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Sony rumored to be adding serial keys to PS3


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Posted
Rumour has it that Sony is looking to the PC games market to help solve its growing piracy problem on the PlayStation 3 - with the introduction of serial keys to its games.

 

According to 'a very reliable source' quoted by PS3-Sense, Sony is attempting to address the recent revelation that it failed to properly secure the private signing key for its flagship console - leading to clever tinkerers producing third-party firmware that allows unofficial software and illegitimately downloaded games to run on unmodified hardware - by looking to the PC retail market for solutions.

 

Unlike the PS3, the PC doesn't have a hardware DRM system built in to it - despite attempts by groups like the Trusted Computing Group, formerly the Trusted Computer Platform Alliance, to introduce such a thing - relying instead on software-based DRM and a surprisingly old-fashioned guarantee of a game's uniqueness: a serial key.

 

Printed on the product's packaging, the key is a unique identifier that promises that the game is the real deal - and usually verifies itself with an online server, preventing the game from running or accessing multiplayer features if the same key is in use elsewhere.

 

It's a solution that the PC gaming industry has been using for years, but if the rumour that Sony is looking to use it as a bandage for its thoroughly broken PS3 DRM proves true, it could have one major hurdle in its path: unlike a PC, the PS3 has no keyboard.

 

If this is true, this defeats one of the key aspects of console gaming, the fact that you can just pop in the disc and play, without any DRM or installations. The PS3 already has installs, and now it will have serial keys as well. This will also effectively kill the used game market, as well as the rental market as well (for the PS3 anyway). This will also hurt anyone who wants to play the game offline, as they will need to activate the game before hand. No matter how this goes down, it will be a huge loss for consumers.


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Posted

Makes them less popular what if for xbox you had to buy a new game every time and couldnt trade in? I'm sure you would move to ps3 (if ps3 wasn't exploited)

It likely wouldn't make a noticeable impact in console sales, as consumers are brain dead, not only that, developers would most likely pay sony more for increasing their bottom line.

Posted

They won't lol it would kill the the second hand/trade in services.

 

 

EA already does that in a way

 

Anyone who rents Dead Space 2 will not be able to play in the online versus (which is actually fun) until they pay for an online pass

 

EA has done similar things for other games like Mass Effect 2 (Cerberus Network), Bad Company 2 (VIP codes) and Medal of Honor and people don't make a big enough deal over them doing it.

 

After a while EA will probably just make it that you need to use the code to be able to play the game at all or it would just stay in the menu.

Posted

EA already does that in a way

 

Anyone who rents Dead Space 2 will not be able to play in the online versus (which is actually fun) until they pay for an online pass

 

EA has done similar things for other games like Mass Effect 2 (Cerberus Network), Bad Company 2 (VIP codes) and Medal of Honor and people don't make a big enough deal over them doing it.

 

After a while EA will probably just make it that you need to use the code to be able to play the game at all or it would just stay in the menu.

each console gets 7 days before they need to pay, so rentals are unaffected.

Posted

hackers have already found a way around this serial thing.

 

they can wipe their history. so this 7 day thing for rentals will be unlimited for them

thats for EA games on the 360 though, a system on the PS3 would likely be different.

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