Could this be the end of the secondhand games market? Shares dropped in game store retailers as Sony apply for a patent to stop their consoles playing used games.
Sony's patent application details the deployment of embedded RFID chips as a weapon against secondhand sales all without requiring an online connection.
It could double as an anti-piracy device, ruling out off-the-shelf media for copying. The patent mentions using the RFID tag to "decrypt content" on the disc, this could be used to lock up certain content until paid for. This would allow secondhand sales, but allow the publisher to charge purchasers a fee to unlock the full game.
So, all you would need to do is don't buy Sony's new console, buy the new Xbox or just stick with your existing one and you'll be OK.
