Sony patents pre-owned blocking technology
Well, it's now fact rather than rumour. Sony are looking into some sort of technology to block playing pre-owned games on their consoles.
There have been numerous rumours that the next generation of home consoles would block the playing of pre-owned games and Sony now have filed a patent for technology would do just that.
The new technology seems to link brand new games either with a specific console or a PSN account effectively locking it to one user (similar to many DRM measures seen in PC games).
This would be a big step for console manufacturers in what has become a street-fight between them and high street retailers who see a large amount of revenue from the sale of pre-owned games while the developers and publishers get nothing aside from the fees for and DLC or online passes that are bought.
It would also bring up a lot of issues around consumer rights to sell on items they have purchased, something that would cause many protracted legal battles especially in the US.
Thanks MCV.