Big companies don't learn

The article here on slashdot talks about the PS4 and the next XBox restricting the re-sale of used games.

I think the 'suits' in charge of these companies are simply not learning, and adding restrictions like these to their new consoles will not only put off seasoned game playing customers, but give the platform a bad name.

I have a XBox and a Wii, I own games on these platforms and they are not cracked at all. I have on several occasions, leant games to friends. Mario Kart, Wii-Fit, Forza 3, etc. I have also been leant games like Forza 4.

Very often, this lending will result in the friend or myself going out and buying my own copy brand new.

Disabling this sort of "sharing" will do several things:
- Motivate people... to fight back!
- Inspire people... to find ways to crack the platform, and download the games from the internet
- Get people excited... about PC games, and platforms like Steam. Moving them away from the standard console. It's just too easy to build a PC, connect it to your TV with HDMI and use an XBox controller to play PC games just like a console. With the added advantage that you can surf the web, watch tv, you tube, do your homework, listed to music, watch movies and TV shows.

Microsoft, Sony, you need to wake up and realise that trying to scrape money out of the backsides of naive and unaware people will NOT increase your profit margins. It's the existing base of loyal customers who want more freedom, openness, and sharing from their platforms, that will make you the big bucks you're after.

Lastly, don't TELL people what they can and can't do. Don't lock them down. Don't restrict them. This just motivates them to fight back harder. To find ways around your bs restrictions. To strike back at you by moving away from your platform or simply cracking their console and getting their content for FREE!

Actually, since I don't really like SONY that much. MS, do me a favour, listen to everything I said above. Do the right thing by your customers:
- Allow them to buy 2nd hand
- Allow them to share games around their circle of friends
- Allow the new platform to play existing games from the XBox 360 as best you can
- Get your new platform out before Sony does, and steal the market away from the Playstation

You won't regret it.