I really hope Sony doesn't follow MS's lead in regards to used games and online requirements. For one, the PS4 would stomp the XBO if they took the more consumer-friendly approach, plus, y'know, I'd like a reason to get one of them so I can play Destiny on next-gen.

: And the thing is none of Microsoft's choices will really impact me. I almost
: never buy used games. I am always online. Heck, the sharing games with
: friends or across locations actually sounds good. It's that darn 1 day and
: your investment turns off that's killing me here. If it were 1 week, I'd
: be ok with it. If they trusted their DRM and only shut off shared games,
: not games I paid good money for / installed and associated with my account
: correctly / etc then I'd be fine with it. It's the lack of trust with the
: short time frame multiplied by the lack of trust that in the games I have
: installed not being pirated…

I don't buy used often, but I do buy used nonetheless. While games are technically cheaper than ever, buying a game at full price incurs a tremendous amount of risk for someone like me who is on a fixed and limited income. still a lot of money to put up for a single purchase and thus it carries a lot of risk for the consumer. While I usually buy new, there have still been titles where I wasn’t sure I would like, and thus bought used because not only does it cost less than buying new, but more importantly you cannot get a refund for a new game once it’s opened, whereas Gamestop does allow you to return a used purchase for a full refund within a week after purchase. There's been several games that I wouldn't risk $60 on, but I was willing to buy them used because there's no risk involved in doing so. Also, even if I did buy a game new, the ability to trade in the game allows me to recoup at least some of my costs should I not want it anymore. Finally, the used games market is beneficial for customers who like older games. There are several PS2 games I bought used because they had gone out of print at the time, such as Gradius V. Games go out of print all the time, often while the system they’re on is still in production, so buying new isn’t always an option even on a current-gen system.

The only reason this is even an issue is because some butthurt developers think that used games hurt their bottom line. Of course, they're totally wrong. In any case, if a publisher is going to fuck with the status quo (as they have the option of doing on the XBO), they need to at least implement measures that replicate the reasons people buy new. This means they need to do the following:

1) Have a trade-in system that allows for customers to sell off their old games for most if not all of. Being able to recoup one's costs is a major reason there's a second-hand market to begin with. The consumer shouldn't feel like they're taking a significant financial risk when they buy a game.

2) Allow people to lend games to friends. It shouldn't be too hard to come up with some kind of authentication/license transfer system that allows someone to temporarily transfer a game from one player to another (say, for up to one week).

3) Do not allow titles to go out of print. Either continue to produce the disks or have the title available for download. In either case, the game should remain available into perpetuity.

In any case, the second-hand game market has existed for over three decades. If publishers are going to change things, they need to make it worth their customer's while. They need to respect the reasons why the second-hand market exists in the first place. If they don't, well, you piss off your customers at your own risk.