Topic: DRaMa

[UncleBob]

Is anyone following all of this #PS4NoDRM hoopla?

With great amusement?

Seriously - the fact that Microsoft has came out and said they have a plan to battle used game sales would only encourage Sony in making such a decision - because what are "hard core" gamers going to do about it?  Buy a Wii U?  Yeah, right.  Sony, Microsoft, Major Publishers and the gaming media have turned the Wii U into the world's largest joke in the gaming community that gamers won't have a choice but to buy a system with all the anti-used, anti-consumer policies that are built into them.

Seriously, gamers - you're wasting your time.  What the new XBox is offering and what we'll probably see from the PS4 aren't too much removed from what PC Gaming has seen for *years*.

How funny is it that, for once, Nintendo - in spite of all their anti-consumer practices regarding downloadable software - is the one major system that won't have some kind of crazy anti-used DRM built into the system.

[ShyGuy]

If the PS4 does this as well, then I can see Gamestop closing many stores, Gamefly going out of business and both consoles selling fewer games.

I think PC gamers put up with Steam DRM for several reasons:

- PC gaming has always had a more isolated perspective than console gaming which is more communal.
- They're not tied to a single platform. PCs from many manufacturers and Windows, Mac or Linux.
- Backwards compatibility goes back near forever
- The DRM doesn't extend to physical retail copies of the games.
- Steam has tons of sales that allow them to purchase games for fraction of the original cost. I don't see this happening nearly as much on the PS4 or Xone.

[shingi_70]

 To be completely honest I don't really care and from current news it doesn't sound like it will change that much on he consumer side.  I understand Sony wanting to be the company for gamers, but not doing a DRM move would be a bone headed move in the eyes of investors.

You, the shopper, won't have to pay the activation fee for a used Xbox One game - the shop will. Therefore, the price you see on a second-hand Xbox One game in a shop is the price you'll pay to be able to play it.
That's what a high-ranking UK industry source explained to me this afternoon.
The reason there's all this confusion is because Microsoft hasn't decided what the activation fee will be yet. The £35 figure reported in the story below sounds too high - perhaps it includes the shop's sale price as well.
My source confirmed that part of that activation fee will go to a publisher and part to Microsoft.
What this means for second-hand games is that Microsoft effectively controls how much they cost, because it controls the activation fee. Whether that fee will move up or down or diminish over time isn't clear. But it does mean second-hand games will probably be more expensive than they are now.

This effetely means Microsoft would own and control the used game market getting a cut of the profits no matter if a customer buys used or new at a retailer. (obviously getting a bigger chunck of money). Sony has much more to gain from joining in on the DRM fest than leaving it away. I don't think Steambox or Wii U will be much of a factor going forward. (at least steambox won't).
 
 
 

[TJ Spyke]

This issue was discussed on the recent CAGcast, and they brought up a good point. No way will Sony give up a chance to make money from used game sales, especially if Microsoft ends up doing it well and making good money from it. Heck, it's the reason Sony introduced PlayStation Plus (and why they will likely add more services to it to make people more likely to subscribe to it).

[pokepal148]

i know how i'm going to enjoy this