Nasty PS3 DRM rumor

Papageno · Post by **Papageno** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:13 am

I sure hope this is false, but the rumor is that somehow (I imagine only on consoles connected to the internet, but most will be) Sony will "marry" the S/N or key code of a new PS3 game to the first PS3 it is played on, then lock that copy out of being able to be played on any but that particular unit (I imagine through some kind of "lockout list" that would be pushed out to all internet-connected consoles), thereby gutting the used game market. I heard this today listening to the VideoGameNews Radio podcast.

If this is true, it definitely calls for a boycott. Anyone else heard of such BS?

yossar · Post by **yossar** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:59 am

I dunno. No used games and no rentals means no sale on the console for me. In my world, it would hurt console sales way too much to be worth doing, but I'm pretty out of touch with the mainstream. But I'd be very surprised if this were true.

Huw the Poo · Post by **Huw the Poo** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:07 am

yossar wrote:No used games and no rentals means no sale on the console for me.

Same for me, and many others I would imagine. Surely Sony know this? Would they really think it's worth doing?

Turtle · Post by **Turtle** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:27 am

It's a rumor, how many pre console release rumors turn out to be true? Where's the original source for this? Frankly, I highly doubt any company is dumb enough to do this.

And eve if it turns out to be true, well it's a non-issue for me. I simply won't get the system, and I'll go to nintendo, xbox 360, and the PC for all my gaming needs.

Maybe one of their idiot lawyers or accountants thought up this idea, and maybe some other execs thought to try and run with it. But there's no doubt in my mind someone in power who knows the real score on the industry would step in, ask them what the hell they're smoking, and shove them back into what little niche of the corporation those staffers belong to.

Misguided · Post by **Misguided** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 8:41 am

This rumor is based on a patent.

JCC · Post by **JCC** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 9:32 am

I really doubt that Sony would shoot themselves in the foot like this.

HOWEVER, I could easily see something like this becoming an industry standard in the future, if you can get all the console manufaturers to agree on it. I know that all 3 of the big players would love to eliminate used game sales. Still, one wonders if all 3 would agree to something like this, and even if they did it would somewhat keep a door open to any new player wanting to break into the market who DIDN'T have such a protection scheme.

Larraque · Post by **Larraque** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:10 am

I'm fairly sure that this is impossible to enforce, at least the way that I understand it.

A specific title code is read, and if this title code has been registered

This would require that every playstation 3 is networked (probably via broadband). How many PS2s are network enabled? (I would guess that the answer to this is "Not Many".) And people who aren't technically savvy might not be so keen on running a 60+ foot network cable from the computer room to the living room.

Jancelot · Post by **Jancelot** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:43 am

And what happens when your PS3 dies? You get to repurchase all your titles? If they go in this direction they'd better have an easy solution to that scenario.

Papageno · Post by **Papageno** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 12:15 pm

Well, I was curious, so I googled Sony DRM PS3, and it turns out Sony officially denied this back in mid-November. Whew. Knowing Sony though (rootkit-enabling copy protection, anyone?), I wouldn't be surprised if they're still working on something like this for a future console.

Misguided · Post by **Misguided** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 12:35 pm

Yeah, I don't think it makes much sense either, for a whole host of reasons.

yossar · Post by **yossar** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 1:24 pm

Jancelot wrote:And what happens when your PS3 dies? You get to repurchase all your titles? If they go in this direction they'd better have an easy solution to that scenario.

Tell Sony and they free up all games associated with that serial number?

Eduardo X · Post by **Eduardo X** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 1:50 pm

Didn't Dirge of Cerebus have this in Japan? Each game is linked to the harddrive it is first played on.
I think it sucks, but I doubt they'd expand it beyond that game.

Zurai · Post by **Zurai** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 7:39 pm

Makes sense to me. Used games sales are perceived as very harmful by the industry. I'm surprised Microsoft doesn't have any kind of used game hampering tech in the 360.

Papageno · Post by **Papageno** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 10:19 pm

Well, it may make sense for them, but for the consumer it sucks because it takes away yet another thing that's always been his/her right-- the right to sell his/her possessions.

Turtle · Post by **Turtle** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 1:39 am

A company patenting an idea that it doesn't use is nothing new. Patents are cheap and easy to obtain (for corporations anyway) so they tend to patent anything than can.

They're more likely to start asking retail stores to pay a fee for selling used game than use a technology that would so alienate their user base.

deadzone · Post by **deadzone** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 2:02 pm

You know if every single piece of DRM solution up to this point WASN'T a series of one clusterfuck after another, I would be okay with this. Everyone should have the ability to protect what is theirs.

If it is true though.... Well get ready for something bad. Everyone remembers the Sony/BMG debacle over the CD's right? They still have not fixed that all the way as they are still selling CD's with the DRM that was so bad still on it. Just want to remind everyone that we are talking about the same company. I know it's different divisions, but it's the same company. Sony

Sarkus · Post by **Sarkus** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 4:25 pm

I don't think there is any question that game publishers are becoming more concerned about the used market. The GameStop/EB merger is the catalyst for this because it combined the two biggest used retailers into a company that is now the biggest new retailer (at least in the US). On top of that you have Best Buy experimenting with the used market as well. That means that the leverage in the relationship between retail and supplier has changed.

The idea of limiting the ability of the consumer to re-sell something that they purchased probably means that DRM system won't fly. However, I have no doubt that the game publishers are beginning to flex their muscles in other ways to change the used market. Do not think that the inablity of GameStop/EB to fill their XB360 pre-orders happened by chance - it may very well be an attempt by MS to show it's displeasure with the used focus of that particular retailer.

If you think about it, it's rare in retail for used and new to be side by side. I think it's very possible that we will see the development of separate retail channels for the two types of product. In other words, used only retailers and new only retailers. Think of how the record retail business works.