Industry analyst Michael “Bumblecrumbs” Pachter has responded to rumors that Sony’s next generation PlayStation will block used games, believing that the pros are far outweighed by the cons. According to the smooth operator, retailers won’t stock such a threatening device, and the console will suffer.
“It isn’t really in Sony’s or Microsoft’s best interests to block used games,” he explained. “It would benefit Activision and EA slightly, and would hurt GameStop a great deal. If Sony unilaterally did this, I could see GameStop refusing to carry their console, and sales of the PS4 would therefore suffer.”
Pachter believes all three platform holders would need to implement these measures in order for it to work, adding that none of them are “stupid enough to do this unilaterally” or “evil enough to do it together”. DFC Intelligence’s David Cole and IDC’s Lewis Ward both agree, believing customers and retailers alike would rebel against the move.
I’m with the analysts on this one. Allowing publishers to use online passes at their discretion is one thing, but implementing a universal system on a console would be a direct attack against retailers, one that likely won’t go unanswered. While I never say never, I will say that a console blocking used games is a stupid idea, and I find it unlikely that any of the “big three” could be quite that demented.
GameStop could refuse to stock PlayStation Orbis, says Pachter [GI.biz]
