Xbox One second-hand games could cost as much as £35
Pre-owned Xbox One games will cost almost the same as new games, according to an alleged leak from within a games shop.
Pre-owned Xbox One games will cost almost the same as new games, according to reports. An alleged leak from within a games shop suggests Microsoft will charge 90 per cent of the original price for second-hand game purchases.
ConsoleDeals.co.uk quotes a senior "employee at one of the UK’s largest video game retailers", who claims Microsoft is asking for up to £35 for a second license to play a game after it's been bought the first time.
When you buy an Xbox One game, you get a code that locks the game to your gamer profile. This means you can't lend a game to a mate unless you play with them or they log in under your name, and if you want to get another code it'll cost only a fraction less than buying a second copy of the game.
What that means for games retailers selling second-hand games is unclear, not to mention games rental types like LoveFilm.
Microsoft has deliberately avoided the thorny subject of second-hand games, so this isn't officially confirmed. If it is true, the biggest discount you could get on a second-hand game would be 10 per cent off the original asking price.
Update: I asked Microsoft for some clarification, and was told "We know there is some confusion around used games on Xbox One and wanted to provide a bit of clarification on exactly what we’ve confirmed." Ah, some clarification, hurray! "While there have been many potential scenarios discussed, we have only confirmed that we designed Xbox One to enable our customers to trade in and resell games at retail." So that clarifies precisely nothing, then. We'll chase the story and keep you posted on what we find out.
In the meantime, enjoy our thoughts on the Xbox One and the rest of the week's tech news in the CNET UK podcast, which you can watch as many times as you like for no extra charge.
Should Microsoft and games developers continue to make money from an item they created throughout its life, or is a game -- or any item -- out of the manufacturer's control once they've made that first sale? And what do you think of the Xbox One? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our decidedly first-hand Facebook page.