The hot topic of used games and the secondary market has exploded since last week’s reveal of the Xbox One. Microsoft’s conflicting messages about the console’s stance on pre-owned products has caused fans to question whether or not the thing will even run games that have been purchased by other consumers in the past, but Phil Spencer, the corporate vice president of Microsoft Studios, has assured his loyal Twitter followers that used games will be a key pillar for the Xbox One.
Similar to almost every other piece of official messaging on the Xbox One, Spencer’s Tweet asks players to wait just a bit longer before the whole issue is cleared up. That’s not exactly the best PR strategy when polls are showing an overwhelming distaste for the latest Xbox, but hey, E3’s not that far off, right? Right?
@arkhamfantasy Secondary market is important to the ecosystem, #XBOXOne will support.More details coming…
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) May 27, 2013
Once again, it’s unclear exactly what this means. People have discussed a possible activation fee after someone purchases a pre-owned game, and the price on that may actually be full retail. We’ve also heard reports of Microsoft getting a cut of the used-game profit from whatever participating retailer agrees to follow its specific terms of agreement. But nothing can be confirmed until, well, probably the date of the company’s E3 press conference in June. Maybe.
This mess has caused fans to voice their DRM concerns to Sony. The general public doesn’t want any sort of restrictive agreement placed on the products they buy, and surprisingly, Sony has responded in a very positive manner.
