The good news first: Microsoft will finally embrace the capacious Blu-ray disc format

Now on to the bad news: Remember the good old days when you could share your game cartridges and discs with your friends, or resell them? Those are about to be numbered, at least in the case of the Xbox platform. Microsoft is designing its next-generation Xbox console in a way that restricts people from playing "used" games.

http://www.techpowerup.com/159420/Next-Gen-Xbox-Features-Blu-ray-Will-Not-Play-Used-Games.html

Also its reported that it will use a 6670

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-01-25-next-xbox-gpu-based-on-50-radeon-hd-6670-card-report

Yay finally blu-ray on an xbox, oh wait actually doesn't make any real difference does it.  I've already got a set top blu-ray player which I surpisingly use for blu-rays and dvd's so am not going to use my xbox for it and its not like the extra capacity will probably make that much difference, after all its not like the quality of current cut scenes etc on dvd's at the mo is that bad.  Guess it will make a little bit of an improvement after a while.

As for used games I hope that some of the current used games market gets together and sues them for it, a guy I work with who plays loads of his xbox has basically said that's him going PS3 (until they do the same).  Its not too bad when you think you can't get rid of steam games its not like they usually cost loads anyway but when you talking a kid who has to trade games in to be able to afford the next one they're just going to alienate one of their biggest markets all in an attempt to get a few extra quid from used games.

That's pathetic. Like it will prevent piracy...

All these measures serve to do is anger and annoy genuine players that spend their hard earned money on these games. If that's the way it is heading I can see the PS3 being my last console purchase for a while, I use it more as a media player than for games anyway.

Its not to fight piracy, there were several quotes / articles back along from people working in the industry basically saying how companies are losing revenue from used sales, which they don't because they already made their cash when the game is sold new. Its like Ford turning around and saying to dealers of used stock including 2nd hand dealers we want a slice of the cash everytime you resell one of our cars, its just mental.

The used market is massive, it will potentially effect a lot of videogame stores around the world including those on Ebay, and it will alienate the very people that keep these companies going all for a bit of extra profit, i don't blame them for trying to make money as thats business, its just whoever thinks up these ideas needs to have their heads examined, the backlash from the press and gamers will surely bury this idea before it ever gets put into place.

I think all gaming will be going down the online distribution road sooner or later, rather than bought from a brick and mortar store (more than likely when the US sorts it internet infrastructure out) you just have to look at Steam to see how successful that model can be.

Why pay a middleman to sell your game when you can keep a lot more of the profit by distributing it yourself, plus it will kill the used game market, so if you want to get a game that has been out out for a few months you have to buy it online rather than a second hand disc, they don’t see a penny at the minute for used games, so its win win for the publishes.

If they price older games right people will be willing to buy them (Steam sales for example), if they try to take the piss people will pirate them if they can!

The other one I've thought of that'll be a bit of a problem for stopping used games, what about rentals...

I've got a lovefilm subscription mainly for xbox games but also for dvd's, but surely they'll have to stop doing the games because they'll just look like used games to the xbox, unless they do a specific version without the restrictions just for rentals.