Rumour: PS3 Install Keys

[Kane Knight]

http://www.next-gen.biz/news/sony%E2%80%99s-answer-to-ps3-piracy-serial-codes

Keep in mind, this is only a RUMOUR and so I'm not posting this as fact. What I want to know, though, is what your response would be if it turned out to be true.

I'm pretty sure I'd just stop buying PS3 games. Why? Because fuck serials and CD keys, that's why.

This is a rumour that's been around before and on the heels of a big crack in the security of the PS3, I'm not surprised it's resurfacing. However, Sony has a habit of going apeshit to fight piracy, and removing OtherOS was their last brilliant idea. So it's not completely far fetched.

[Xero]

This will all be fixed next generation when the systems are based on downloads and all games are linked directly to an account.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

It's not far fetched, but it would be totally stupid. The pirates just have to not update and the theory is that with the keys, it could be downgraded still anyways. If it happens, the pirates keep on pirating and the customer loses. How can they not see that?

[Kane Knight]

It's not far fetched, but it would be totally stupid. The pirates just have to not update and the theory is that with the keys, it could be downgraded still anyways. If it happens, the pirates keep on pirating and the customer loses. How can they not see that?

Yeah, which would be mroe reasonable if companies hadn't punished legit consumers before while leaving pirates relatively unscathed.

This will all be fixed next generation when the systems are based on downloads and all games are linked directly to an account.

LOL no.

Not unless the price of broadband drops drastically, the prevalence inscreases drastically, higher average speeds become available, and so on.

Yeah, yeah, "but steeeeeeeeeam" blah blah.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

I know what you're saying and I'm not saying it's not going to happen, but there's some people out there who do not have their PS3 online. There has to be someone in that company who can see that it's the single most ridiculous thing that would ever happen in electronics.

Microsoft invited the crackers of Windows Phone 7 to their offices for a chat, give them a t-shirt and even gave GeoHot a free WP7. Sony are just making MS look like good guys.

[Kane Knight]

I'm betting there are a lot of people who don't have their PS3s online.

[Xero]

LOL no.

Not unless the price of broadband drops drastically, the prevalence inscreases drastically, higher average speeds become available, and so on.

Yeah, yeah, "but steeeeeeeeeam" blah blah.

It'll eventually happen. Maybe not next generation, but within the next ten years guaranteed. It won't stop piracy, but it will be the thing that they THINK will prevent it.

The only thing that can virtually guarantee piracy being abolished (barring someone getting a hold of the in-house stuff) is streaming games directly from a main server and connected to an account. That's farther off, probably within 25 years on a wide scale, but it will happen.

I'm just saying what I'm reasonably sure will happen. I don't really support piracy nor the way they lock down the systems. In fact, I feel that locking down the systems is terrible. Not because I want to pirate games, but I'd like people to release home brewed stuff (XBMC, as an example) and them actually being accepting of it. Which they never will be. Unless Google releases a console.

[Kane Knight]

It won't affect me because I rarely buy games 2nd hand. Infact, most 2nd hand games in stores can be found online for the same price new usually.

I can understand how it'll screw up rentals, but I never rent games either. They're already doing this with online access to multiplayer so it kind of feels like a natural progression.

If it stops dicks hacking games and deleting people's stats then I'm all for it.

Except, of course, it will affect people who buy new as well. ask people who bought Spore.

And it won't stop piracy or hacking. Especially not hacking.

It'll eventually happen. Maybe not next generation, but within the next ten years guaranteed.

Never "guarantee" something like that. As bandwidth caps are becoming more popular and restrictive, as net neutrality dies, as gaming becomes a "premium" service, as broadband penetration stagnates, it's incredibly stupid to start guaranteeing an all-DD/online model in the next decade.

In a world where all that's happening in one of the biggest gaming markets, it's unlikely we'll see a push towards DD any time soon. Not impossible, but unlikely.

[Mooияakeя™]

I get pissed off that platinum trophies require me to go online. I play online on PC, and yes, sometimes FIFA 11, but apart from that I don't. Everyone saying it's haxed to fuck now anyway.

[Jimmy Cones]

So how would renting a PS3 game work?

[#BROKEN Hasney]

It wouldn't

[Kane Knight]

So how would renting a PS3 game work?

The games industry wants to kill rentals.

They want you tpo pay full price for a 4 hour game.

[What Would Kevin Do?]

The games industry wants to kill rentals.

They want you tpo pay full price for a 4 hour game.


Yeah, which is bullshit. I love Gamefly, and IF Sony is stupid enough to do something that essentially kills off that service for me, I'll be extremely pissed. I don't know about other people, but there are a bunch of games that I want to play, but will never, ever buy. Making it impossible to rent games isn't going to make me buy more games, it's just going to make me play those other games less.

Of course, that means I won't get the occasional rental, really love the game, and buy it.

[Kane Knight]

Yeah, which is bullshit. I love Gamefly, and IF Sony is stupid enough to do something that essentially kills off that service for me, I'll be extremely pissed. I don't know about other people, but there are a bunch of games that I want to play, but will never, ever buy. Making it impossible to rent games isn't going to make me buy more games, it's just going to make me play those other games less.

Of course, that means I won't get the occasional rental, really love the game, and buy it.


To be fair, Sony's not alone here. A lot of the publishers are pushing in that direction. Sony's freaking out because they just got their "bulletproof" system cracked, so they're probably going to go further (Even if Install keys never happen), but they're not alone. The pubs hate rentals and used games and pirates (Oh my!), and they really do want you paying full price for a game you can finish in a couple hours.

They may be shooting themselves in the foot, but it doesn't seem unlikely that they would do it.