In my opinion another mistake by Sony

[Aimless]

BTW, I remember reading somewhere awhile ago that Japan tried to stop the pre-owned video gaming market since it made the video gaming markets sales drop. Anyone know anything about this?

Off the top of my head, I think it's 'illegal' to sell second-hand games, and game boxes sport a notice on the back stipulating such. As I'm sure you'll notice next time you're in Akihabara buying some second-hand games.

 

It isn't just independant retailers that rely on the trade-in market, without it the likes of Game and GameStation would have fallen to the internet a long time ago.

 

With preowned sales shops are essentially profiting from a sale twice:

1) They sell a game for £50 — making however much profit it is these days.

2) The person later trades in said game, for which the retailer pays £25.

3) The shop resells the title at £40 — having their employees encourage consumers to trump for a cheaper preowned copy over new stock — which nets them £15 profit. The publishers and developers don't get a cut of this money.

 

This is why, ostensibly, the second-hand market damages developers and publishers. And, to be honest, I can see why Sony would like to see an end to the practise, at least in the more mainstream retailers.

 

Oh, and the press release Dante linked didn't say they weren't planning to block second-hand sales, it said that there was no hardware-based reason to stop you from playing second-hand games. Sony's arrogance isn't entirely misplaced — they are the market leader — and if they leaned on Game et al with threats of cutting stock if they didn't revise their policy on second-hand sales...

 

Anyway, I'd no doubt go on longer if it weren't 4AM. I hope I've managed to throw some insight into the fray if nothing else.

[Marshmellow]

wow, thats messed up 7/8 of my games for my 360 are being borrowed from friends lol a lot of people in my town are saying they are waiting for a PS3 imma go knock on thier doors and tell em no way now HAHA

[BlueStar]

Not the first time the games industry has made such noises.

 

http://www.mcvuk.com/newsitem.php?id=655

[Babooo]

Fucking hell....if this turns out to be true, I really really doubt I'll get a PS3.

 

But it hasn't actually been confirmed properly yet has it??

[Ashley]

I kind of blame the hype started by MCV as they keep moaning about pre-owned games losing the industry out on money too. However, the game has to originally be bought anyway, thus making Sony (or whoever money).

 

And I quote a Sony rep (well not exactly as it was a while ago) "People use trade-ins as tender. A lot of people wouldn't be able to afford new games if it wasn't for trade-ins." Thus meaning if they can't trade in, they just won't be able to buy new games at all.

 

It isn't just independant retailers that rely on the trade-in market, without it the likes of Game and GameStation would have fallen to the internet a long time ago.

 

With preowned sales shops are essentially profiting from a sale twice:

1) They sell a game for £50 — making however much profit it is these days.

2) The person later trades in said game, for which the retailer pays £25.

3) The shop resells the title at £40 — having their employees encourage consumers to trump for a cheaper preowned copy over new stock — which nets them £15 profit. The publishers and developers don't get a cut of this money.

 

This is why, ostensibly, the second-hand market damages developers and publishers. And, to be honest, I can see why Sony would like to see an end to the practise, at least in the more mainstream retailers.

 

Yes but looking at it another way. If Game wasn't allowed to sell second hand games, their gross would go down, and then they simply wouldn't be able to afford to purchase more games, and so wouldn't be able to sell as much etc etc etc. This then leads to several smaller Game stores shutting down. However, as Game is the largest gaming retailer in the UK, it will also have an affect on Sony.

 

I know I know I know that "everyone buys from the internet now" but thats not true. The PS3 is meant to be "for everyone", meaning parents will be, in large, buying from shops while at work, or shopping around town for nappies and other crap kids need.

[Ten10]

Yes, but there still remains s second hand games market on the psp, ds, wii and xbox360 front, so they will still thrive. Not to mention the ps2 isn't dying anytime soon.

[Mikey]

If games weren't so over priced, then I'd buy more new games for sure. Games shouldn't cost any more than £20 I reckon.

[Owen]

So is this not going to happen then?

 

It's just this information keeps popping up! I'm pretty sure it will turn out to be true!

 

Such a horrible idea.

 

I hardly buy preowned games, but i do like to sell the games i've either completed or got sick of to buy a new one!

 

Hopefully Sony will rethink this stupid idea and lower the price of the console to £389.99 or something....(which isn't going to happen).

 

Oh is the PS3 still region-free? I'm surprised there doing that.....

[Mikey]

I buy loads of pre owned games. I can afford new ones, but I don't buy them that much any more because they aren't worth it. Look at EA games for an example. The same damn game over and over every year slightly updated. Screw that.

[BlueStar]

Wonder if they'll utilise this patent?

 

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27568

 

A PATENT may allow Sony to ensure that no game would be playable from any console other than the one in which it was first read.

 

Joystiq is reporting that this patent is the source of the many rumours that will mean as much to gamers as DRM is for music fans.

 

The technology would allow an authentication code to be read and then rendered unreadable, making the software unplayable on any machine but the one which first read it.

[Sonic238]

that's because of blu-ray. sony will be doing this with movies too.

 

go ahead and have a fun time. i don't think the intelligent consumers are jumping on that bandwagon.

[Babooo]

Looks like I'll be getting a Wii and a 360 then.

