Xbox One’s ‘solution’ to second hand game sales
Microsoft spent an hour trying to explain why everyone should be rushing out to buy their newest console. Although the end result of their conference left everyone wanting more, it painted a stark future for the second hand game market.
The second hand games industry has thrived throughout this console generation. But because publishers and developers don’t see a single cent from this market, they came up with ways to discourage it. EA spent this entire generation trying to convince people not to do so with their online passes and even they have recently given up all hopes on that idea.
And now it seems seems that Microsoft have a ‘solution’ to this problem as well, a solution which will be integrated into the Xbox One. In a statement to Wired, Microsoft stated that the Xbox One will require all games to be installed onto the HDD to be played and that each disc will be uniquely bound to the Xbox Live account who first associates with it.
So what would happen to used games? According to Microsoft, if the game disc were to be used on a second Xbox Live account, the owner would then be given an option to pay a small fee to Microsoft to install and play said used game.
It should not surprise anyone that Microsoft would come up with such a radical idea to curb the sales of used games. After all, it has been a thorn in their side for close to a decade. However, it does seem kind of out of date if you consider the fact that digital distribution has become so widespread. Rather than discourage used games, Microsoft could have easily encouraged gamers to buy digitally through an interface, much like Steam, which ties the game to the owner’s Xbox Live account and no one would be the wiser. Offer sales and discounts for consumers via this hypothetical interface rather than always trying to suck out every single penny from them.
But instead, they are going out of the way to ruin the used game market which will probably end up turning away adopters for the Xbox One. It seems like they do not understand that games are not exactly cheap and that is why the second hand game market exists. I just don’t see anyone willing to pay as much as $60 for a game which they have no idea if they will like or not. This will serve only to cripple new IPs and will ultimately force developers to produce franchises for fear of not meeting sales expectations, as we have seen in these last few years.
It seems like Microsoft is set on this course of action which I feel will sour the relationship with their consumers and discourage people from buying their consoles. They are so desperate to have a share of the used game market that they are resorting to such drastic tactics. At the end of the day, it is about the money. Always has been, always will be.