Edge reports durango to block used games!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[IHatedSega]

http://kotaku.com/5982097/report-the...s?popular=true

A new Edge report suggests that Microsoft's next Xbox gaming console, code-named Durango, will require an Internet connection to use. It also won't be able to play used games, Edge says.

We have not been able to confirm the veracity of this new report, which claims that Durango discs will ship with one-time-use activation codes that render them irrelevant to anyone but the person who first uses them.

Edge also says that the next Xbox will use Blu-ray discs, ship with a new version of Kinect, and hold an AMD eight-core CPU that runs at 1.6GHz and 8 gigabytes of DDR3 RAM.

Early last year, Kotaku reported that the next Xbox will use Blu-ray discs, ship with Kinect 2.0, and contain some sort of anti-used game protection.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/the-...nd-new-kinect/

Microsoft’s next console will require an Internet connection in order to function, ruling out a second-hand game market for the platform. A new iteration of Xbox Live will be an integral part of Microsoft’s next console, while improved Kinect hardware will also ship alongside the unit.

Sources with first-hand experience of Microsoft’s next generation console have told us that although the next Xbox will be absolutely committed to online functionality, games will still be made available to purchase in physical form. Next Xbox games will be manufactured on 50GB-capacity Blu-ray discs, Microsoft having conceded defeat to Sony following its ill-fated backing of the HD-DVD format. It is believed that games purchased on disc will ship with activation codes, and will have no value beyond the initial user.

Our source has also confirmed that the next Xbox’s recently rumoured specs are entirely accurate. That means an AMD eight-core x64 1.6GHz CPU, a D3D11.x 800MHz graphics solution and 8GB of DDR3 RAM. As of now, the console’s hard drive capacity is said to be undecided, but Microsoft’s extended commitment to online delivery suggests that it will be the largest unit it has put inside a console to date.

Though the architectures of the next-gen Xbox and PlayStation both resemble that of PCs, several development sources have told us that Sony’s solution is preferable when it comes to leveraging power. Studios working with the next-gen Xbox are currently being forced to work with only approved development libraries, while Sony is encouraging coders to get closer to the metal of its box. Furthermore, the operating system overhead of Microsoft’s next console is more oppressive than Sony’s equivalent, giving the PlayStation-badged unit another advantage.

Unlike Nintendo, Microsoft is continuing to invest heavily in motion-control interfaces, and a new, more reliably responsive Kinect will also ship alongside the next Xbox. Sony’s next-generation console camera system is said to have a similar set of features, and is expected to be discussed at the company’s PlayStation event on February 20.

[The Adventurer]

As someone who has been using Steam for nearly 10 years to buy new games, nor makes a habit of trading games in, I don't really see a particular problem with this. What all this anti-used game trend seems to be geared to is pushing players to buying digital downloads over physical media. Because undoubtedly the NEXT general will be discless. So you better get used to it.

[Kitsune Sniper]

As someone who has been using Steam for nearly 10 years to buy new games, nor makes a habit of trading games in, I don't really see a particular problem with this. What all this anti-used game trend seems to be geared to is pushing players to buying digital downloads over physical media. Because undoubtedly the NEXT general will be discless. So you better get used to it.

And then they can price gouge us by selling us system-locked hard drives instead of letting us use our own (which the PS3 does... even if it has all that stupid DRM on it.) AND price gouge us on game downloads too since there won't be any competition or chances for clearance sales.

Congratulations, I am now a PC gamer for life. You'll take away my used games, but you'll never take away my DRM Free game purchases and cracks.

[Griking]

Congratulations, I am now a PC gamer for life.

As a life long PC gamer this always makes me happy to read.

[WCP]

Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this whole thing.


This does appear to be the beginning of the end in regards to the rights we have as consumers of video games. The rights that we have, with physical games on the current platforms is something that so many of us take for granted. I can go to Craigslist or Ebay, and find a used copy of Halo 4. I can buy it, play it for as long as I want, and sell it off to somebody else. I can give it to my cousin. I can give it to a nephew. I can go to Redbox or Blockbuster and rent a game. I can have a rental service with GameFly. All of this, is eventually going to become a distant memory.

So, yeah... That part sucks.


