Xbox 720 Rumors: Won’t Play Used Games

Rumors are circulating the internet, like they do, about the next-gen Xbox console lovingly but stupidly dubbed the “Xbox 720”. Among those rumors is talk about how much more powerful the game system will be. Of course, it’s going to be stronger than the Xbox 360, but “six times more powerful” is a pretty vague description and means about as much as “squat diddly” to the common gamer (or even game developer). There are also a few rumors that are slightly exciting, but still kind of blasé like Blu-ray compatibility and built-in Kinect 2 functionality. If the Kinect 2 is built-in, that could mean more processing power and ultimately an even slicker and more futuristic hands-free experience.

This is without a doubt, 100% positive, what the Xbox 720 will look like. For sure.

Ultimately, though, the rumor I’m most interested in (and worried about) is the supposed restriction on playing used games. If you haven’t heard, Microsoft might be toying with the idea of requiring downloads or one-time-use codes for games to play. That would mean no more borrowing games from friends and family, no more renting new games to try them out, and taking a huge chunk of inventory off the market for companies like Gamestop and Gamefly, which to be quite honest, are most likely the only reason gaming culture has grown so rapidly and wonderfully in the past few years.

That’s not just biting the hand that feeds you. That’s chainsawing it off, blasting it with a shotgun, lighting it on fire with your newfound pyrokinesis, and then spitting a cool one-liner out the side of your mouth not filled with cigar as the dismembered hand explodes in the background.