Xbox 720 Might Reject Used Games

silentbrad writes "Online passes are a recent staple in staving off used sales. Limiting what used buyers can access is a protective measure for publishers, much to the chagrin of parts of the gaming community. Chris Kohler of Wired argues that the death of used games is inevitable, and passes are the first step toward something exactly like a native anti-used game something integrated into consoles. He notes, of course, that digital is the future of buying games, but in the meantime we may be looking at 'an interim period in which the disc as a delivery method is still around but ... becomes more like a PC game, which are sold with one-time-use keys that grant one owner a license to play the game on his machine.' Also at Kotaku, the source for the Wired article (which is the source for the IGN article)."

Re:What about Sony et al?

[rtfa-troll]

Why is the headline of this article focussed on Microsoft and the Xbox 720? Surely this is pure conjecture and can just as easily be applied to *any* PC or console game? I haven't RTFA as it'll be a load of made-up crap by the author.

Yes; it does seem that reading is a skill beyond many of the people stepping up to defend Microsoft from this accusation. From the fine article:

“I’ve heard from one reliable industry source that Microsoft intends to incorporate some sort of anti-used game system as part of their so-called Xbox 720,” Kotaku’s Steven Totilo wrote on Wednesday morning.

and I Might Reject the Xbox 720

[kni52]

Actually i will if this is the way it will behave. The same goes for any console that does this kind of thing. I buy most of my games used, and keep my gaming systems for as long as they last. I stay away from any game that links to online services or verification in order to function properly. If i want a time-limited gaming experience, I'll visit one of the few arcades that are left (which I do whenever I'm near one).

Re:What about Sony et al?

[tepples]

Microsoft is the enduring force for truth, justice, and the American way - in the console market. Sony is the devilish corporatist plutocrat outfit in this sector that we love to hate.

Might this difference in reputation have something to do with the presence of Xbox Live Indie Games vs. the removal of an advertised feature and lawsuits against those who would restore it?

Re:Steam ain't any better

[Bucky24]

"only games that have been bought as a gift, and thus have never been played, can be traded."
From https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=6748-ETSG-5417#howtotrade [steampowered.com]

Re:Steam ain't any better

[grumbel]

To quote from the page you linked:

Does Steam Trading mean I can sell my used games?

No, only games that have been bought as a gift, and thus have never been played, can be traded. Once the Steam Gift is opened and added to your game library, you won’t be able to trade it again.

Re:You know why they call it Xbox 720

[Anonymous Coward]

I would like to see numbers on how true this is. I don't think a lot of people buy games with the intent of trading it in later.

What are you dumb? 100% of the existing used games were new at one point. I assume you can do the arithmetic from there.

You want to know what will happen? Console games will be devalued just like PC games currently are, where a massive number of buyers will wait for deeply discounted sales on most of their new title purchases. Since game companies overwhelmingly rely on initial sales numbers to gauge the financial success of a game (and decide whether to can the entire studio or not) this is going to screw with them far more than gamers.

Also, cut and pasting an Amazon.com really long, annoying code into Steam or Origin is a heck of a lot less annoying than typing one in using a XBox 360 or PS3 controller. I don't actually see a lot of people putting up with this.

Re:You know why they call it Xbox 720

[Anonymous Coward]

I understand what you're trying to say but these numbers are so exaggerated its not really helping the argument at all. A lot of game stores, including amazon, give fairly decent value for games you trade back into a store. For example, Modern Warfare 3 is currently still 27 to trade into amazon, and even a game like oblivion is still 4.50 this many years down the road. Many stores will still pay 30 or so for brand new titles, and then a lot of times offer 10, 20 and 30% increase in trade values if you trade more than 1 title.