The next Xbox: Always online, no second-hand games, 50GB Blu-ray discs and new Kinect

Microsoft’s next console will require an Internet connection in order to function, ruling out a second-hand game market for the platform. A new iteration of Xbox Live will be an integral part of Microsoft’s next console, while improved Kinect hardware will also ship alongside the unit.

[dirigiblebill]

Really hope not. Broadband isn't universal yet, and taking away a customer's rights is a fine way to ensure they stop being a customer.

[Irishguy95]

Not taking away rights.

You can sell your disk if you want(your right). The software will not work on multiple systems. Same thing that has been done on PC for...a long long time.

However I agree that it is BS

[theBAWSE]

I don't believe it until its official as this would be a disastrous move by ms

[Thrillhouse]

If it's true, it's still BS.

I can't even lend a copy of a game to a friend without them having to jump through hoops to play it, if they can at all?

Lame.

[Bathyj]

And I was going to ask to borrow Bonestorm off you.

[LackTrue4K]

Bone storm...? Lol, ok I see what you did there.
:)

[AAACE5]

This is waht ms and sony want to do. Both have been pushing for this! Which is another reason im not in a rush for the next gen.

We can bash nintendo all we want but at least they arent trying sh!t like this!

[aCasualGamer]

Not only is it not universal, but imagine how often people get disconnected because their internet providers have screwed up. That would mean a shitload of angry gamers who can't play their offline games.

[theBAWSE]

if Sony do this aswell ps4 can suck eggs....ill buy a wii u and nothing else

[Old McGroin]

"don't believe it until its official as this would be a disastrous move by ms "

Yup, I'll believe the solid facts when the solid facts are presented to me. If this is true then MS can kiss goodbye to my cash anyway.
They can't continue to sell online games at such extortionate prices and then also rule out the possibility of even selling their consoles in retail stores like Gamestop because they would be destroying Gamestop's second hand trade.
I'm already sick of having to pay to play online with Xbox games, if these rumours are true MS are gonna lose a hell of a lot of ground on Sony.

[NewMonday]

"Always online" this is so stupid it is hard to believe, insures the 720 fails and fails hard.

Another important bit is the one about coding, Edge reports developers say it is easier for them on the PS4, and Sony wants them to code closer to the metal while MS are strict with the libraries

[HITANDRUN]

The more I think about it, the less I see it happening. MS has 75 M out of those 40m are online, if they were to go online only then they will loose 35m, thats a lot of people and from a business model makes no sense. Blocking used games its a high posibility cause 500 store will be close from gamestop, which also tells me that if no used game then no backward compatibility. Both Sony and ms are on my hot list, if they both block used games, then I guess i will go retro with wiiu, this really makes no sense to me. Executive cant be that dumb, I mean I know they loose money from used game, but they will loose more when people dont buy their consoles.

[Funky_Homosapien]

how are you sure that the activation code doesn't bind to the console thus not allowing you to sell or lend it to your friend? or did i read it wrong please explain...

[Funky_Homosapien]

i thought activation code binds to console thus not letting you sell or lend?

[rainslacker]

Activation codes usually bind to account. Doesn't have to be that way as technology exist to digitally sign the physical disc, but account makes more sense.

[xursz]

I can see Microsft ditching xbox live gold and sticking with this always online nonsense.

[Yi-Long]

"Bye Bye Microsoft! It's been fun but we've grown apart."

[Kurt Russell]

I've been a more XBOX swayed gamer for the last 2 Generations (not that I don't play and own the others mind you. I can put up with paying for LIVE and the stupid amounts of advertising on my dash board because I really do get a lot of use out of some of its exclusive features (cross game chat is on about 90% of the time I am on)... But I won't be investing in an online only content restricting closed off machine like this article proposes. Hopefully it's just BS rumour, but if it's true... see ya!

[EVILDEAD360]

This is completely false anyways.

But it's fun to see the meltdown when these hilarious rumors get dropped.

Next gen will be completely the same as this one, with both MS and Sony fixing some of the issues that plagued them this gen.

The Used game market will continue, but digital distro will became more of the norm as movies already have.

Evil

[Nevers]

I've had a couple auditions for Microsoft and several affiliates in the Seattle area lately where I've been given sides that have this language in it... "Always On, Always Connected".

I'm pretty sure this is going to be a reality... doesn't really excite me at all.

[Red_Orange_Juice]

If lived in example in UK and could in theory buy 30-40 brand new games month then it isnt a big deal. Unfortunately I can afford only ~10 games where I live and used games are crusial the only alternative is PC piracy

[pixelsword]

Well XboX, if true, we had a nice run.

I'll Miss Cole and Marcus,

Cortana and Chief,

but I won't buy this if that's what's the future is like.

I don't want to be online all of the time for a single player game, that's just taking away bandwidth from other computers on my network, and I play on my downtime whilst my computers are downloading and stuff.

I really hope this isn't true.

[fr0sty]

LOL:
CEO Kaz Hirai CEO Kaz Hirai ‏@KazHiraiCEO

It looks like Microsoft are stealing our ideas again. Our consoles haven't been able to play used XBOX games for years

[sobekflakmonkey]

dont know why people disagreed with you, that's true, there has never been a case in PC gaming's history where you could sell an old game and have someone be able to use 100% of it, other than like...greenmangaming?

But yeah, I doubt microsoft is dumb enough to do that, and I reallllyyyyy doubt they are gonna make it so you have to have an internet connection to use the console, so don't worry Xbox fans, that can't possibly happen.

[ThanatosDMC]

This is going to suck for Gamefly, if true.

[AzaziL]

Just for the "can't borrow a game to a friend" reason alone is why I can't see this happening on consoles and if it did, it would be a career suicide to whoever decided it was a good idea.

[Dee_91]

I dont believe for one second that they would make a console that require internet connection.
im calling malarkey

[Yi-Long]

"Just for the "can't borrow a game to a friend" reason alone is why I can't see this happening on consoles and if it did, it would be a career suicide to whoever decided it was a good idea."

Considering the amount of really poor/bad decisions Microsoft has been making these last 3-4 years, it wouldn't surprise me if it turns out to be true...

[Gaming101]

By locking up the software, you're taking away people's rights to resell what they just bought. You didn't just buy a useless disc, you paid 60 bucks for a full experience, however you can only sell a useless disc. BS.

Definitely not buying the next xbox, this leaves Sony wide open with a huge opportunity to allow used games, that alone will be enough to sweep next gen.

[gaffyh]

Not good, three quarters of this title are BAD. Only positive is Bluray discs and no more disc swapping.

[aceitman]

If true,I will not be getting it.

[HammadTheBeast]

No one should get it, this is basically making yourself a slave to Microsoft. Any other company that does this is also not getting my sale, I'd rather just switch to PC.

[sticky doja]

Maybe next console gen after the Xbox3/PS4 they can get away with requiring always online but they will be alienating WAY to many potential customers who

1) don't have broadband
2) don't have wifi or internet reaching every room where the console might be played

It will not happen but if it did I would also not be getting it out of principle.

[abzdine]

get PS4 with PS+! Free online free games pure awesomeness!

[hellvaguy]

"No one should get it, this is basically making yourself a slave to Microsoft. Any other company that does this is also not getting my sale, I'd rather just switch to PC"

"Slaves" to the most popular method of purchasing games on the pc, thru Steam, say hi. Hehe so much for your PC rant.

But I see what you mean, at least you have a choice. I myself dont like all the clutter of dvd's and used game boxes all over the place is why I prefer digital downloads, but I get it's not for everyone.

