Insanely Insane Rumor: Next Xbox won’t play used games

Yep, it’s another “Next Xbox” rumor, and it is quite possibly the most outlandish hardware rumor we’ve had in a long time. A source close to Kotaku claims that not only will the “Next Xbox” adopt Blu-ray, it’ll also refuse to run any games bought secondhand. 

The source admits that he doesn’t know how the console would do that. Microsoft responded to the rumor by saying that it’s always trying to “push the boundaries” of technology, but would not comment further on this, or on the rumor that Kinect 2 is going to be introduced along with the new console. 

This is one rumor that should be taken with a veritable ark full of salt, as I find it difficult to believe that even Microsoft would be so bold as to go this far. Platform holders still rely heavily on GameStop to market and sell systems, and a snub of this magnitude would prove an immense risk without a worthy payoff. 

It’s also worth noting that we had similar rumors before the PS3 launched, and nothing came of it. While I’d not say that Microsoft definitely won’t implement an anti-used system, I find it incredibly unlikely.