With all the talk of the next wave of game consoles not allowing the use of used games, I figured it was time to sit down and think about what this will mean to the most important part of the business model: the gamers.
If you visit gaming news sites with any regularity it's likely you've come across "insider information" brought fourth by "trusted sources" saying that both the next Xbox and the next Playstation will have systems in place to prevent the playing of used games, rentals, borrowed games and anything else that might entail.
Have you ever borrowed a game from a friend to check out for a few days after he wouldn't shut up about how great it was? Well, there will be no more of that, because "we're killing the industry" by not coughing up $69 every time we want to play a game. If it turns out to be shit, well, you're fucking stuck with it, because even if you did manage to sell it somehow, the sale would be worth as much as the disc it's printed on.
Gone would be businesses like Gamefly, Game access, and their overseas counterparts. Gone too would be shops like Gamestop, EB Games, and the uses shelf at your local video store.
Renting would be made pointless since you'd have to pay to rent the game, then pay $30 (if they even offer the option) or so to activate and bind the game to your online account, which would be utterly wasted once you send it back.
You'd also need to be online every time you activate a new game, or else you simply wouldn't be able to use what you PAYED for.
Essentially, this initiative by Sony, Microsoft, and at some point probably Nintendo are all the worst parts of steam rolled into one big shit smeared package. And you'd be delusional if you think this would make for lower prices in any way, shape or form.
The games industry isn't just shooting itself in the foot with this move, it's trying to look cool by slipping the gun into the back of its trousers and blowing its ass cheeks off.
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