[Saigon]

Can someone explain what this means:

"Studios working with the next-gen Xbox are currently being forced to work with only approved development libraries, while Sony is encouraging coders to get closer to the metal of its box"

Just trying to understand what edge meant by this and its about time we get more information on the next XBox.

[zebramocha]

@Saigon it sounds like Ms doesn't want third party to get the max out of the 720 because "close to the metal",if remember right is a program amd invented to extract max performance out of their processor.

[rainslacker]

@zeb

Maybe. Close to Metal from AMD is a low level programming interface, and as such it could be one of the approved libraries that was mentioned in the article. It basically allows low level access to functions within the GPU through an API layer with less need to write complicated assembly code.

Close to the metal could also refer to Sony allowing developers to directly access the hardware on the system bypassing established libraries or API's, which in theory could improve performance in the hands of a skilled programmer. It's often referred to as assembly language, where a line of code corresponds to a single machine code instruction.

[Bathyj]

I think rainslacker is right.

I heard that phrase years ago in PS2 days and my impression was it meant not relying so much on the ready made libraries enabling potentially better performance. Close to the metal means programing more directly to the hardware.

At least thats what I thought at the time. My guess is that the AMD program was named after that phrase.

[rainslacker]

Close to the metal predates the PS2 by a long time. In fact in the early days of micro processors quite a bit of programming was done in assembly. Close to Metal is just a way to describe what's going on with the code, or in AMD's case a trademark to describe their API.

With the PS2, Sony allowed quite a bit of low level functionality with the emotion engine. In fact the emotion engine was designed to be highly programmable to allow it to be used the way programmers needed to for a particular purpose. That kind of thing can really only be done with assembly, as the very nature of a high level API doesn't do that.

[Athonline]

As a software developer I think it means MS is doing what they always do: Try to push their own SDKs/APIs over others and avoid using "universal" standards. They are doing this since around 2000. Most recent example? WebRTC. All companies agreed to use WebRTC as the standard protocol for P2P over a browser, expect MS.

I said it in the past: MS will try to push DirectX and thus make the games easily "ported" to Windows 8 store.

Sony is most likely to use OpenGl for PS4, which in reality allows games to be more easily ported to other platforms as OpenGl is a free, open standard, unlike DirectX which is a MS enforced one. Thus Sony from the sentence is most likely encouraging developers to "hack" the console, by allowing a low level access to hardware resources management. In example allow them to manually assign which blocks from an array to be loaded to specific parts of RAM or which thread each core should process...

[nukeitall]

I'm a programmer, so let me clear this lingo up.

When somebody says, "close to the metal" it actually means as close to binary language as possible which is the native language every part of your computer (or your console) speaks. It means it *CAN* be considerably more efficient, but has drawbacks such as hugely more tedious, more error prone and the efficiency is only tied to as good as the programmer is. If you are a poor programmer, then the result might be disastrous. It also means, it's harder to port, emulate or otherwise change as it is considerably harder to read the code.

By using libraries it is generally considerably easier to use, sometimes faster (because some smart dude making gazillion figure it out), and allows for far more flexibility.

If you do something weird close to the metal, you might find out on the next dash update your game doesn't work anymore. However, if you are good you will reap performance benefits. However, this might significantly screw up the potential to update the OS.

There is pro's and con's to each approach, but I would have thought Sony would have learned from MS to make it easy on the programmer. Generally, the performance gap is negligible at this stage and the one with the easiest to harness power from is usually the winner.

@rainslacker:

It doesn't need to be assembly, but is commonly assembly. Binary is the native language, but assembly is one step away from binary.

@Athonline:

Actually, this strategy is both what Sony and MS has been pursuing this entire generation. MS makes ready made libraries for almost anything. That is one of the big reasons Xbox 360 is perceived to be easier to program for.

While on the PS3, you do have to do a lot of the heavy lifting yourself, but has resulted in significant more resources poured into research to obtain those results.

[rainslacker]

nuke is right as well. Although to your counter point I doubt any programmers for games are writing machine code directly, so it is often referred to as assembly because that is what is most often used.:) I'm not even sure that it would be possible to write machine code in that fashion for these machines, and there isn't much need to in the first place.

The PS2 did have a couple games that didn't work on newer iterations of the hardware, although I can't remember what they were specifically. I don't think they were big name titles. The heavy use of assembly may have been the reason why.

MS approach to programming in almost everything is to make it easier on the programmer. Visual studio is powerful in it's flexibility and overall simplicity, but it comes at a cost of leaner, sometimes more efficient code. I've found myself often writing my own libraries for simpler things because of the bloat associated with their C libraries.

The only IDE I've used for Sony is their PS Mobile Suite which had less bloat in the interface, but suffered from using Mono thus working on a application layer which added it back in. It was simple enough to use however. PS Mobile is a different beast than their console libraries though so I can't really speak to those.

Perhaps part of the reason the Cell was so hard to program for was lack of pre-defined libraries, but some of it was also due to the architecture of the chip itself. The cell, much like the Emotion Engine, was highly programmable. To take away that "close to metal" approach could have seriously hampered it's capabilities.

I do agree with you on the pros and cons of each side though. It really all comes down to what the developers need to achieve, and what they are targeting for release. Either way, nowadays with so much middle ware for making games it may not even be as important, but still nice to have I suppose.

[subtenko]

Its random filler BS for a stupid article, nothing new LOL XD

[nirwanda]

Because of thing like the move engines and the compression/decompression chips in the gpu if you don't program with this compression you would lose what these chip were designed to do.

[HITANDRUN]

If I cant change games on it and buddies not able to bring their games on 720 I wont buy a 720. Always online? I dont think thats the case, not everyone like to be connected, I hope MS is not stupid enough to do this cause it will be a disaster for them. Main reason I buy for consoles and not pc its cause I dont need to register the bs game and then only let you installed in 2 pcs with same IP. Well, will see what happens. To think I was going to go with 720 this time around, lol, well I guess ps4.

[JeffGUNZ]

Easy, it's just a rumor and I highly doubt this to be true.

[Jazz4108]

Its pretty obvious to me edge is trying to get ms to talk about there next gen console. No way this will be true as the infrastructure is not there and would cost ms business and ms does not operate that way. As far as close to the metal think 360. The cell was the furtherst thing from that. They both are using pc architecture which will allow more comparartive third party games this round.

[neogeo]

This makes m miss the old 16bit days again

[Max Power]

I bet you'd still have to pay yearly for live too.

[morkendo23]

"NO SECOND HAND GAMES ONLINE CONNECTION ONLY"

WTF / is microsoft trying to control masse gamers with this only option leaving out physical disc disbrution?
if this their master plan i will end my gaming after sony stop supporting ps3 i like owning my games,touching my games.

[Abdou23]

Good Luck to anyone buying into this.

[Good_Guy_Jamal]

No second hand games? No offline? No buy. SONY, your move buddy.
That Wii U is looking mighty tasty round bout now.

[gumgum99]

I concur.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

I can't see this as being true. How does requiring internet connection in order to use Xbox benefit MS in anyway? I can't see them taking the risk on blocking used games either.

50GB Blu-Ray discs and Kinect 2 shipping with every Xbox seems plausible however. So this rumor is like half the info it contains mostly likely won't happen while the other half mostly likely will happen.

I just can't see MS demanding that all their consumers have internet connection in order to use their product. All they are really doing is limiting the amount of people that will buy it. Doesn't make sense to me.

[akaakaaka]

how does charging to play online when other don't, seem logical to you?
ohh wait f$%# ..

[dcbronco]

I hope that it's not true about being always connected. Unless they plan to provide some kind of access, that cuts out a lot of people that either don't have or don't want Internet. Not sure who they are, but I'm sure they exist. Plus that would mean no gaming during power outages or service problems. Not acceptable.

