One of the biggest worries of the next-generation is the inability to play second-hand games. While the verdict is still out on Microsoft’s as-yet-unannounced console, Sony told Eurogamer that the PS4 will not attempt to block any used software.
Eurogamer spoke to Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida and asked if he agreed that someone who buys a disc should have the right to use that how they want, including passing it along.
“Yes. That’s the general expectation by consumers,” said Yoshida. “They purchase physical form, they want to use it everywhere, right? So that’s my expectation.”
Yoshida’s comments had to be translated from Japanese, but others have corroborated the story, and it seems that Sony’s official line is that the PS4 will in no way hinder the use of second-hand games.
While the company will allows used PS4 games to run on the console without problems, we reported earlier that the PS4 will not be backwards compatible in the traditional sense. Instead, it will rely on streaming services from Gaikai to make it so that the console can play previous games in the PlayStation lineup, though how someone can use their disc to prove ownership or if they’ll have to pay for the game again remains to be seen.