Sony patent aims to block used games
Yuliya Geikhman January 5, 2013 - 3:11 amA patent filed by Sony may indicate that the company aims to block used games on the PS4.
We love pre-owned games because they’re cheaper, but game companies hate them because… well, because they’re cheaper. Sony may have found a solution to the battle against used games. A new patent spotted by MCVUK reveals a way to block a game disc from being used by different people.
Using the proposed technology, the console would “tag” the game disc with various information including whether the game the game has been played on a another console or under a different PSN account before. The patent states that this is a way around requiring the user to be online to send activation codes or while playing since it doesn’t require internet access at all.
The patent also explains that blocking used game sales is for the benefit of developers, who “would lose their profits otherwise gained in the first place” when you buy a new game. There’s always a chance that the technology will be used in a way that won’t block the game altogether, but rather restrict certain parts. However Sony chooses to implement it, we’re likely to see some form of this on the PS4. If we do, it will hurt the used game retail market… and our wallets.