[showtimefolks]

50GB bluray disk now that would be sweat

A new kinect is to be expected, but if MS talks about it for a long time during their conferences than show bunch of kinect games than I will not buy the system. Support your core gamers but MS sees the casual wii crowd and they see kinect games selling so as usual they will forget about us. I hope I am wrong but over the last 3 years ms have proved that they only care about selling kinect and going after casual

Always online will means no buy for a lot of people including myself

If MS execs are dumb enough to push no used games TNA. Bye bye MS it was nice seeing you In gaming

I don't think any company is so dumb to block used games and always online for this gen

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

If they charge for multiplayer I am not getting it. Also this rumor won't help.

[born2live]

Funny, we just had a similar conversation a few days ago - this is how big corporations are taking our consumer's rights away from us...

[Crazyglues]

Wow so I guess I'm only getting a PS4 next gen..

Was going to get both, but if this is true this sucks, I play a lot offline (single player campaign)... epic fail Microsoft.. you can keep your Next Xbox

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[Theyellowflash30]

You know the report also claims Sony will use NFC Tech to block used games right?

So are you going to ditch the PS4 as well?

[Krew_92]

@Theyellowflash30

I don't like either one, but if I were to pick I'd rather be able to play new games offline. Than to be forced to play online all the time.

[ArmrdChaos]

Sony actually filed a patent for a method to do this very thing. Enjoy playing your Wii-U next gen. Sounds like it might be a good time to build that new PC...or check out the steam box. I guess we will have to see this year.

[imdaboss1]

I just dont understand why would people pay 50 dollars online when you can do it free for the PS3 and even PC..dont make no sense..if this turn out to be true Microsoft is just takin advantage of xbox fanboys

[imdaboss1]

Dont bring up the Wii U its not even next gen..dont get me wrong it will have nice lookin games but no way it will be in the level of the PS4 or even the next xbox

[MostJadedGamer]

Well that really suck no used games, AND requiring a always online internet connection.

Requiring a always online internet connection is really terible. If your having internet problems or Xbox Live is down you cann't even play a single player game. So you will be totally locked out of your own system.

What happens if I get disconnected when playing a single player(will I be able to pickup where I left off or will I have to restart from my last save point)?

Well the ball is in Sony's court now. If the PS4 doesn't require a always online internet connection the PS4 will be a automatic buy for me while I won't even consider the 720. M$ had better hope Sony goes the same route otherwise the PS4 will have a insurmountable advantage.

One good thing though is the 50GB BluRay discs. That is absolutely massive, and its nice to see them not get rid of disks, but this will only matter if the PS4 also requires always online internet connection. if not I won't even consider a 720. The ball is your court Sony.

Anyway I plan to stick with last gen as long as possible before moving on to either a PS4 or 720.

[3-4-5]

always online WON'T work....

If my internet screws up...I should still be able to play all 10 of my games that I payed $60 each for on my $450 xbox.

Does Charmin tell me how much toilet paper I can use after #2 ? I think not.

[DarthJay]

I think that is the biggest problem I would have with it. I live in the third largest city in New England and have 30MBPS internet, but a storm rolls through, forget it. I'm losing internet. I have had DirecTV for five years and have lost service less in that entire five years then I have lost internet in the last six months. Hurricane Irene rolled through here and I didn't lose DirecTV ONCE. The second the wind started blowing, internet was gone for a week. I barely watch TV and the only thing that got me through that madness was the fact that I could still play Deus Ex: Human Revolution (it had just come out).

I really, really, really hope there is a way around it. I strongly prefer the Xbox product over the Playstation product and I have ever intention of owning both again, but I also have a $2300 PC with dual 24 inch monitors and a third port I can throw to my TV that I will switch to in a heart beat.

[sak500]

It's not as if MS lost money on Xbox360/live model that they want to squeeze last penny out of consumer and restrict their rights. They made billions on the current model and dont think they want to get shoot themselves in teh foot for being so much more greedy.

They already saw the backlash of gamers when it was rumored that PS will have no 2nd hand game protection so why want the want to screw it for themselves.

Probably some idiot wants to create negative feedback for MS's next console.

[otherZinc]

EDGE lost a lot of credibility with this article. This is almost lol wrong. There is so little substance in this article its hilarious.

[calis]

There is no way I could believe this is true.

Ignoring the use games, which seems to be more and more a reality these days for both Ps4/720, the online thing is severely limiting your userbase.

I just can't see it happening. It would be suicide.

[princejb134]

I'm pretty sure if this is real than Microsoft us aiming only for the United States sales, since I believe almost everyone has Internet in the US

[Theangrybogan]

Y'know what I like to do when my Internet is down? I like to play vidya games. If either ms or Sony do anything like this I just won't bother with either of them. If they take away the benefits of console gaming, I'll just make the permanent switch to steam and play with a controller on pc. IMO

[Arai]

http://n4g.com/news/1168387...

Posted already, this is a duplicate.

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

this means I cant play games offline anymore?

[DeadlyFire]

yup. Basically XBLive becomes Steam/Origin

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

ooo this kinda sounds like some BS now.

[pr0digyZA]

except steam/origin has offline mode.

[KontryBoy706]

you actually can play steam games offline though. There's an offline mode. At least Steam and Origin are free also. LOL

[DeadlyFire]

Well its to early to know if PSN/XBL let games work offline, but if STEAM/Origin do its likely they will aim to allow it.

[USEYOURFIST]

no it means you will need to acivate it online then can play offline...not that thats any better, i sure hope both sony and Ms decide against this

[torchic]

oh now I see.

well in that case I could see it happening if Microsoft (and Sony if they decide on this) brought out an app/website where you could activate the game without physically doing it through the console.

not everybody has internet connected to their computers but I'm pretty sure most people who buy consoles have mobile internet on their phones.

I still don't see it happening though.

[Bathyj]

Really?

The only thing I like about this is theyve finally grown out of DVD.

[Good_Guy_Jamal]

True, that is commendable, however, I hold no allegiance to nobody but my wallet!
I love my xbox 360 but Microsoft better not get it twisted, I will drop their behinds like a hot sack of potatoes if they go through with any of these things bar the blu ray discs.
Same goes for SONY

[Dread]

Agreed completely.

If MS does this my money goes another way. Same goes to Sony. damn that means Ill have to get the WIIU

o the irony!

Its a rumor so I will not get too upset for now. But Gamestop stock just went down 10%...so a few shareholders must be furious with this rumor. ouch

[TheLyonKing]

IF you go even 20 miles outside of any town/city in the u.k internet is slow at best this would be a poor move espcially in underdevloped countries too (interent wise of course)

[vikingland1]

Thats the same problem we have in the U.S.A.

[DARK WITNESS]

It will be interesting to see what sony bring, if this is ture of MS plans then they can kiss my black A$$ goodbye.

[theBAWSE]

My black ass to

[FriedGoat]

My black ass too. I really should stop sliding butt first down the chimney.

[bryam1982]

And my brown ass too or is it white? I'm white puerto rican

[G20WLY]

Use a mirror - you need to know these things!

...And they can kiss mine too :(

[EffectO]

Looks like gaming industry is headed into another crash.It will be fun to watch though.

[pompombrum]

Wow if these sort of rumours are anything to go by, next gen is going to be worse than this gen and that's saying something seeing online passes and content usually included with games taken out to sell for high prices separately being the norm.

What's really concerning about all these rumours is that there is no mention to dedicated servers, imho I won't be able to take Sony nor Microsoft talking about console gaming evolving seriously without dedicated server support for all games.

