Rumor: Sony considering serial keys for PS3 games

[Guest]

Putting in serial keys like for the PC is an overblown reaction.

Fact is, 99% of people wouldn't bother hacking their PS3.... (kind like how most didn't bother with Mod Chip PSone and PS2 games).

 

[yukka]

slh28 said:
I doubt piracy on the PS3 will take off like it has on other consoles, given that it would take days/weeks to download a 10-20GB Bluray file.

Days to download 10-20GB?

I have a common speed ADSL 2.0 connection and frequently download full games via Steam that are as large as that. It does not take an entire day.

The problem Sony have is games can be copied and played on the PS3 now with no comeback on the user if they hack. This means less people buying the full price games because in effect the multiplayer is broken. They cant stop people hacking and playing copies of the games if they wanted to unless they come up with a new strategy.

I am glad I sold my PS3 3 months ago because it looks to me to be a very expensive paperweight. At least on Xbox, if you use a hack you might get reported and your account might get banned, costing you money to open another one to cheat again. With the PS3 it costs nothing to make a new account and there is a good chance a hack could keep changing identities of the account to facilitate relogging into any game that did attempt to ban a hacker. The possibilities are endless.

Serial keys could fix this especially if done like EA have done Fifa11. You create an account online with EA and then link the serial code to your account online. You can then play. This can work and if it gives Sony more sales and stops the complete collapse of their newest generation console then they should do it immediately.

 

[Johny47]

I REALLY 'get' why alot of people pirate alot of games, because alot of them are just not worth near what they cost because of the lack of effort or thought that goes into them for example, Call of Duty in my opinion is the most 'milking a dead cow' or 'rehashed crap' in the game world and those games cost even more than the average new game.

But alot of games(usually exclusive on PS3 ) are brilliant and quite worth what they cost so I don't mind if Sony went along with this, I play PC and PS3 games and I have to put in a serial code for my PC games so having to do this for PS3 aswell it wouldn't really bother me, it's just a couple of letters and if it bothers people so much(lazy =/) then plug in a keyboard to input the seriel codes =P

 

[Xclusiveitalian]

Honestly PS3 should release a firmware update to let PS2 games play on it because people are going to hack their PS3's to do that if they don't. I think word of rumor that it was hacked is going to boom hardware sales, however, i don't think actually system hacking will take place as much as PS2. PS2 lacked online today's console center feature is online, and multiplayer so most people won't bother hacking it and losing the most important part for free games. Some will but not as big I think as everyone is hyping it up to be. Look at 360 and wii, hacked years ago and there doing fine. Also bring back OtherOS it will not only give people less of a reason to hack their PS3 to downgrade it and then prob pirate games as a bonus but in lawsuit of pirating the PS3 they could argue that the main reason for hacking it is gone and now their doing it just for copyright infringement.

 

[Guest]

Price the games where it doesn't benefit anyone to copy them. @ $69 a copy it might be worth the while to circumvent protection but @$29 a copy why bother!

 

[mailpup]

IMHO, people who pirate games now will still pirate games regardless of how much they lower the price. Sure, there will be a few exceptions but for the most part, $69 or $29, it makes no difference. People will still want something for nothing. If they can do it, they will.

 

[Richy2k9]

hello...

OT:

Princeton said:

slh28 said:
This seems like a waste of time, somehow someway somebody will find a way of getting around this, as is always the case.

And I doubt piracy on the PS3 will take off like it has on other consoles, given that it would take days/weeks to download a 10-20GB Bluray file.

Typical PS3 games aren't 10-20gb. They're smaller than PC versions due to lower quality models/textures.

1st i need to point that either this is a sarcasm or ignorance, but i'm sure the truth is out there!

anyway i do download 10-20 Gb games off steam in an overnight with a slow 1Mega connection, but some PS3 games exclusives are indeed 30Gb+, owners know that!

BOT:

hacking is bad, it leads to complications for everyone, so if everyone would do their part into talking their surrounding out of it, can help too, but it's not an easy task ... you can see i'm often flamed here for that,

- serial can work, only if it is used once or connected to a PS3 MAC Address, even if this one can be spoofed, there are other features than can be verified on it.

- i think a 'steam-like' system would be better & even if PSN is free, don't ban accounts, or ban account + flag their console / MAC & IP.

- developers should also lend a hand in the scanning & killing unauthorized or tampered connection to their server, how can blizzard do so ? well most of the time ...

- i don't think a good game isn't worth the price & i still don't understand how you get games at $69!!!? I don't get such prices ... well except if i'm foolish enough to buy in some local shops or hypermarkets ... in MU games cost around 60$ but i always pre-order real hits for 40-50$ or buy them when they are around 30$ less, mostly online & delivered within 1-2 weeks ... having a huge backlog i don't care about delivery time.

- a market depends on the demand, then the supply, if we as gamers buy scrap games for any price, then crap games would be supplied at high prise, teach those big corporates a lesson & don't buy their games, why do we deny our own responsibility in this!!? there's always a choice, to try a demo, wait for major reviews & even rent them (i said in former posts, this may come to an end of a new solution may be applied to it), i think those who buy games without knowing take great risk, but not all reviews help, i may love a game with bad review & don't like a major hit (like CoD & alike) ...there's always a way to check first, if you think it's a bad game you may like, at least wait for a price drop.

- hackers should become mature enough not to go the easy way for fame & i would agree if the government would allow the big corporates making business to make money (yeah shame on them) & giving people employment while releasing quite often (not always - you see, i'm realistic here) great piece of work for our pleasure/entertainment ... it's their job & we need to pay them for that, how about you don't get pay for what you do !?

