Sony is testing the waters! DRM on new PSP title!

[yoshi314]

this could eventually become bad business for gamestop and for other used video game resellers if DRM becomes a standard for console games.

the biggest threat to game sales right now, except for piracy, is a second-hand game market. that's what game developers say, at least.

digital distribution is a way to "resolve" that "problem", according to microsoft, sony and others. however, there is nothing illegal in selling your game to somebody else - at least you can get some of your money back this way.

[bigbossVII]

i don't know what the so called genius executives over at sony are thinking right now. first, the PS3 is way behind in sales versus the 360 and Wii for the 3 years.

second, the PSP GO is doing horribly in sales because game dev companies are still making games in UMD format and most of these games are not in digital format over at PSN for download (PSP handheld sales in general are down my 30 something percent at it is).

third, sony was or is still thinking about creating different paid versions of PSN when an all free version of PSN was an important sales factor that has helped PS3 sales even before the $100 price drop and release of the slim.

and now sony is thinking of integrating an extra layer of security into games (DRM) in an attempt to abolish game piracy? how is this going to help? this will definitely have harmful business repercussions for stores who strive on selling used video games. most of the games that i have purchased are used from gamestop!! i don't want to see gamestop go out of business and i sure as hell don't want to spend $65 bucks with tax for any game that i want to play if buying used video games will become harder to buy.

I feel your pain my man, I practically live in the bargain bins

[garyopa]

the biggest threat to game sales right now, except for piracy, is a second-hand game market. that's what game developers say, at least.

Yep, there is a big push from publishers, that the "second-hand game market" is being called EVIL, and is worse then the piracy is.

There is a few lobby groups like the ESA, that want to pass laws to make it illegal to rent/resell games that are open (used) at least for period of time after a game is released.

It is horrible way to go, and game publishers better be careful, or they might end up having what happen in the early '80s, a total crash of the whole market and no games, systems for a few years until it all restarted up again in a few years.

And look what they are trying on the PC:

http://gamerant.com/assassins-creed-...ne-will-10622/

Ubisoft says they will do this for all future game releases, you will need a 100% internet connection during the whole time you are playing the game even during the offline mode, and if you lost the connection at anytime you lose your progress and save point.

I see in the near future, game companies trying total 100% stream service, no hdd, no memory stick, no disc, not even digital download, just a set-top box like a digital HD cable box, and instead of ordering your PPV movie, you order the game you wish to play.

But this has been going on since the very start of the computer age, over some 30 years ago, I have lived thru it all, originally they never want people to have powerful computers in their homes, and they been trying to get back to the original plan decades ago, and now finally being able to do so slowly, now that "high-speed" networks exists, with these new future "netbooks" and "cloud-computing" where you are just a browser over a high-speed network with all software, data, etc stored on bunch of servers. -- "Ipad" is latest push towards this.

Hopefully people will continue to vote with their hard-earned dollars and complain on their loyal publisher fan sites, and stick it to those companies trying to push all this "we own the game", "you don't", "we control your console and rights", "you don't".

[noetikos]

the biggest threat to game sales right now, except for piracy, is a second-hand game market. that's what game developers say, at least.

i'm actually surprised at myself for not thoughtfully having discovered of this before. i definitely can somewhat sympathize with this dilemma for game dev companies.

then again coming from the consumer perspective, i don't think that gamers were ready to pay an additional $10 for a new game (in comparison with the older $50 plus tax price for a new game) once the next generation of consoles hit the market beginning with the 360. the second-hand game market quickly brought a price relief by selling used games.

digital distribution is a way to "resolve" that "problem", according to microsoft, sony and others.

this solution in sony's part does explain one reason why they removed the UMD capability with the GO.

yet as far as i'm concerned though, i can rightfully be selfish and say that i want to buy a physical copy of a game in order to resell it (as i wholly hold that right) so that i can reimburse myself with what i paid for the game. in either case sony will make a buck from the console that i bought to play the game.

I feel your pain my man, I practically live in the bargain bins

oh yeah i know that saving cash is important. ahh but you gotta spend some extra cash on a new game every once in a while dude. i can say this because a lot of final fantasy fans will spend that extra buck to get the new soon to be released FF13.

[_zaphod_]

The problem isn't with used games per se.

The problem is NEW USED GAMES.

The secondhand market is supposed to be for getting stuff that's NOT AVAILABLE NEW!

