Update: Tretton is out with even more on the PS4's DRM policy.
"Any game that is made for PS4 that is physical goods, whether first-party or third-party, can go into a PS4 and play regardless of where it came from," the prez and CEO told AllThingsD. "The first player will play it, no problem, the second player will play it, no problem."
"What I was referring to was the online proposition. The easiest way to explain it is - if you understand how it works on PlayStation 3, then that's the same way it will work on PlayStation 4. No changes there. We've been out for six and a half years. It's the same experience."
Sony, in other words, will support DRM, it's just a matter if third-party publishers decide to as well.
Original article...
The crowd literally stood on its feet to cheer Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, when he told attendees of the company's June 10 E3 press conference that there are no used game restrictions or 24-hour check-in requirements with the PS4.
Today, Tretton and Sony are out with a little more explanation on its DRM policy.
"Well, I mean, we create the platform, we've certainly stated that our first-party games are not going to be doing that, but we welcome publishers and their business models to our platform," Tretton said on GameTrailers, as reported by Polygon.
Tretton added, "There's gonna be free-to-play, there's gonna be every potential business model on there, and again, that's up to their relationship with the consumer, what do they think is going to put them in the best fit. We're not going to dictate that, we're gonna give them a platform to publish on."
Jack continues
"The DRM decision is going to have to be answered by the third parties, it's not something we're going to control, or dictate, or mandate, or implement," he concluded.
Meaning that while first-party games won't have DRM restrictions, third-party publishers like EA, Activision and Ubisoft are free to come up with their own policies for PS4 games.
Sony later came out with further commentary on the DRM issue, stating that all disc-based games are available to trade or resell however an owner wants, no matter who made the game.
"Similar to PS3, we will not dictate the online used game strategy (the ability to play used games online) of its publishing partners," a Sony rep told Polygon.
"As announced last night, PS4 will not have any gating restrictions for used disc-based games. When a gamer buys a PS4 disc they have right to use that copy of the game, so they can trade-in the game at retail, sell it to another person, lend it to a friend, or keep it forever."
As for whether the PS4 will have an Online Pass program like the first-party service found on the PS3, that's a no-go for the newer system, the rep said.
Sony was riding a high horse after its pre-E3 press conference, even posting a PS4 ad that trolls Microsoft's own sharing policy, but we'll see if Tretton has any more "explaining" to do.
- We put the Xbox One GamePad next to the controller of the Xbox 360. See how they compare.
You'll find our roundup of the PS4 E3 press conference below:
