Gamers the world over breathed a sigh of relief last week when it was revealed that the PlayStation 4 will not feature mandatory used-game blocking. It’s unsettling, then, that speculation is still abound that the next Xbox, codenamed Durango, might implement the feature.
Eidos co-founder Ian Livingston seems to think that the Durango will feature a DRM system and an always-on internet connection to make sure that used games cannot be played by the console. Much in the way that older boxed PC games required that annoying CD key to play, this system would make sure that a game could only be registered once, for the first time, on only one console. Livingston’s speculation is that Durango discs will have a sort of watermark that knows when it’s been played on a console (or the console will use a unique disc watermark to “register” the disc), and that the next generation with the Nextbox Durango 360 and PlayStation 5 will completely move to digital games.
A troubling thought for the consumer, but is DRM what the industry needs to stay afloat? Tell us your thoughts in the comments, or discuss your rights as a used game consumer in our forums!