PlayStation 4 Will Be Able To Play Used Games, Says Sony

Rumor and speculation has swirled for a bit now that Sony might block gamers from playing PS3 games on the newly-announced PlayStation 4. This was boosted by a Sony patent that was found discussing a disc and device ID that many feared indicated a method of blocking the use of used games. As it turns out, this isn't the case, with Sony's Shuhei Yoshida stating after the PS4 event earlier today that it won't block used games.

Unfortunately, Sony failed to address the concerns during the event, leaving people to further wonder about the future of used games. To solve this, the folks over at Eurogamer sat down with Shuhei Yoshida after the event and asked the question that so many people have been wondering: will used games be blocked? The initial response was a rather coy question back. "Do you want us to do that?"

The answer, of course, was no. Said the Eurogamer interviewer, buying a used game implies the ability to pass it on and the retention of a cetain degree of value. When asked if he agreed with that, Yoshida responded in the affirmative. "That's the general expectation by consumers," he said. "They purchase physical form, they want to use it everywhere, right? So that's my expectation."

When pressed about whether an individual who purchases a PlayStation 4 disc will be able to turn around and sell that disc to another gamer, the Sony Worldwide Studio's President balked a bit, seeking clarification from a PR rep. He eventually offered this response, only partially side-stepping the question: "So, used games can play on PlayStation 4. How is that?" That's enough to assuage concerns.

[via Eurogamer]