Sadly there were many questions that were not answered in last night's PS4 unveil. Many are still wondering how much it will cost, what the exact timeframe of its arrival will be, even what it looks like.
Which is why one question that many had going in… whether or not if it'll play used games… has been mostly pushed aside. But at least we have an answer to that, albeit from Eurogamer.
When speaking with Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida, and asked if blocking the operation of used games, the answer was no. Furthermore…
"That's the general expectation by consumers… They purchase physical form, they want to use it everywhere, right? So that's my expectation."
It was also reported, when speaking with an unnamed Sony source, that the anti used-game patent that was discovered a few weeks back, and which fueled genuine fears that an anti-used game policy would indeed go into effect, actually has nothing to do with the PS4 as it turns out.
The patent, as some might recall, indicated that games would come with an RF tag. Once the game disc was read by a particular console, it was then tied to that machine. So not only would you not be able to play used games, but you could also forget bringing a game over to your buddy’s to play, on his or her console.
Perhaps it’s an idea that Sony might employ later down the road, or maybe not at all? Remember: patents are filed all the time by companies and often nothing is down with them. Then again, we may also eventually see a Sony EyePad come to market as well.