On the other hand, there is the total and complete downfall of GameStop....




Man... which to choose , lol ?

[retroguy]

WCP, the gaming community is already full of elitist snobs (sorry, but it's true). All Gamestop has ever done is level the playing field (no pun intended) so that normal people can have just as much fun with it as the rich kids. If Gamestop goes away, elitist snobs will be the only gamers left and, at least as far as I'm concerned, it won't be a hobby worth pursuing because even if you shell out the cash for a new console and games, you'll be surrounded by jerks all the time. Who in their right mind would want that? Not me.

[Gamevet]

Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this whole thing.


This does appear to be the beginning of the end in regards to the rights we have as consumers of video games. The rights that we have, with physical games on the current platforms is something that so many of us take for granted. I can go to Craigslist or Ebay, and find a used copy of Halo 4. I can buy it, play it for as long as I want, and sell it off to somebody else. I can give it to my cousin. I can give it to a nephew. I can go to Redbox or Blockbuster and rent a game. I can have a rental service with GameFly. All of this, is eventually going to become a distant memory.

So, yeah... That part sucks.


On the other hand, there is the total and complete downfall of GameStop....




Man... which to choose , lol ?

That also includes the luxury of being able to take a game to a friend's house for play. Will you be able to do it, if you log in on your friend's console?

[retroguy]

Not trying to troll, but I told you so. WiiU FTW!

[IHatedSega]

Not trying to troll, but I told you so. WiiU FTW!

Ive been expecting this whole time the Wii U would be the next console Id buy.

Im against cloud gaming as the future. This antisecond hand gaming is nothing but greed, stupid blind greed. You can say "Well, the people who bought our games used didnt matter anyway", but your games would be more popular if MORE PEOPLE PLAYED THEM. People buy used because they simply cant afford $60 for one game. For you to say "either buy or game at the price we want, or dont play our game at all." Is so stupid and people will simply choose another product over yours.

This is definitely going to lead to gaming being less popular if Sony also implements its patents to also stop second hand games being played on the PS4.

[Bojay1997]

Ive been expecting this whole time the Wii U would be the next console Id buy.

Im against cloud gaming as the future. This antisecond hand gaming is nothing but greed, stupid blind greed. You can say "Well, the people who bought our games used didnt matter anyway", but your games would be more popular if MORE PEOPLE PLAYED THEM. People buy used because they simply cant afford $60 for one game. For you to say "either buy or game at the price we want, or dont play our game at all." Is so stupid and people will simply choose another product over yours.

This is definitely going to lead to gaming being less popular if Sony also implements its patents to also stop second hand games being played on the PS4.

As noted in all of the other threads about these rumors, people are already paying $55 or so for used games from Gamestop, so asking people to pay the full $60 is not really that much of a stretch. That doesn't even include all the sales and discounts that retailers apply on a regular basis which results in many games selling well below $60. Publishers can also adjust MSRPs and respond quickly to sales numbers and set prices accordingly, especially if they are getting 100% of revenue instead of losing a significant portion to use sales. The reality is that unless something changes fundamentally in the business model, console gaming is not something that can survive long-term, especially in the face of more and more powerful mobile and set-top devices with massive libraries of cheap games.

[Bojay1997]

Not trying to troll, but I told you so. WiiU FTW!

I have a WiiU and I'll be honest and say I haven't played it since Christmas. The game selection is poor and third party support is virtually non-existent. I'm hopeful that better games will come out in the future, but for now I'm not sure how anyone could be a strong advocate for the platform.

[IHatedSega]

Third Parties are going to have to go to the Wii U if they want their games to be sold. This thing single handedly kills the Durango. Besides Bayonetta 2 is coming out soon. :D

[Bojay1997]

Third Parties are going to have to go to the Wii U if they want their games to be sold. This thing single handedly kills the Durango. Besides Bayonetta 2 is coming out soon.

Not gonna happen. If sales collapse on the next Xbox and Playstation, publishers will simply move to other platforms like mobile, iOS and PC where there are massive user bases. Bayonetta was a great game, but it won't move hardware in the United States.

[The 1 2 P]

You'll take away my used games, but you'll never take away my DRM Free game purchases and cracks.

