Sony has applied for a patent for a new type of DRM that uses RFID tags to limit the use of second hand games.
The RFID tag would be embedded into the game disc itself. With the addition of programmable storage on the disc, the disc would be able to store information on which consoles that disc has been used on, and limit usage on unauthorized consoles.
In practical terms, this could put an end to the second hand game trade, a lucrative grey market that has been the scorn of game publishers due to the fact that they do not get a cut from trades made in this unregulated marketplace.
Industry rumours already point to the next Sony game console being able to actively prevent the use of used games, and the application for this patent seems to suggest that physical solutions, alongside software/Internet based ones, are being considered by the Japanese company.
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