As one "generation" of consoles winds down, and a new one emerges on the horizon, the games industry's entering into something of a transition phase - and those who like playing games on consoles have a big choice ahead of them. But while choosing a console before has always been a case of "which one has the most games I like", things look a little bit more complex for the next set of home consoles.
One of the most controversial issues of recent weeks has been that of Microsoft, and their restrictive policies surrounding used games, and game ownership on their new console, the Xbox One. Set to launch this November, when you buy a game on the Xbox One, you don't actually own in - instead, you buy a license. With a once-every-24-hour mandatory online "check in" to ensure your license is in order, the console will also give publishers the ability to block you from trading games in, or from even lending them to your friends. It's a rather confusing system, but we've detailed what it means for ordinary people here. Meanwhile, Nintendo's successor to the Wii, the Wii U is already on the shelves, and has made no such efforts to restrict what you can do with the games you buy - purchase a game on a disc, and you're free to lend it to your friends, trade it in, or keep it forever. With a line seemingly being drawn in the sand, all eyes turned to Sony as we approached this year's mega games show, E3, to see which side they'd fall on.
So, while Microsoft have put up an article on their official website to explain the ins and outs of their system, and how it all works, Sony have detailed their policy in the hilarious video below.
So there you have it. As they explained in a little bit more detail at their conference at E3, On the Playstation 4, you'll be able to trade games in, lend them to your friends, or hold onto them forever, with no online check-in required, and no crazy licenses to worry about breaking. The games are yours, and will work forever, much like on the Wii U, and much as we've been familiar with for years. Now that all three companies have shown their hands, it's clear the Xbox One will be the only console to restrict what you can do with the games you buy - and without any obvious price difference in games, while the machine itself weighs in at £429 to the Playstation 4's £350 and the Wii U's £280, it's going to be interesting to see how the decision affects Microsoft as the months go by.
