Used Game Penalty Escalates With SOCOM 4 325
Technologizer reports on this unwelcome development for used game buyers:
"SOCOM 4: US Navy Seals charts a new course in punishing used game buyers, and it’s at once better and worse than the status quo of $10 online passes. As described on the official Playstation Blog, SOCOM 4 will let all players access the game’s multiplayer portion — as it should, because online play has always been SOCOM’s main attraction — but used game buyers will miss out on special guns, game types, and other perks to be added later. To get these features with a used copy of the game, you’ll have to buy a $15 activation code. Sony’s spinning this bundle of features, dubbed 'SOCOM Pro,' as an enhancement for new game buyers, rather than a drawback for used copies. It’s semantics, sure, but it’s also the direction in which these used game restrictions should be going."
Re:I call BS! (Score:2, Interesting)
Come on. Who would pay GM to 'unlock' a car stereo system when you just purchased a pre-owned car?
No, but you'll pay somebody for a new warranty since the original is probably non-transferable.
Whether this is fair or not... (Score:4, Interesting)
Used games exist. This means they were sold by someone, at some point, who owned it first hand. I'm curious how many first-hand buyers would be less likely to buy a game that has a largely diminished resell value?
Re:DLC is symptomatic of a larger problem (Score:4, Interesting)
Game prices may be rising, but only in "developed" markets.
In the emerging markets, game prices are actually falling
Re:So what. (Score:4, Interesting)
>>The First Sale Doctrine really chaps their asses
We really need Congress to step up enforcement of the First Sale Doctrine.
Perhaps a Constitutional Amendment, even.
Re:So what. (Score:5, Interesting)
How is this any different than PC games that have CD keys that you need to install, and that you key in when you register them?
When it was just that, it wasn't a problem. Most of my old games would happily install on your machine if I sold you the disc and you typed in the key. The keys were stickers on the jewel cases, and there was none of this draconian "You can only install this game 5 times, and only on Tuesdays"
How is this any different than me selling my MMO CDs to a friend and then laughing when he can not get online?
Because it's not a subscription service that you could download the client for free anyway unless someone scammed you as in your example? You're comparing apples and steaks here.
The game basically is giving you access to an online profile, that when you sell off the disk, if you want your own new online profile, you have to pay $15 for.
How do I access that profile once I sell the game? I bought it, right?
How is this any different than just about every other game with online components?
It's not *now*. And therein lies the problem. It's an end run around the first sale doctrine by basically saying, "We didn't sell you that, we "licensed" it to you". Imagine if you couldn't buy a used car without paying Ford a "transfer fee" for the keys.
Personally ... I've never sold a game in my life, or bought one used for that matter ... the few bucks just isn't worth the hassle. But many, many people do - because they can't afford to buy everything they want new. There is a fairly huge secondary market with console games, and the game companies want to eliminate it because they somehow think people will magically have more money to spend.