I read that totally hoping you were going to end with a Braveheart-esque " but you'll never take my FREEDOMMMMMMMMM" monologue. Maybe next time.

Not trying to troll, but I told you so. WiiU FTW!

Third Parties are going to have to go to the Wii U if they want their games to be sold. This thing single handedly kills the Durango. Besides Bayonetta 2 is coming out soon.

I think you two are overestimating the WiiU. I have a feeling that even if the Next Box and PS4 didn't allow used games they would both still outsell the WiiU, atleast here in the US. I'm going to give all three the benefit of the doubt but the WiiU doesn't seem to be exciting gamers the way past Nintendo systems have. From all the feedback I've gotten(based on my personal experience of course) gamers are more excited about the PS4/Next Box and neither have even been announced yet. I'm not completly counting Nintendo out yet but I don't see the WiiU being another run-away success for Nintendo.

[skaar]

Third Parties are going to have to go to the Wii U if they want their games to be sold. This thing single handedly kills the Durango. Besides Bayonetta 2 is coming out soon.

You speak with your emotions and not your brain.

[retroguy]

I have a WiiU and I'll be honest and say I haven't played it since Christmas. The game selection is poor and third party support is virtually non-existent. I'm hopeful that better games will come out in the future, but for now I'm not sure how anyone could be a strong advocate for the platform.

Well, even though I'm a huge Nintendo fan, I was skeptical of it at first. But when I tried Nintendo Land at my sister's house and saw how the gamepad could be used for entirely fresh takes on old gameplay concepts, as well as having the potential for brand new concepts that haven't been thought of yet, I was seriously impressed. If the purpose of that game was to sell people on the system, it worked. And seeing videos of ZombiU and New Super Mario Bros U makes me want one even more. I'm hoping I'll be able to save up and get one for my birthday, but time will tell.

[TonyTheTiger]

If it happens then it happens. We'll see how it plays out. What is it, like the 50th time a rumor like this has circled? At this point I kind of wish it'll just happen so we can see the actual results.

Digital distribution isn't so much a bad thing (in fact, it can be extremely good) as it is highly dependent on just a couple of variables to maintain equilibrium, unlike physical media which has at least a few more elements protecting the institution from total collapse. Steam managed to strike a great balance, successfully managing convenient distribution along with customer satisfaction and should probably be the model for future endeavors.

It's just that digital distribution can suffer in ways physical media can't. No matter how many roms a person downloads, they'll never own the cartridge (barring advancements in 3D printing, at least). There's at least a psychological benefit that comes from real ownership preventing everyone from becoming pirates. You don't want to get to the point where people start to feel that paying for something doesn't net them any gain over outright piracy, which generally doesn't repel people as the idea of physical theft might. If your $60 game gets you exactly the same thing as my free game, well, it's a tough sell once the digital locks in place are inevitably circumvented and the five finger discount is anonymously available at the push of a button.

What's worse is if people have a reason to feel like piracy is the better option for more than just financial reasons. Then there's going to be hell to pay in the long run. Continuing with physical media at the very least maintains the status quo which can prevent the formation of united efforts to undermine the system due to outrage, justified or not. Ex: the PS3 probably wouldn't be nearly as compromised if not for the OtherOS debacle. And at least with physical media there are other forces at play which keep your average PR nightmare from leading to mass thievery. If there's something about the infrastructure that's off-putting in just the right (wrong?) way to cause the pot to boil over, it'll become a free for all. Righteous indignation is one of the most powerful human emotions. Entire governments have fallen to it.

I think that's the real flaw of digital distribution. As good as it can be, it's also extremely volatile. And the mere delivery method is unlikely to increase or decrease consumer activity in any meaningful way. The fantasy publishers seem to have is that it's a panacea to their revenue woes when it's really a game of whack-a-mole. They see a problem and they blame used games so they "cure" that. But it's not going to solve much of anything because tomorrow they'll have the same problem and they'll try a different cure. And so on. To me, digital distribution is no better or worse. It's just different, with its own benefits and flaws.

[Jack_Burton_BYOAC]

As someone who has been using Steam for nearly 10 years to buy new games, nor makes a habit of trading games in, I don't really see a particular problem with this. What all this anti-used game trend seems to be geared to is pushing players to buying digital downloads over physical media. Because undoubtedly the NEXT general will be discless. So you better get used to it.

