console games floating around in their heads, they'll be shot down.
sonic_uk on 27 Jan '12 said:
I hope so, unfortunately, big companies don't seem to listen to their customers very often and try and tell us what we want rather than listening to what we actually want. I'm waiting for some news on the Ps4 to see what it has to offer. Sony wont want to be last out of the gate again this time (they already said that in an earlier interview) so I'm sure pretty soon there will be some news. In the meantime there's loads of decent looking games coming out this year on both consoles I want and I still have a huge backlog to get through so I'm in no rush for next gen.
KayKay on 27 Jan '12 said:
Aha, yeah. My boyfriend and I still haven't managed to get through Hunted: The Demon Forge or F.3.A.R. (we tend to play co-op enabled games... co-operatively :p). Finally put down (but not away) Skyrim on Monday, and I think I'm turning into a CoD-head with MW3 so Lolipop Chainsaw will have to wait :p.
The ideas for the PS4 can't be any worse than the NGP. I don't know if you follow portables but the reviewers for Sony's Next Generation Portable at E3 said that with the D-PAD, analog sticks and buttons on the front and the touch pad on the back, playing the NGP felt like molesting a barbie doll. I'm inclinded to agree. Hopefully there won't be an overwhelming volume of games that actually use this last feature.
But, it's likely that Sony has waited so long to release any actual information on their system because they've been waiting for what has recently come out - the XBOX 720s hardware specs. At least some of them. Now they know what they have to do to outperform the XBOX again. And the really sad part is it won't matter when the PS4 actually comes out. The hardcore XBOX players will buy XBOX products no matter what Microsoft does to them, with or without lube. And the people who feel that the title issue is too much to deal with will buy a PS4 or gravitate back to PC gaming because of it's flexibility with modding.
nb_nmare2 on 27 Jan '12 said:
Steam isn't system-locked at all - you can have your games installed on as many computers as you want. In fact, I'm pretty sure there have been no major PC games released that are system locked in the past couple of years - publishers seem to have learned their lessons from the likes of Bioshock.
The limitation with Steam is that you can't be logged into your Steam account on more than one machine simultaneously, meaning that unless it's a rare example of a split screen PC game, you'd still need multiple copies of a game to be able to play it multi-player. (You could use Steam's off-line mode on more than one system at the same time, though since it wouldn't allow multi-player there probably wouldn't be much point.)
I'd imagine if any future consoles did indeed implement this kind of protection, it'd similarly be linked to an on-line account, rather than a specific machine. Of course, that does mean those poor souls without internet access would be screwed.
KayKay on 28 Jan '12 said:
When I mentioned Steam and Games for Windows it wasn't in the context of system-locking. Account locking in digital media is just as troublesome, for the same reason - it has absolutely zero resale value. So I got the Mass Effect games using Origin (because I personally dislike Steam). I paid about $20 each if I recall right. I won't see any of my money back because it's bound to my Origin account, and to me, forever. Steam's the same if my friend describes it right.
With physical copies that are bound to a user's XBL or PSNID, you have the same problem - it has no resale value, because it can't be used on someone else's machine, with a different XBL or PSNID. I certaintly don't want to hold onto a library of games I never play, nor do I want to simply throw out what cost between $60-$80 each.
But then what will happen to stores like EBGames/GameStop? Not all, but a significant portion of their income is a result of reselling used games that have been played to the extent of the interest of their owners and it's time to move onto a new owner. Will it crush the chain entirely? I doubt it. But the franchise will likely meet the same fate as Movie Gallery - the stores that are no longer viable to keep open because their new game market isn't turning enough profit (or a profit at all) may be forced to close. In short the damage if this actually happens goes beyond an inconvenience to players.
Let's look at it from a different aspect. I bought a few games in the summer. I liked some of them. Others I wasn't impressed with. The ones I wasn't impressed with I lent to my friends. Some of them liked them and gave me what I paid for them. The ones no one cared for went back to GameStop and I recovered about 50% of my money. Later on I lent some of the games I DID like to my friends and they in turn went to the store of their choice and bought their own copies. In this sense the ability to share the games you legally own can be good for the gaming industry, and it would likely be a bad move to actually implement this.
liam-neeson on 28 Jan '12 said:
http://www.webcam-steamate.com/cookies/35/b/happy.gif
As this morning's Xbox 720 hardware rumour and this afternoon's Wii U one weren't enough, new claims regarding Xbox 360's successor have hit the net. According to Kotaku's industry sources, the next console from Microsoft will play Blu-ray discs,