[jay2]

This is going to course LOTS of problems with this always online, and also the problems with Broadband.

[FarCryLover182]

If my internet goes out, I should be able to play my single player games.

[DARK WITNESS]

You "should" be able to....

Will you be able to? that is the issue..

[rowdyBOY]

i'm sorry ,but this seams to be true to me .

explains why gamestop is closing over 500 stores in 2013 , no used game market / sales

its not all doom and gloom , hackers will make your online only games work with a hack .

[Sucitta]

I hack and mod because of corporate greed = )

When I RROD, I re-purchase system from futureshop, remove innards from new unit, replace with RROD innards, re-flash new unit, return RROD next day for money back.

I only buy collectors editions of games that I deem deserving of my hard earned caps.

Keep in mind that Sharing is Caring.

[C-Thunder]

My wife works at Gamestop, she said the ceo sent out a message recently dispelling the rumors tha 500 stores were closing .

[HappyWithOneBubble]

No way can MS compete without using Bluray. So every game sold on the next Xbox, Sony will get a profit.

[SonyNGP]

Google "Blu-Ray Disc Association".

[HappyWithOneBubble]

Sony developed Bluray too.

[mcstorm]

They don't have to put a bluray in the next xbox they could use there own media or even buy HD DVD tech.

Also I don't see MS having an issue using Bluray anyway as it is part owned by sony but believe it or not out side of the console market Sony and Microsoft work as partners on different technology and with Windows.

I don't see this always online being true though as not everyone has internet yet so it will limit there market.

[Rhythmattic]

I want it to play a blu-ray movie format...

Personally , its what I would expect the new box to be able to do.

[mcstorm]

I know what you mean but your telling me you don't have a bluray player already? Also if they did not put bluray in the next xbox or PlayStation it would stop you from buying one?

[Rhythmattic]

Yeh I do have a Blu-Ray player.. Its a PS3 next to my 360...
Its ultra convenient, excellent playback quality and means there is one less box I need...

But yes, I would still buy it for those exclusive games, Blu support or not.

[FlyingFoxy]

That's actually wrong, if MS used DVD but the games unpacked onto hard drive they would fit most games on a single DVD like PC games. But since HD space isn't abundant like on PC's i guess they won't take that route. Hence consoles almost constantly read from disc.

Not sure why they don't just use an install method, as this is also quieter than having to read a DVD/Bluray all the time.

[Knight_Crawler]

The Nintendo Wii U says Hi.

Nintendo does not pay Bluray royalties to Sony becuase the Wii does not allow Blu Rey movie playback.

This is all MS needs to do to avoid royalties...sure having a BluRay play is a plus but TBH I do not know many people who buy Bluray mvoies.

[cl1983]

The can use blue light which wont cost them as much as blue ray, Same storage unable to play blueray disk movies.

[hazardman]

And ms gets a cut from all blu rays aswell as one of ms codec is used on blu rays.

[ME1989]

I love my 360, but there is not a chance in hell I will buy this shit if true.

Don't do it Microsoft...

[The Meerkat]

this ^

I've been a xbox fan this gen but I now see a PS4 in my future.

I suppose I'll just have to watch a playthrough of Halo 5 on youtube.

[DARK WITNESS]

I am in the same boat.

I was an xbox fan this gen but the last two years of so, I have lost respect for MS.

This will be the end of my xbox love life.

[Captain Tuttle]

Sony has a patent on technology to block used games
http://www.computerandvideo...

They've invested money and resources in researching this idea, it's not unreasonable to think Sony will do this as well.

Time will tell

[ZoyosJD]

@captain tuttle...It is a well constructed plan. Sony is going to bag the gaming audience by not using it, then sue MS for using it since they think Sony will also use it. If their lawsuit is successful is another thing though.

JK...this whole theory of online only is BS.

[Sarobi]

I wouldn't be shocked if this was true.. I mean it seems like we were doomed to go into this direction sooner or later..

[jaredhart]

Well, if this info is true then the PS4 should be the easy choice this Christmas.

[Master of Unlocking]

If it's true that online will be a prerequisite and no 2nd-hand games for both the Nextbox and the PS4, then the Playstation history will be a trilogy for me, not a tetralogy, or quadrilogy or w/e.

I can't even fathom how Sony or MS could currently employ somebody short-sighted and , well, plain dumb enough, to not see the absolute commercial and corporate disaster to go that route.

On the other hand, if MS alone goes that route as the article suggests, Sony will get rid of one out of two of their competitor without even having to take their hands out of their pocket.
Needless to say, it will be the same if it's the other way around.

And if it's both MS and Sony that pull out a move like that, Ninty will be the undisputed winner of next gen, even if they release only shovelware on the Wii U.

As for me, I'll keep playing my PS1, PS2, and PS3 games and my NG AES, but apart from that, it'll be "Farewell videogames!

[Double_O_Revan]

Always online: nope, not everyone has broadband

No 2nd hand games: that would be disastrous for any company that implements that. I don't see either company even trying this. It's marketing suicide. Plus MS & Sony have nothing to gain from doing this.

50gb Blu-Ray discs: Microsoft is going to have to eat their pride and cave. There is no way they can survive on pain DVDs.

New Kinect: this is a definite.

[pompombrum]

Unless they both held meetings alongside publishers and came to a mutual agreement to go this route. If both went with no 2nd hand games, then people would either be left to accept it or support the Wii U.

[rainslacker]

I think if that were the case we'd see a tremendous amount of backlash among the community. It's pretty obvious it's something that both sides agree on being really bad. I'm sure some people would still buy into it with whatever reason they have, but I would not support a console that didn't support used games, even though I buy most of my games new. I didn't draw the line at all this gen with some of the anti-consumer practices they've done, but I would definitely draw it for that.

I'm not sure how I would feel about an always on connection...I don't see a need for it on a console except for the purpose of restricting used games. For single player games it's worthless, and multi-player games you would be online anyways, so why force it?

I could definitely see both companies leaving anti-used game tech up to the publisher, much like Sony did with region locking. Maybe if they did they would finally get a dose of reality when it comes to what people think of ownership rights.

[Captain Tuttle]

Blu-Ray is no big deal for MS, there's no "pride" to swallow. What operating system do you think Sony uses on their laptops? In their corporate offices? Blu-Ray is a rounding error compared to that revenue stream.

[bryam1982]

Corporate office? The ones in japan use linux,if you go to japan take the tour to The sony building

But i get your point

[Captain Tuttle]

Really? huh. I'll take your word for it, not going to go to Japan to check :)

Is it the same way in the US and Europe?

[greenpowerz]

Microsoft's VC-1 Codec was adopted by blu ray, most major companies helped with the growth of Blu ray. If I recall HD-DVD used the codec(about the only thing people favored HD-DVD over Blu ray for) and Blu-ray got onboard just before or after the death of HD-DVD.(MPEG-4 AVC *vs* VC-1 now. Mpeg-2 is out-e)

This rumor about 2nd hand games keeps popping up for both consoles to garner hits mosly from Sony fans defending PS4 if the rumor is about PS4 and hating the 720 if the rumor is about 720.

There are millions of gamers that never buy new games I doubt any company would do that in the end. it would kill the industry unless the industry agreed to lower the price of games to 1990's prices.

Million would sell movie players if told they could no longer buy used movies, same with game players and games.

[boing1]

I dare you!

[shivvy24]

Hahsha yea I dare m$ to do it

[Funky_Homosapien]

If this is true Xbox brand will go the way of the dodo...i will support sony if xbox does this.

[BlaqMagiq24]

If MS do this they're going to shoot themselves in the foot. That's not how they should go into next-gen.

[Captain Tuttle]

If they do this and Sony doesn't then it's all over for them.