Or... if enough people get pissed off and refuse to buy the thing, they might wise up.

[danawhitaker]

As someone who has been using Steam for nearly 10 years to buy new games, nor makes a habit of trading games in, I don't really see a particular problem with this. What all this anti-used game trend seems to be geared to is pushing players to buying digital downloads over physical media. Because undoubtedly the NEXT general will be discless. So you better get used to it.

Hmm. Nope. I'm not going to get used to it. I'll simply choose not to consume the product I guess. Why does the game industry think they're so special when it comes to second-hand products? I don't see the car manufacturers moaning around about people buying used cars. Lots of people buy used books (look at stores like Half-Price Books). Lots of people buy used DVDs/Blu-ray discs. You don't see the Gap crying around about people buying their used clothing at thrift stores. Imagine this world if second-hand markets didn't exist for anything at all. I doubt there's anyone on this forum who likes the idea who doesn't have at least one second-hand product. Heck, imagine if all houses had to be new, and you couldn't buy a house that had already been built. Of course every company would prefer you pay for a brand new item rather than buying it used. But that's not only wasteful, it's unreasonable to expect. Buying second-hand products is a way for people to acquire things they want or need and still be able to afford other necessities.

One of the biggest problems I see with this idea is what happens fifteen years down the line, when this console becomes "classic". It will be difficult if not impossible to acquire games without resorting to paying the (what I'm sure would be) inflated prices they'd want on their download servers. For those of us who prefer physical copies, we'd have to be seeking out sealed copies with intact activation codes - and that of course assumes those activation codes would still be valid, and that the activation servers would be up and running for eternity. I value still being able to play my older consoles, and that's a freedom I don't ever want to give up. There's also the fact that sometimes, even after a few years on the market, a new copy of a game will be nearly impossible to track down. I had that problem with Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii. No one had it new, not even stores that only sell games new. I could have bought it online, but I wanted to purchase it from a physical store. So, I had to go the used route.

Now, while I don't agree with piracy, I also do not agree with the arguments that anti-piracy people love to make. Just because someone buys an item second-hand doesn't mean they ever would have paid full-price for that item in the first place. I know this has been the case for me with some games. I either wait until they go dirt-cheap on sale, or I buy them used at Gamestop. I'm a single parent, gaming is one of my few hobbies, and I like to stretch my budget as much as I can. I can still remember when new games would cost about $40, now they're generally up to $60 (plus any download content they want to milk you for, if you're into that). And exposure to products through second-hand means allows people to discover new content they necessarily wouldn't have been able to otherwise, and means they might start investing in newer stuff, and recommending games to their friends, who in turn will also buy them.

This move, along with the always-online component, is a deal-breaker for me. It basically turns console gaming into PC gaming, and if I wanted to game on my PC, I would. When I played World of Warcraft actively, and my internet connection would go down or would become unstable, I'd turn to my console. I do not want to be in the position of not being able to play my console games just because my internet connection is down. That's ridiculous. I should not need to be connected to the internet to play single-player offline games like Angry Birds Trilogy, or the single-player mode of Band Hero. That is the game industry trying to over-reach and control how I use my devices, and I want no part of that. I love the internet, but single-player games should not need an always-on connection to function. Diablo 3 failed hardcore in this regard. I played it a lot when I got it for "free" with a one year commitment to World of Warcraft. I had some issues with my internet connection over the summer after getting it at certain times of day that were hard to track down and fix, and whenever I would get disconnected, it would screw up whatever I'd been doing. It made me not even want to play (well, so did the game itself, but that's another story for another thread).

[The Adventurer]

Hmm. Nope. I'm not going to get used to it. I'll simply choose not to consume the product I guess. Why does the game industry think they're so special when it comes to second-hand products?

They aren't special. All media is heading this way; from books, to magazines, to comics, to movies, to TV shows, to Video Games. Its just the way the economics are moving in the entertainment industry as a whole. Obsessing about the storage medium of a game being integral to the gaming experience is about as short sighted as saying the most important part about reading is being able to smell the book.