[solitanze]

Excellent, its all falling into place... [Evil laughter]

[DCK]

Heh, this would also mean that when your PS3 breaks down, you have to fork over $600 for a new one and rebuy every PS3 game you own, because your games only work on your broken PS3. All your save games are gone too.

[Haver]

http://www.revo-europe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2003&highlight=second+hand+sony

 

We've been through this before. It's bollocks.

 

I would like to clarify that this is false speculation and that PlayStation 3 software will not be copy protected to a single machine but will be playable on any PlayStation 3 console.

 

Source: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2005/11/15/sonys_clampdown_on_secondhand_games_updated.html

[DiemetriX]

OLD news VS NEW news.

 

Personaly I don't Sony is that stupid.

[Haver]

Well, that statement seems pretty concrete to me.

[Aimless]

If Game wasn't allowed to sell second hand games, their gross would go down, and then they simply wouldn't be able to afford to purchase more games, and so wouldn't be able to sell as much etc etc etc. This then leads to several smaller Game stores shutting down. However, as Game is the largest gaming retailer in the UK, it will also have an affect on Sony.

 

I know I know I know that "everyone buys from the internet now" but thats not true. The PS3 is meant to be "for everyone", meaning parents will be, in large, buying from shops while at work, or shopping around town for nappies and other crap kids need.

As I said, even the major retailers survive on trade-ins. If these sales were to be disallowed, then an entirely new business model would be in order. One made in tandem with publishers, whereby games' values deprecate over time — think of the Platinum range but with a few more levels of value, such as £10 or even £5 ranges — might be a good choice, as if there's going to be no second-hand from Game et al then consumers aren't going to fork out £50 for a launch title two years after release, they'll head to an independant or eBay instead. This would also keep games in print, meaning that you'd still be able to buy said launch title more a few months after its release in the first place.

 

To be frank, I care a lot more about games then I do the retailers that stock them. I'll leave the business solutions to people with degrees and a real understanding of everything that happens behind the scenes.

[BlueStar]

http://www.revo-europe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2003&highlight=second+hand+sony

 

We've been through this before. It's bollocks.

 

 

 

Source: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2005/11/15/sonys_clampdown_on_secondhand_games_updated.html

 

Interesting, but she only refer to the protection system not if Sony would prevent retailers selling second hand games.

[DiemetriX]

A report from website GamesRadar claiming that it will be illegal to sell used software for the PS3 has been officially denied by Sony today, with a spokesperson telling GamesIndustry.biz that it is "false speculation."

 

GamesRadar yesterday reported that Sony was warning high street retailers that the sale of pre-owned games would be illegal due to the licensing terms of PS3 software, which would mean that discs technically remained the property of Sony.

 

However, a Sony Computer Entertainment UK spokesperson today outright denied that any such message had been conveyed to retailers - telling GamesIndustry.biz that following conversations with the firm's European parent company, neither division has "any knowledge" of such a strategy.

 

"We have definitely not been communicating that," UK spokesperson Jennie Kong confirmed. "It's false speculation. We don't have any further knowledge about this topic - either officially or unofficially, to be frank."

 

It would appear that the report is based on the resurrection of a much earlier rumour in this regard, which surfaced most recently last November with claims that PS3 software would "bind" to the first machine it was played on, and would be unusable on any other system.

 

At the time, Sony completely debunked the rumour - telling UK newspaper The Guardian in no uncertain terms that: "PlayStation 3 software will not be copy protected to a single machine but will be playable on any PlayStation 3 console."

[Mikey]

Sony can't make up their own laws and make it illegal can they?

[The3rdChildren]

This pre-owned block they're rumoured to be imposing will be their death, mark my words.

[rokhed00]

A report from website GamesRadar claiming that it will be illegal to sell used software for the PS3 has been officially denied by Sony today, with a spokesperson telling GamesIndustry.biz that it is "false speculation."

 

GamesRadar yesterday reported that Sony was warning high street retailers that the sale of pre-owned games would be illegal due to the licensing terms of PS3 software, which would mean that discs technically remained the property of Sony.

 

However, a Sony Computer Entertainment UK spokesperson today outright denied that any such message had been conveyed to retailers - telling GamesIndustry.biz that following conversations with the firm's European parent company, neither division has "any knowledge" of such a strategy.

 

"We have definitely not been communicating that," UK spokesperson Jennie Kong confirmed. "It's false speculation. We don't have any further knowledge about this topic - either officially or unofficially, to be frank."

 

It would appear that the report is based on the resurrection of a much earlier rumour in this regard, which surfaced most recently last November with claims that PS3 software would "bind" to the first machine it was played on, and would be unusable on any other system.

 

At the time, Sony completely debunked the rumour - telling UK newspaper The Guardian in no uncertain terms that: "PlayStation 3 software will not be copy protected to a single machine but will be playable on any PlayStation 3 console."

 

 

The way Sony back track on official statements that's more of a confirmation than a denial.

[mcj metroid]

 

Hmm...that reminds me...

 

 

 

 

Yep, Unforunately Sony have a habit of not giving a toss what anyone thinks of them. Of course what you can do is not buy a PS3 and instead buy a 360 and a Wii, which is what I will be doing.

Hey ROB did no harm to noyone but this sony thing is a joke,a sick joke because im not fucking laughing!