- we, as gamers should grow up & see the impact of such thing, we want things for cheap or for free, well if you look well, you will find some & legal ones. there are ways to get things like that... if it wasn't for piracy i'm sure games will be slightly cheaper, don't say the console wasn't hacked, there's always a risk & multiplat games aren't always the best & yet pirated on 1 platform can kill all the others.

I wish SONY will go through the 'STEAM PORTAL' way, i.e. multiplat games are mostly available in such way, they can work with all major publishers for that. Serial Key is OK if can be attached to a unique account independent to the console or PSN account but maybe a valid international credit card even if access is free, just make it that all new games should be registered with a unique ID (printed on it), there's a risk for key-generators but hey won't be easy to dump, crack & upload a 30Gb+ ISO. Developers should add internal copy detection mechanism inside their games & would take a hacker a lot of time to find them all & release a full copied ISO on the net, maybe like playing for random hours then inside the gaming come a special lookup for specific location / file size / date & time / call home / internet check / minor forced update to a few times unlock & some times just add a piece to carry on, it will mean more work for same value & complications to end users but in the end protecting the games ( i remember a post where Batman AA for PC had a weird behaviour when using a copy) ...

yet i think the best will be that us, fellow gamers, on whichever platform should support our developers & buy original & the more would adhere to this, the less we will need fortified system for our own pleasure... just think like that: "don't do unto others what you don't want others do unto you" ... sorry for another long post.

cheers!

 

[Guest]

Why are people going on about the used game market? I benefits neither sony or the developers of the games.

The only people who benefit are gamestop and the other "worse than pirate" leechers in this industry

 

[mailpup]

Guest, that's a bit of a narrow view. The secondary game market benefits Sony and game developers indirectly. When gamers sell their old games or trade them in, they get money or credit so they are better able to afford new games. Of course, buyers of used games obviously get the benefit of saving money but it is also a relatively inexpensive way for new gamers to enter the fray, so to speak. Expanding the gamer base is good for game publishers and developers.

A healthy secondary market for games is beneficial in a similar way that a healthy used car market helps to sell new cars. Interestingly, new car manufacturers embrace and acknowledge the used car market. A selling point that is promoted by some new car manufacturers is the high resale value of their used cars. Ford has a commercial out now that compares the "projected" resale value of one of their cars to that of a competitor. The game vs car analogy is not exact or perfect but close enough to make the point.

 

[PC nerd]

Well done Geohotz. You've killed the PS3. *****.

It's such a great console. It's a shame it's less popular than the Shitbox 360.

Putting in serial keys will destroy the PS3's sales.

 

[grvalderrama]

If I had enough of a game and I wanted to sell it for coins and then buy an ice cream, but I can't sell it because the serial number has already been used, then what? If I bought a piece of sh!t game and I wanted to sell it the very same day I bought it, then what?

 

[aj_the_kidd]

Forgive me if this a dumb question but how will this affect rentals, can it still operate effectively?

 

[Benny26]

Well done Geohotz. You've killed the PS3. *****.

It's such a great console. It's a shame it's less popular than the Shitbox 360.

Putting in serial keys will destroy the PS3's sales.

+1

I think i'de have trouble being without my PS3, it is literally a multi media machine (and it even makes a good foot stool sometimes aswell )...It was a tad pricey for sure, but i'de have to say it feels like i got my moneys worth in the end, almost certainly.

 

[unrealmp3]

My guess is that they'll ask you to register your CD-key within your PSN account. That would actually reduce piracy, and used-games sales..

 

[TorturedChaos]

I really don't like the idea of a CD key for the PS3 games. If you go with the entry every time you want to play thats really annoying. But on the other hand, the one time entry means I can no longer pick up used games. At least 3/4 of the games I own are used. On top of that, I will grab my a game and head of to a friends house so we can both play it. I don't want to have to drag my PS3 over there because now that game is locked to that PS3.

 

[Guest]

This will never happen, at least not in a way that requires internet authentication. According to the most recent study I've seen 78% of PS3s are connected to the internet. Requiring some form of internet authentication would leave 22% of users out in the cold. I can't see Sony being that stupid.

 

[captaincranky]

Sony's bragged they've had the technology to only allow the game to be installed and played on the first machine it's come to for years..

With that said, the beat, (and blather), goes on about corporate greed, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Point being, Sony's modus operandi has been selling DVD recorders, making money from it, then invoking the strongest copy protection on their motion picture property. Kinda renders their DVD recorders less utilitarian, now doesn't it?

I believe Sony was on the side of making VCRs legal, in opposition to the copyright lobby, when VCR first became available at the consumer level. That's Sony, on the side that makes Sony money. Actually, Sony's on both sides at the same time, making money from each.

At one time, the were setting root kits in CD buyers computers in the name of DRM.

With this knowledge, it seems implausible that people continue to buy their nonsense. Especially, their game offerings, which seem to be at the heart of the controversy.

Oh well, if you stop buying their games, and everybody you know does the same, then progress on price and DRM could be made.

Pity though, consumerism is an every man for himself endeavor. Divide and conquer doesn't have to be planned by the game makers, they just let the gamers implement it themselves.

 

[Mizzou]

I believe Sony was on the side of making VCRs legal, in opposition to the copyright lobby, when VCR first became available at the consumer level. That's Sony, on the side that makes Sony money. Actually, Sony's on both sides at the same time, making money from each.

Universal Studios sued Sony for copyright infringement with the Betamax back in the early 80's. Case went to the U.S. Supreme court where Sony won because it was ruled that they were merely time shifting content. You are absolutely correct, Sony was originally opposed to what we now call DRM but now that they're on the other side of the fence it's a whole different story.

 

[Guest]

Deal with it Sony. You'll never win. Just look at M$.

I know it hurts your feelings that you won't be able to rape people for overpriced video games any longer but thats the way its going to be!