Good reasons to buy a game used.

1) You couldn't afford the game when it came out, and now you can't find a new copy.
2) Your media broke, and you see a good deal on a used game. you already supported the company by buying it once.
3) You really want to buy it new, and it's sold out, and there's this used copy just sitting there. The company can't keep up with demand, their fault.

Bad reasons to buy a game used.

1) the used copy is 5 bucks cheaper than the new one. The publisher just lost a sale. they make less money. the game devels make less money.
2) you can't afford the new copy, even though it's reasonably priced.

Anybody who shuns piracy but thinks nothing of buying a used game for 5 dollars cheaper when there's a new game in the store is a major hypocrite.

It is those people that have souered the publishers on the used game market.

[KrzyInuYasha]

I see in the near future, game companies trying total 100% stream service, no hdd, no memory stick, no disc, not even digital download, just a set-top box like a digital HD cable box, and instead of ordering your PPV movie, you order the game you wish to play.

The day that happens is the day i put down the controller for good or stick with all the classics. Though I'm sure it will meet the same fate and reception as this classic fail of a console that was supposed to be like the stated above.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pha...game_system%29

I feel if Sony follows through with this type of DRM for all there games they might as well quit the gaming industry. I will also not support them any more for the fact that i like the ability to load up a 16GB card with copies of all my UMD games when i travel. So if some thing should happen i only loose $300 in a console and memcard and not $800+ in a console, memcard and games.

[yoshi314]

Bad reasons to buy a game used.

1) the used copy is 5 bucks cheaper than the new one. The publisher just lost a sale. they make less money. the game devels make less money.

that's an elaborate lie.

you might say that the publisher lost the money. but no money was lost. one copy of the game changed owner. there is still one copy sold and one user playing it.

how would that be different from one person demanding a refund for his game, and the other one buying a new copy?

it's like removing your windows installation from one pc, and installing it on another - it's perfectly legal, as long as it's installed on one pc (if you have a box edition, not the OEM). would you like to buy a new licence every time you change a pc (microsoft thought of that, too) ?

2) you can't afford the new copy, even though it's reasonably priced.

that is actually a very good reason to look for a cheaper second-hand copy.

[Ceazer]

i dont think streaming games will be a good idea. i dont think we have the infrastructure here in the USA. i mean maybe in the citys this will work, but never for the peeps in the "country". the best Dsl my brother can get is 1.5 , he cant get cable at all and that just wont cut it for steaming anything. esp a 25gb game heheh. so MS and Sony are just dreaming when it comes to that, i think.

[garyopa]

Here is some good background reading links, about how the publishers are planning or have already trying various things to cut down the value of pre-owned games.

Many top publishers are now claiming "pre-own market" is worse then "piracy" now.

I wonder why PRINTED BOOK companies never try to go this route, and find a way for the ink to disappear after you have read the book, so you can't sell it your local bookshop, or during the summer on your yard sale.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/37617/Nint...pre-owned-move
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/37604/EA-c...-owned-assault
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/36802/Ricc...y-to-pre-owned

[_zaphod_]

that's an elaborate lie.

you might say that the publisher lost the money. but no money was lost. one copy of the game changed owner. there is still one copy sold and one user playing it.

how would that be different from one person demanding a refund for his game, and the other one buying a new copy?

Spoken like one who is ignorant of the modern used game market.

Here's how it goes down.

Person buys new game.

Person blows through game in 3 days.

Person brings game for significant credit towards next new game. (say 20 bucks, cuz the game is hot) He doen't want the game anymore, he beat it. He probably knew he'd beat it that fast, but didn't want to wait for it to get to the rental store. He had to beat it NOW. But now he's onto the next game.

Store sells used game for huge markup.

That's is where the publisher gets hurt. This is where the developer gets hurt.

That's what pisses them off. The existence of the used game market for current games causes noticably less sold units. It's these game stores that do this stunt, and the people that sell them their games that are causing this hate.

It harms their bottom line just as much as if the person pirated instead of buying the used game.

And yes, someone actually getting a full refund for a game they blew through fast is even more messed up. No store should grant that. Legitmate refunds are another story. The sale is actually undone then,so that's a difference.

that is actually a very good reason to look for a cheaper second-hand copy.

Maybe if you are worried the new copy will be gone when you can afford it, then yeah...