Consumer electronics retailers who market second hand games in Australia are set to lose large slabs of business later this year as both Microsoft and Sony move to stop second hand games being played on their new gaming consoles.In the past retailers such as JB Hi Fi and EB Games have used second hand games to drive sales of new games via their stores.
According to a report by Now Gamer, the associate producer at Spiders StudioWalid Miled believes that, by implementing a mechanism to prevent second-hand titles, Sony and Microsoft will “just kill every way to lower the prices for games and make them available to everyone.”
He alleged that being able to buy used games was good and wasn’t really killing the market as much as piracy.
Both Sony and Microsoft has been recently reported as to moving to new software that requires a constant online connection in order for the Xbox 720 and the new PlayStation 4 to operate, this prevents games being used by a new owner who has bought the game second hand at a retail store.
Sony also recently filed a patent that prevent second hand titles from playing on their system. Both next-generation systems are expected to be launched in Australia later this year. It is believed Sony will release information on their new expensive PS4 at a PlayStation launch event on the 20th of February.
The device is set to be tied to the Sony Entertainment Network account and will have resale value as only the original owner can connect to the network.
With the new Xbox 720, it’ll need an always-on internet connection, “meaning every single game will be verified as you fire it up.”
