Note: This is straight out of the rumor mill and currently unconfirmed. We’ll keep you updated on any confirmations in the future.
Want to save some money and buy a game used? Want to bring your new game purchase to a friend’s house? Well too bad!
In a move that can only be described as “They’re doing it on purpose now,” Sony has decided to make their next console unable to play used games, unable to play borrowed games, and unable to play PS3 games.
According to Kotaku, an insider source detailed how the next Sony console (currently codenamed Orbis) will require an unlock code for games to play properly. Without a code, you are stuck in a “trial period” — whether that’s time-based or content-based isn’t known. This means that gamers will have to buy an unlock code for their used games (in other words: might as well buy it new); which also means, of course, that bringing a game over to a friend’s house is no longer possible, putting another point on the “game companies hate real life” tally.
On top of that, Orbis is currently slated to have no backwards compatibility with PS3 games. Whether it will retain the ability to play PS1 games (as the current PS3 does now) remains to be seen, but if we have to guess, we’re going to go with “No.” And don’t even bother asking about PS2.
We usually don’t give much credence to rumors, but Kotaku has quite an impressive track record with “insider sources.” Any new developments will be added to this post in the future.
So much like the stupid rumor with the next Xbox, we’re getting this rumor now for the PS4, and why on earth would they code name it if we name it’ll be PS4, why change it after 3 gens?
I really hope both rumors are just rumors. Since if they’re true then Sony and Microsoft can kiss their sales goodbye and Nintendo will be standing on their money mountain laughing at Sony and Microsoft.
If we know it’ll be PS4*
I really hope this is untrue. It’s just polarizing gamers. Everything used to be so carefree…
I have read several articles about this topic since the alleged inside source spoke to Kotaku recently and I think people are prematurely getting their panties in a bunch. The headline of this article is an example of that. Until Sony comes out with an official list of the PS4/Orbis specs and features, I take all of these rumors and speculation as just that…rumors and speculation. if this was the first article I read on the subject, I would at least be 4 people removed from the source. The author of this article heard it from Kotaku who heard it from this mystery man that cannot be named who (I assume) saw this PS4/Orbis stuff at work. After a while, you have to admit this all starts to sound very high school with all this he said/she said crap. The truth is that the gaming industry is vastly different than the experimental period when home gaming was in its infancy. Gaming is so huge and lucrative now that it rivals and beats the movie industry. Add on to that how many options there are now for these companies to deliver their games to consumers, the timing of releasing a new concole when the economy is still getting on its feet and the pressure these companies are feeling from their competitors not to fall behind and lose market share. There are probably a ton of conversations being had at Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo as to how to navigate all of this without losing its customer base, being innovative and not tanking their respective company in the process. Healthy conversations on the subject are all good, but getting pissed off and making decisions based on unconfirmed information is childish, immature and plain stupid. I know games are targeted at alot of kids and teenagers, but there are alot of people who I know are in their 30s and 40s that are hardcore gamers. If you are still a kid…you may have an excuse to feel pissed off…you’re too immature to process this info any other way. But if you are 25 plus years old…you need to grow up a little.
I agree that rumors like this should be taken with a grain of salt — but locking out used games has been discussed by both Sony and Microsoft at length before. If this was just out of the blue, I wouldnt have posted about it. But given the history of the discussion, I am more inclined to see it as plausible than not.
That said, the intention of this article was to add fuel to the fire so gamers will become angry that such “features” are being discussed at all. If Sony sees the backlash and scraps the features, then I won’t regret “looking like a kid.”