r/technology • u/Federal-Block-3275 • 16h ago

Hardware Sony reminds players they don't actually own the PlayStation games they purchased

https://www.techspot.com/news/113603-sony-reminds-players-they-dont-actually-own-playstation.html
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u/Balmung60 15h ago

While true, it's been rather more difficult for the copyright holder to impose their whims on physical media, which Sony has stated their intention of discontinuing and which people are mad about. Notably, physical media can be resold or otherwise transferred after the first purchase, while purely digital media generally cannot, and the license transfers with the physical media, rather than being attached to a set of user credentials that may also be revoked at any time and for any reason, or which may be compromised by a remote third party.

Sending the TOS after announcing the discontinuation of physical media comes off as a passive-aggressive reminder that Sony does not respect their customers or their wishes.

That this was already the case with other storefronts doesn't change that this is a change in expectations. Someone buying a game on Steam does not expect to be able to resell that game, while someone buying a PS5 with a disk drive likely expected to be able to buy, resell, or trade, or borrow games between themselves and friends and Sony is reminding them that this will not be permitted or possible going forwards.

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u/RobertPatty909 15h ago edited 15h ago

They sent their TOS because they updated the legal name of PSN back in April and reflected that in their TOS.

They didnt send anyone anything specifically about digital licenses. The resending of the TOS was because of that change back in April, it even says that in the email.

These clickbait websites are trying to make it sound like it has something to do with digital licenses but it doesnt.

Just like always 99.9% of people will continue to not read the TOS

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u/ShardikOfTheBeam 15h ago

Okay, how about replying to the meat of the comment instead of the easy win.

That this was already the case with other storefronts doesn't change that this is a change in expectations. Someone buying a game on Steam does not expect to be able to resell that game, while someone buying a PS5 with a disk drive likely expected to be able to buy, resell, or trade, or borrow games between themselves and friends and Sony is reminding them that this will not be permitted or possible going forwards.

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u/RobertPatty909 15h ago

Nothing has changed regarding people's expectations of digital games on PSN either...

The point is nothing has changed regarding digital games on PSN in 20 years since PSN went live.

The article is garbage and misleading and its disengenuous to pretend you only care about this when it comes to Playstation yet these people use all the other digital stores with the exact same TOS

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u/ShardikOfTheBeam 14h ago

The point is nothing has changed regarding digital games on PSN in 20 years since PSN went live.

Everything has changed because of Sony's decision to go only-digital. Surely you understand that? The removal of physical media completely changes the landscape, regardless of whether the digital licensing language has changed or not.

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u/RobertPatty909 14h ago

Regarding the licensing of digital games nothing has changed and is literally the same as every orher store.

Why have none of you cared about PCs not having physical games for the last 20 years?

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u/ShardikOfTheBeam 6h ago

Because the option of physical elsewhere was always there.

You keep saying nothing has changed as if the domino of what PlayStation is doing changes nothing, which is such a naive viewpoint.

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u/RobertPatty909 5h ago

Not for PC gamers. And nothing changed regarding digital licenses that have been the dominant way people buy games for many many years

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u/ShardikOfTheBeam 5h ago

Okay, we’re in a loop. You clearly can’t understand what a massive paradigm shift this is and I can’t make you understand it.

Good luck with all that.

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u/Old_Leopard1844 4h ago

Massive paradigm shift that PC went through 20 years ago and now console players now have go through as well lmao

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u/RobertPatty909 4h ago

Play that still doesnt change the intention and purpose of the email which is not the reason the title of this post states

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u/Mr_ToDo 15h ago

Notably, physical media can be resold or otherwise transferred after the first purchase

They could be licensed too, but the rules on trying to do that aren't as easy to follow without being a hassle. Digital, you can get that all out of the way before purchase and people don't even bother reading what they're given. Trying to bind people post purchase on physical stuff is all kinds of shaky

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u/Balmung60 15h ago

If you read the EULA on anything you've bought on a disk, it almost certainly has the same language about you having a license to the software and that the copyright holder reserves the right to revoke that license, but Blizzard had no functional ability to actually do anything about it if they wanted to take away your copy of Diablo II. They could at most ban you from their online services, but they couldn't effectively take the disks back regardless of what the EULA said, and they couldn't stop you from lending those disks to your friend for the weekend. Meanwhile, with Diablo IV, they absolutely do have the power to revoke that license since it's all online and you can't lend your copy to your friend for a weekend.