MS just keeps pushing me away

[FlyingFoxy]

MS pretty much already pushed me away from the 360 by failing to have Rare make some good old N64 sequels.

[Jsynn7]

I'm sure they pushed a lot of people away since the beginning of this gen by putting out faulty systems.

[MiyagiSPG]

If Microsoft do this and Sony keep second hand games... well it'll be interesting to see the outcome :)

[StrongMan]

If MS does this then they are even more stupid than I think they already are.

[lashes2ashes]

That will suck for most people, I will be safe because I don't buy used games and my Internet has not crashed in years but I feel for the people that are not so lucky. I think if this is true rental companies will sue them or find a way around it, really don't want gamefly going out of buisness since I get brand new games from them for about 10 to 20 dollars cheaper than retail.

[danthebios]

i dont think so.

[DiRtY]

I did not believe it for Sony and I don't believe it for MS either.

There are 40 million+ XBL users right now. As impressive as it sounds, there are another 30 million users who did not even connect their consoles to the internet. SO, I doubt MS would gladly lose 30 million+ customers.

*edit* oh yeah, what happens if my console dies? Do the games die with it or is it connected to my gamertag? If the second option: That means I have to decide which of my GTs I use for the game I bought?

[Veneno]

This "rumarticle" is leaving out key details like these, meaning, these rumors areBS.

[cleverusername]

Not long ago Sony was getting panned for allegedly not allowing used games on PS4 and now it's Microsofts turn!! Nobody knows jack!!!

[Veneno]

Well, we will know , probably, about used gamemes on PS4 on Feb 20. Hopefully the media does its job and grills Sony about this topic.

[josh14399]

If this is true I won't be buying the console. It probably isn't true unless microsoft want there console to fail.

[PFFT]

Pass, if true i wont be getting the next xbox. Always online, Play online fees and no used games......... FCK THAT!

[blackbirdi]

if this true well next gen without me i will buy wii U

[Prcko]

Always online
Dumb
No second-hand games
Double Dumb
50GB Blu-ray
Late
New kinect
Triple dumb

[ps3_pwns]

If this is true then ps4 and wii u only for me and i cant even imagine what they will be charging for live either. I swear to you if you guys support this then I dont even know what to say. If this is true we all need to do our part to put MS in there place so that they have to get rid of these restrictions. The way you put Ms in there place is buy buying a pc,ps4, or wii u and saying F you to MS.

[BladerunnerZX]

Always online will not work for the single player gamers that still enjoy great single player focused games like Skyrim , Metal Gear , God of War and traditional RPGs among many others.

There are still millions of gamers out there that have little interest in online gaming.

Microsoft needs to be reminded that not all gamers are 12 year old Call of Duty fanatics that are addicted to online multiplayer and thier K/D ratio stats.

[NewZealander]

I hire a lot of games from my local video shop as I can't afford to buy lots of games, Ive even bought games after hireing them out cos I enjoyed them, and after hireing out some games its saved me from buying some as well cos they sucked, If they won't let you play 2nd hand games then I won't buy the next xbox or ps4 if this is true, and if you buy a product is it not yours to own? and is it not your right to sell what you own? I'm sure this is against our rights, well it is in my country anyway.

[sway_z]

Oh dear! ...MS have truly lost the plot if this is true. I have a budgeted £600 for next gen, and it looks like MS will not win my business!

I think an official MS statement is in order...and make it snappy!!

[Prodigy-X]

If this is true then Microsoft will lose to Sony next gen.

[wishingW3L]

not just lose M$ are gonna get demolished unless they start selling games for like $30 max or something.

[Trekster_Gamer]

article is flame-bait. It has no bases in fact or reality. I think the best thing to do is to let Microsoft and Sony officially tell us about there product when there time is right and ignore lame articles that are trying to get hits by any means necessary.

[Saleem101]

Im not buying xbox if this rumor is true...

[XboxInnovation]

Sony will easily win next gen if this is the case

[ElementX]

I've never been bothered by always online software. My internet connection rarely goes down and if it does it's only for a couple hours tops. All I hear is rage from most people about Ubisoft PC games and now this, I really don't understand what the big deal is. Steam is like DRM and I have no problem using that, either.

[AlphaJunk]

Hmmm... I really like most M$ products, but next-gen XBox is starting to sound disappointing.

[baldulf]

Is Microsoft really so dumb and blind to pull this stunt?

We'll see.

[Jek_Porkins]

Can we wait for official word on these consoles for a change? I guess there is no bad press when it comes to something, but I don't see Microsoft abandoning so much of the market that they've gained by possibly being the only company to rule out used games and cutting ties with people who don't use online.

There are 40+ million Xbox Live users and almost 80 million Xbox 360's in the world. Do the math, use your heads and have a good day. If you believe this, you were probably holed up in a bunker on 12/21/12 SMDH

[FunkMacNasty]

Good point, Jek

[ajax17]

For a second there I thought you said: Good point, jerk. lol

[Clarence]

How much will M$ paying Sony to use bluray? Hilarious M$ late to the party as usual. This will all but hand Sony the win for next gen.

[Karpetburnz]

Its funny, Do you remember the famous term from Xbox fanboys "Who needs Blu Ray?"

Now theyre all pretty much begging for it.

[madjedi]

Well there really isn't any rational alternative, downloading everything to a massive hdd isn't going to happen because the infrastructure isn't good enough. Some part of the world have horrid speeds, even by us's standards.

Anyone even mentioning using dvd again should be shot for stupidity. Hd dvd is just as ludicrious, since it hasn't been made since 2008 or 2009.

As far as the famous phrase from 360 owners, meh it was stupid console war bs which was proven wrong, when you had games on 2 discs+. Yeah you accepted it, but it's a outdated concept that should be eliminated from gaming permanently.

I don't understand the tendency by a minority of totally irrational 360 owners, wanting to reinvent the wheel just so ms does not have to use a blu ray disc next gen.

You people do not make any fucking sense, you get the space you need, alot faster read time with(laser bandwidth) 12x+ br drives vs a ancient dvd drive or an old 2x br drive and a low cost to produce disc.

Please someone show me the downside for microsoft, i can't see any, especially if ms want the next box as the living room centerpiece it will play br movies just like the ps4 will.

[DivineAssault]

Too many rumors out.. IDK what to believe anymore but that would suck if each game has an activation code that requires internet connection.. Not everyone has internet & thats a very stupid move if they want to sell to the masses

[Ashlen]

Well I wasn't going to be buying it before, but if this is true and I actually believe it to be. It is assured now that I will NOT be buying it. Or the Sony console if they block used games.

[FunkMacNasty]

Any console that detracts from me borrowing games from friends and/or buying used games can kiss my A$$. I'm sure most of you feel the same way, and I'm sure Microsoft knows this. If they don't know this by now, they will watch thier console flop at launch.

But, I'm tempted to say this article was written as flaimbait. All it really does is talk shite about the "rumored" specs of the Nextbox/720 (there are no facts here just the websites "source"), and furthermore it pretty much trolls it against the rumored specs of the ps4. Not a very objectively written piece--It reeks of fanboy agenda

[SOULJER]

WOW. I had to pick my nephew up to take him to the doctor today. On the car ride there he would't stop crying. I ask him WTF is wrong. He grab my nexus & punch up this article after telling him to cut that shit OUT. I read it in the car. YO! EDGE CHECK THIS OUT. You should have some positive evidence, facts, proof. Before writing stuff like this. Because little fanboys will lose their shit. Really now he tell me he wants a wiiu. I told him K@@L. Your birthday is in may, I will get you one. Serious man to early in the morning for this shit.

