The lights are on
We’re not new to the war on piracy and used games, but it appears Sony is taking a new step for prevention.
A Neogaf user found a patent application for an “Electronic Content Processing System.” Just what would this system do? It would tie game discs to specific user accounts and/or consoles. An RFID tag on any given disc would be read by the console to determine if the game had been used before on another console and/or account and would block you from playing it.
Obviously, this is an issue for those who buy used games and/or share them between friends and family. It seems that Sony is trying to cut back on piracy with the PlayStation 4 on the horizon. Still, the filing of a patent is not necessarily an indication that the technology will actually be used. Sony owns many other anti-piracy patents, like USPTO #6,782,477, which have never been used.
Thanks Aaron Quixote for the news tip!
Email the author Kimberley Wallace, or follow on Twitter, and Game Informer.
I support Sony on this I do not want to but I will
What happens when the console breaks? Would I not be able to play my games on another one?
Boo! If I buy a game I should be able to take it to a friends house and play it.
If anything, this means that we'll have to spend a few extra dollars on new games. The only solution would be for someone to invent a technology to wipe the RFID on a game disc so that when the system read it, it would appear as if nobody had used it
There was talk Microsoft was gonna do it, now there's talk of Sony doing it...guess what? It ain't gonna happen anytime soon.