Playstation 4 'Orbis' Won't Block Pre-Owned Games Afterall?

By Robert Zak / March 30, 2012

The controversial recent rumour that the Playstation 4 was to be code-named 'Orbis' and contain anti pre-owned technology has been downplayed by industry analyst Michael Pachter. Talking to gi.biz, Pachter has bluntly called it 'a dumb idea, making it a dumb rumour.' Going into more detail, he said that:

"It isn't really in Sony's or Microsoft's best interests to block used games. It would benefit Activision and EA slightly, and would hurt GameStop a great deal. If Sony unilaterally did this, I could see GameStop refusing to carry their console, and sales of the PS4 would therefore suffer."

IDC research manager Lewis Ward agrees that publishers would probably some form of anti pre-owned protection. However, he also says that this would lead to a customer backlash, with many poorer purchasers currently buying consoles precisely because games can be traded in and bought on the cheap. Instead, says Ward, we can apparently expect to see an increase in schemes such as Sony's recent Online Passes, which come free with new games but $10 if second-hand buyers want to access the online features. If the aforementioned experts are to be believed, then surely this is comforting news for gamers who've been tearing their hair out over the recent ramblings on the grapevine. Playstation 4 Orbis is expected to be launched in May 2013, but likely not available until Christmas 2013, and will be capable of "Super HD resolution", which is beyond most TV's currently available.