[Godmars290]

Be interesting to see if they can sell such to the general public if true. Can only imagine that they'll shoot themselves in the foot with gamers.

Maybe they're just leaking out the info to get a reaction.

[Lucreto]

What annoys me is that you buy a game and your brother can't play it on his own console.

There should be a way to register your machine and your brother's machine and the game will work on both machines.

[NaAsAr]

this wouldn't be a good move for many reasons. but one of the main ones that come to mind is that many people may buy the cheaper version of the xbox next, but buy a couple of used games to save some money.

[delboy]

If I were a big publisher like EA I would bring my games only for ms, for the 100% incoming.
So there is no way ps4 won't be left out, Sony will ban used games to.

WiiU looking better every day lol

[Wotbot]

"Microsoft’s next console will require an Internet connection in order to function, ruling out a second-hand game market for the platform"

WHY!!!

Where did MS say you can't buy second hand hard copies of games?????

We can't let other consoles play our downloaded games now unless you download your profile.

This story is a load of flame bait.

[lovegames718]

Funny ive never bought a used game for my Ps3 in my life, so it really doesnt matter to me but i understand ppls concern. Know one thing however if this is a stance xbox is taking its because Sony is in on it as well and it was a policy implemented by the Software companies.

[BLUElightCory]

There's no way this is true. It's too big of an advantage to give to Sony, and many of MS's current customers aren't online so they'd be cutting off a ton of potential customers.

It's more likely that the next XBox has a set of features that are only available if the console is online, but the console will still be functional for all of the usual stuff when it's offline.

[JeepGamer]

In this gen, it was a race to the top for MS and Sony.

If what we hear about PS4 and 720 is true, it's now a race to the bottom.

[ajax17]

Always online is the biggest load of BS!

[Tzuno]

Only stupid people will buy that and boy do we have a shortage on stupid people?

[-Gespenst-]

The only thing good about that would be the BluRay, and even those might be too small for some next-gen games.

[gumgum99]

For Microsoft's sake, I hope this is a rumor. What if a power outage occurs? Should I just drop my gametime with your new Xbox til the power goes back on??

Its in those scenarios that I question this notion.

[ElementX]

Um... if the power goes out your TV won't work either so unless you have a portable system you won't be gaming anyway.

[ApexHell]

internet outage in his area i think he means.

[jmac53]

If any of this info is true than MS is already bungling this next generation before it even starts. Will wait for official info but it is looking more and more likely I will be getting either a PS4 or a Steambox after two generations of MS consoles. Microsoft really knows how to treat their loyal customers.

[SaxScrotumz]

I call BS on this.

[inFAMOUS_KRATOS]

if you think microsoft and sony hasnt held meeting about this second hand gaming rejection your kidding yourself...

the only i see this happening is if microsoft and sony agreed on this?

kind of hypocritical of microsoft using blueray this time around, couldnt they go to toshiba and rebrand hddvd?

seems like a horrible business move ?

[SDF Repellent]

"kind of hypocritical of microsoft using blueray this time around, couldnt they go to toshiba and rebrand hddvd?"

That is like telling Sony to support Betamax and rebrand it instead of getting license for VHS because that makes lot of sense!! Nice logic there, buddy.

[landog]

if sony and ms both do this, i'll just stick with pc, cheaper prices, better graphics, and mods

if only one of them do it, i'll buy the one that doesn't

if they are both cool next gen, i'll get them both

no rush, doubt any ps4/nextbox launch games will be that amazing, they usually never are

hopefuly im wrong and sony launches with uncharted 4 and killzone 4 in 1080p at 60 frames, and ms launches with halo 5 and fable reborn in 1080p at 60 frames and none of this awful alwyays online crap

you can play steam offline anytime you want, even starcraft 2...but this, locking the whole console down/// if my internets out i cannot use it??

hell no, i don't think either ms or sony would be that dumb!

then again, maybe there is some truth to this

http://n4g.com/news/1166282...

coincendence???

[ElementX]

Funny you mention PC, isn't that always online also? As for internet connection, can't people just do something else for a few hours?

[gtiguy81]

I'm all for online-only if they're giving me Steam-like prices on games...

[Loki86]

Definitely bs and I look for MS to come down hard on EDGE for posting this crap as if it is confirmed.

[Soldierone]

I will pass if this is not a rumor. I plan on buying it otherwise. I will pass if Sony does the same thing for PS4.

If I want constant DRM issues, restrictions to playing games, and restrictions to the game I just paid 70 friggin dollars for, I will do it on PC then.

[Kidmyst]

If either company blocks used games, I'd be interested first to hear details of the restrictions before passing judgment. I really don't buy used, just get discounted copies off Ebay or an online retailer. But I have rented games, so it'll be interesting what impacts it'll have on rentals. Also on pirating, cracks for systems to run games, etc.

[PooEgg]

It is probably not true, but if it was I suspect the following will happen:

1) Most Gamers will bitch and moan about it, then buy the console anyway.
2) A couple of gamers will threaten silly class action lawsuits, that are quickly forgotten when they buy the console anyway.
3) A few gamers will write a petition, get a lot of signatures, until everyone goes out and buys the console anyway.
4) And some gamers will spend time arguing loudly online with other gamers/game journalists who blindly support whatever nonsense gaming companies toss our way, before lining up to buy the console anyway.

We really are pretty predictable sometimes, but if this did happen I hope we all grow backbones and not support it no matter how tempting.

[drsnoopyseussdog]

It sucks cuz this is is Edge.com who made this article and they are always the first to know and are right almost 100% of the time. Hopefully it isnt true because if it is then the only system im gonna buy is wii u.

[BladerunnerZX]

I agree.

I dont like Edge but they are right most of the time.

This is Microsoft who charges $60 for a feature that is free on everyother online connected device made today - online multiplayer for games you already paid for.

I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft does the "always online" thing.

[1nsaint]

If this is true (which i doubt) i'll rather buy a decked out pc..

[ElementX]

Here's news for all the people complaining about always online and internet connection going out... there's an entire planet out there with millions of things to do! Can't you go outside for a few hours? Enjoy a walk? Read a book? Go to the pub for a couple beers? Call your relatives and say hello? Go out and do something with friends? Sheesh it's as though none of you do anything else besides gaming.

[madjedi]

Why the hell should we just accept that single player experiences should be rendered useless, because the internet crapped out and we cannot do what we wanted to do.

This is the same dumbass mentality that defended blizzard forcing people playing diablo 3 solo to still connect to a server and deal with meaningless lag and other net related issues despite having no contact with other players.

"Enjoy a walk? Read a book? Go to the pub for a couple beers? Call your relatives and say hello?" Likely if that was what they wanted to do they wouldn't be trying to play a game would they?

Are you playing a multiplayer game online, no then you don't need to be connected online, why the hell this is a hard concept to some people i don't know. We have understood this for 20+ yrs.

Remember the psn hack and the network being down for a month, picture that just with all your games being always on. Your few hrs is nice and cute, but not all interruptions are so brief.

Perfect example of why always online is always stupid

[clintagious650]

I dont think ms would be stupid enough to do such a move but knowing that xbl is one of their money makers, i would not be suprised with this move from ms just like when they 1st sold 360's with no wifi adaptor. If this is true, i think it will be a huge mistake on their part.

[BLAKHOODe]

Always online, plus Kinect.. Let's SPY much, Microsoft?

[smashman98]

I wanna believe this is a lie but at the same time. totally based on ms recent path I can see this becoming a reality. But you cant see it as a gaming machine you have to look at it in ms eyes. they've been saying for years they want to own the living room and this definitely fits
and its scary

[spoonard]

So do you think Sony will take this chance to leave their console used-game-friendly?

