The boss of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has hinted that Sony chose to support the pre-owned market in an effort to protect retail.
“The gaming eco-system in the UK is a somewhat fragile one,” Jim Ryan told VG247. “We all know just how difficult it is for retailers, and while we’re never going to make a policy decision to cushion the lives of video game retailers in a particular market, it’s a factor that we need our retail partners to survive and hopefully prosper.
“That very fragile ecosystem is one I feel shouldn’t be lightly tampered with.”
It was (seemingly) confirmed last night that while systems such as the Online Pass are possible on PS4, Sony will not allow partners to block pre-ownedsoftware completely.
Ryan also said that Sony opted against an always-online requirement for PS4 as it sees huge potential in emerging markets where the internet infrastructure remains underdeveloped.
“If we consider the issue of an online connection being required; I look after a very large number of territories, including lots of places in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India, where internet connectivity is not all that widespread in the home,” he added.
“If you’re talking about a mass level, an issue like that is very fundamental. We take a long-term view on those markets, and we invest heavily in them. In those places it isn’t a core gamer issue: it’s a fundamental issue.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/scee-...urvive/0117099