[BLAKHOODe]

IF Sony did allow used games and Microsoft doesn't.. SONY WINS. Period.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

So here is an idea... I know there were lots of rumors a ways back saying PC's would be able to play Xbox games with the new Windows 8 direction. What if its actually the opposite? What if games that are certified for Windows 8 Store can actually be run by the next Xbox? I mean if rumors are true and its running the Windows 8 kernel... As long as those games had controller support?

Sure its out in left field but man, that could be a huge move... MS still can create 1st party exclussives to come to the xbox only but now those publishing to windows 8 store get a second audience.

edit: Skulls of the Shogun certainly shows that MS might be thinking something similar.

[hazardman]

Man I hope this is not true. I thought I was gonna get both consoles but now its PS4/Wii U.. I think its true , Edge mag has been around for a very longtime. I'm assuming this info is good to go! Damn MS I wanted to buy your console, but your stupidity we be the end of you. Instead of going forward you are going backwards, I've never seen a company thats its own worse enemy than MS, really!!

[josephayal]

Next-gen consoles will be the last

[evilhasitsway]

well as is you cant play online line without gold memeber ship wouldnt surprize me if they pulled something like this just another reason not to buy over other systems

[masa2009]

If they do that, they must have absolute certainty that Sony is doing it as well.
So there msut be some kind of illegal anti-competition arrangement behind this.

[Captain Tuttle]

If MS did this and Sony didn't would third parties abandon Sony? Honest question

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Now that is a very interesting thought. IF not abandoning I would expect we might see a lot of timed exclusives again. The duration of exclusivity also might be a bit longer than the typical 1 month stuff we saw this gen. I have no doubt EA and Activision would embrace such a move.

[Captain Tuttle]

1 year COD exclusivity? Battlefield? GTA? Fallout 4? Next Elder Scrolls?

Could be devastating. How many people would wait to play those games out of principle?

[hazardman]

I was thinking same thing man. I remember reading an article on here about developers wanting this. So you never know I know that if I was a developer I like the sound of some extra $$$ but I bet you Sony will sue cause they got that patent if something like that happens!!

[BitbyDeath]

Always online so everyone is forced to pay for gold?
I don't think so.

[playstationfreak]

if this is true playstation 4 will destory xbox 720

[GraveLord]

Looks like we're all buying PS4s next-gen.
Microsoft, you dug your own grave.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Whoa now, I understand these are rumors but I don't need a rumor like this to make me second guess on buying the next Xbox?

these are rumors so I will patiently wait until MS announce something, Like we gotta choice.

[Qrphe]

Very doubtful

[Npugz7]

Well if this is true than I might have to go with the PS4 this next generation!

[Gamer-Z]

PS4 it is

[Godz Kastro]

Sony has a patent to do the same... Maybe MS will land more exclusives because the thought of developers not getting shorthanded in the after market might appeal to them. Either way as I have duly noted this will be a moot point once we go strictly digital downloads.

[Godz Kastro]

Guys, I think we can all agree that at some point in the future we will be at digital downloads. Once we are the point of selling game or lending it out will be a moot point. It is inevitable that this is where the industry is going.

No one who buys apps on the ipad can sell it forward or lend it out. I have benefited from the used market as well. However in all honesty where do we get the entitlement that once we buy a game we have "the right" to sell it forward bypassing the developer profit all together?

[Nodoze]

If true MS just handed next generation to Sony.

[whoyouwit04]

You can tell this site is full of Sony fan boys, here is a article were someone claim to have heard this from a source
and is being taking seriously, why the on the other hand we know 100% that Sony has a patent to block used games and people mostly responded to that by well maybe they just patent so no else can do it to protect us gamers, get facking real, YOU SONY FANS SHOULD WORRY about this more then Xbox fans. use your brain Xbox is 75 mill strong and counting but only 40 mill are using live do you really think Microsoft is dumb enough to cut their sales in half.

[Godz Kastro]

Good point on the Xbox live subscriber base... Bubble for u.

[Munnkyman]

This sux if true. This means I can't use game fly or lend any of my games to anyone. It really hurts because not all of us can afford to buy 60 dollar games every month.

[Godz Kastro]

Sorry Munnkyman; and im not trying to be smart here but maybe this hobby isn't suited for you until you can afford them. What would you do if your financial situation would be the same under a market that only offers digital downloads?

[Munnkyman]

Then it will be a issue. But the thing is people right now are are have a hard time all around, so will this be smart for Microsoft to do. I think not

[annus]

I find it funny that almost everyone complains about second hand games on here. 'Oh no I can't borrow/rent/buy cheap anymore.' Your money isn't going to the developers, it really is just as bad as piracy apart from the fact that you are actually encouraging second hand games even more as real money is involved. Yet a piracy article comes on N4G and you are the devil's child if you have ever downloaded a game. This hypocrisy on this site is amazing, but let me guess, because you paid money it must be okay, right? If I buy a pirated game for $5 is it okay? Where do we draw the line? Why is $5 for a pirated game any different than $25 to a store? Both places are making $5+ profit and neither are giving money back to the developers.

[Godz Kastro]

So true...

[cyguration]

I buy used movies

People buy used cars

People buy used clothes

All those are equivalent to piracy, too?

[annus]

Is a physical copy of something the same as a digital copy of something? No, it is not.

In terms of money not going to the developer/manufacturer? Yes, it is the equivalent of pirating.

You know how when you use a physical object it degrades over time? Car parts start to die, clothes get holes in them etc? Software doesn't. The disk may, as it's an object, but the contents on the disk will remain the same.

Let's be honest here. The two main reasons for this is money and piracy. If CD keys were implemented it would greatly reduce the amount of piracy, especially those online (inb4 no pirates online on xbox live, you are kidding yourself). Now, lets say someone does use this cd key, they can put in 100s of hours into the game, then sell it and the buyer will be playing what appears to be a brand new game (talking software here, not physical object). Then you also have the fact that the previous seller now also has the cd key still. What if they installed it on their xbox and used the cd key still (disk isn't needed if you have custom firmware), now two people magically own the game. See this duplication? See how this mimics piracy? You can't duplicate a physical object, but you can with software.

I'm not for or against either argument, I was just showing that there is a business side to the reasoning behind it.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

Here's what really scares me...

I have reason to believe Sony is considering the same option, blocking used games. We have already heard news of this possibility.

I also believe they will have their own paid online service. It will be like a combination of PSN+ and Xbox Live. (free games, paid online, + adds)

I belive MS will follow the lead of Sony, and start their own version of PSN+. Let's call it "Xbox Live Platinum."

So no matter where you turn, you're getting screwed. And so the question becomes, which company is going to screw you more?

[jjb1981]

Ill just keep my 360 forever!!!! Mwuhahaha...

[CaptainPunch]

I doubt Microsoft would be this stupid.

[optimus]

I wonder what Edge will do once the specs are released and it's the opposite of what they printed...will they fire their "sources"?...should be funny to read what excuse they come up with.

[rawshack]

good bye xbox nice knowing you back to the PlayStation i come

[Prcko]

that would be suicide for m$

[CoryHG]

Games are DRM on PC. Broadband is the majority. This seems about right.

[brianunfried]

The sheep will buy it anyways, they've been buying their broken crap for years and will keep buying it over and over again.

[Th3 Chr0nic]

Microsoft just slammed wallets shut all over the world, AND it had nothing to do with windows 8!!! GASP!

[steve30x]

I dont mind if the console requires online all the time. The thing that would hack me off is if the games are unplayable if my internet goes down for a few hours or days and if my game wont save if its playable offline but my internet goes down. If thats the case They can keep their console.

[kingPoS]

I don't think that's such a good idea. Currently the only thing we have to worry about on present consoles is whether or not a game disc is scratched or cracked.

If this is implemented, we might have to deal new worries... such as, WTF! did my network just nuke my game or OMG! someone hacked my game before I even opened it. And last but not least, Arghh! the scanner airport borked all my F*****g games!

[SwiftArsonist]

I dont have any comments on rumors. Nothing to say at this time. Will wait for an official word from both companies.

[gamefanatic007]

if this is true, I will NOT be buying that garbage.

[isyourhouseonfire]

Wow, MS crushes the competition - again.

[ACEMANWISE]

This is going to happen to all online enabled consoles at some point. This is an industry change largely in demand by developers. They want a platform that will benefit their company the most.

They don't see used games or the physical format as beneficial versus the digital format and an online system governing it.

In their final vision every game will be digital. Each game will be playable under one account. This means every person has to pay to play. That means no more lending or letting the household play. They will enforce it by integrating your face and/or voice with the account.

Online pass will evolve to include access to an entire game, instead of just the multiplayer. Since the entire game will be located online so will the enforement. It will be there especially if the courts allow the resale of digital licenses. Much like how Online pass is punishing used buyers now, it will be implemented to discourage the sale.

Console storage of digital games will evolve to the cloud. In both cases the game doesn't belong to you. Therefore storage is useless. They want to shift toward cloud gaming before the public becomes aware of this and starts demanding compensation for taking up their space. Then they will keep the games and stream them instead.

At this point subscription prices will rise as the industry will be completely founded on service instead of ownership, or entitlement of any kind. They will justify their rising prices by making the consumer think they are doing them a favor by holding on to their content instead of keeping it on the user's hardware.

After that they may end the use of your purchases with the release of their new product. This is why backwards compatibility has been dropped so fast this generation. They will, instead offer the same game (remade and improved of course) and sell it to you all over again.

The final effect to the industry will be a serious and unexpected downsize. Games will no longer be granted a longterm culture. They will lose the ability to be social in its purest form (person to person gaming). They will lose a sense of history as games will disappear, possibly forever.

It will then fizzle out for a time and later revived as a new service offering by cable/satelitte companies. They will offer a box that streams games much like Onlive has now and what Apple is planning. They will upgrade the hardware power or just make the gamer pay more to access it.

[HaVoK308]

Yeah, I am sure Microsoft wants to lose half its current market. Over half actually.

[Drainage]

most people buy new anyways, why are people crying? the 50 million or whatever CODs first week says enough

[IaussieGamer]

If and thats a big IF this is true then the 720 is destined for last place even behind the Wii U

[miDnIghtEr20C_SfF]

You'd have to be an idiot to believe this. Sony makes an announcement that they're going to say something on the 20th, and then all this "bad" press for MS starts coming out about their next gen console. Lol... it's smoke and mirrors right now guys. The game is being played.

Begun the Next Gen Wars have... /Yoda.

[iliimaster]

damn this sounds too radical but who knows if it is true nintendo WII U will be the savior nintendo = amazing catalog and now HD games with a normal controller id imagine id look into steams new console aswell

[arbitor365]

if this is all true, then microsoft just handed the victory to sony.

[DevilishSix]

Governments in many countries including th US are considering internet regulation from bandwidth caps, speed, content, etc. They already charge me when i exceed 60 gigs. Not knowing what regulations may come they couldn't possibly think this would work.

[tubers]

Hopefully not.. if they also just have Gears, Halo, Fable and several Kinect 720 exclusives, I'd rather get a new GPU and then a PS4.

Online only would definitely hit this thing as far as international sales go.

[strifeblade]

i own over 100 games on 360, and the reason i do is because i buy used and brandnew games all the time- in fact i trade my used games for brandnew games all the time. I have bought used games in a series, to try it out and see if i like it, and lets say the next game that came from the series i bought brandnew since i liked the original.

Used games fuel the brandnew games market all the time- If i was only limited to buy brandnew games at 59.99 and not be able to trade my games in- i would own less than 50 games and never take a chance on average or unknown or less established game franchises since 59.99 is a bit much. Any console manufacturer that forbids used games on their system will not increase the sales of their game products but infact sales will decrease.

Game developers will foolishly think that if we dont have a choice of buying used games all of sudden everyone will buy it brandnew, but thats not the case- most of us will have less money to spend on brandnew games since they forbid us from selling our used games. This will kill the industry for brandnew games and no one will take chances on games they are not sure they will like. This is my attitude towards this topic coming from a hardcore gamer and collector. I for one will not support a console that forbids used games since it does not allow me to buy used or sell my games.

How many of us bought brandnew games we regret but recoup as much as possible by selling? Well without used games no one will take a chance on a game they think they may not enjoy. msoft/sony will think twice before doing this.

[annus]

People need to understand how supply and demand work. Games aren't getting bought? You make it cheaper.

Developers could make more money off selling 2 titles of a game brand new for $40 each, rather than someone purchasing a game for $60 new and someone buying a used game for $40.

[ziggurcat]

there's simply no way that MS (or sony for that matter) will block the use of second-hand games.

that rumour needs to die.

[MYSTERIO360]

WOW it seems gamers will have to have gold membership to play games this time and for it to function.

[spacetoilet]

This HAS to be pure, speculative BS. It would amount to business suicide to ask everyone to be on Broadband to play a game, ridiculous.

Now as for killing the second hand game market, I unfortunately can see that coming down the road in one way or another, and although I don't like it, it may save hardcore gaming, by the increased revenues the software houses will generate, and may increase innovation and investment in future titles as competition for your $75? will be fierce with no used game market.

[noobfromindia]

the xbox will be hacked within 24 hours of launch if this is true.

[FlyShootRaceSims]

Are the N4g people really that dense to even begin to believe such a rumor?

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

There were only 2 times I recall truely being blown away by 360 this gen, and that was when Gears 1 dropped and when Alan Wake came out... other than that I've been super impressed by everything on PS3... thus giving me the impression I need to go with PS4 Next Gen for sure!

[skyrimer]

MS, do you want a killer feature for your next console?

1994 technology: Sega Saturn controller dpad, instead of the horrible piece of sh*t in xbox360 controller.

Make it happen.

[MuhammadJA]

lol, if true, Game Stop will suck eggs!

[alb1899]

Why will i say that i wont buy it......come on i'm a gamer, i will buy both consoles no matter what!!!
Gamestop knows something because they will closed 100 stores so maybe is not just Microsoft.......maybe SONY, just maybe, they are together in this.

[Ticklez]

Not to mention, if your Canadian and they want you online all the time, your Internet limit is going to pass pretty quick.

[SpartanQ8]

screw Microsoft if this rumor is right and ps4 im coming for you man ,,,, paying my respect and loyal to ps4

[spoonard]

My comment disappeared... :-(

[Enigma_2099]

The next Xbox: Always online,
(So here's hoping you have a constant connection, or you're screwed.)

no second-hand games,
(You're gonna be paying what we tell you to pay for a LONG TIME. Oh, okay. We'll throw you a bone. See that bin of cheap games over there? The ones that are cheap because nobody wants them? You're welcome.

... what? People are buying it again? HIKE UP THE PRICE!!!!

What's that, Jimmy? That game that came out 7 years ago? You want a new copy of it now? Sorry. We discontinued it. And since we've abolished the sale of used games, I guess you're just SOL.)

50GB Blu-ray discs and new Kinect

(Yeah, because Kinect is just flying off the shelves. And is Microsoft actually going to eat crow here?!?!? Microsoft?!?!? I'll believe it when I see it.)