Update: Speaking at a roundtable session with the press attended by Ars Technica, Shuhei Yoshida stated that "when you purchase the disc-based games for PS4, that should work on any hardware." When asked whether games would require online registration, Yoshida noted that that decision was up to the publisher. When asked if Sony, as a publisher, would require games to be registered online, Yoshida said, "we are not talking about that plan."

While Yoshida's statement leaves open the possibility that individual publishers can still block used games at will, it's just as likely he was simply leaving the door open for the kind of "Online Pass" purchase systems that already routinely limit certain online game functions in used copies of games. So while there's still a bit of wiggle room in Sony's public comments, we'd also caution against reading to much into what Yoshida did (or didn't) say.

Original story: It's been a tense time for gamers who happen to be fans of both Sony and the preowned game market, with rampant rumors (and even patent filings) suggesting that the PlayStation 4 might include a method to let the system block used game discs. Sony didn't directly address the matter during its lengthy PlayStation Meeting Wednesday night, but Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida has now publicly put the whole thing to rest: The PlayStation 4 will not block used game discs from being played.

Eurogamer got a chance to sit down with Yoshida after the public presentation, and the publication asked him about the issue directly. "Do you want us to do that?" he reportedly answered, coyly, before noting that the "general expectation" among consumers is that they should be able to use their discs everywhere. After conferring with his Japanese PR advisor, he answered a bit more directly:

"So, used games can play on PS4. How is that?" Eurogamer's reporter said it was fine, and we have to agree.

Eurogamer also cites an unnamed Sony source in saying that the previously reported disc-blocking patent "had nothing to do with PlayStation 4 at all."

The focus now turns to Microsoft, which has seen more rumors that it will use forced installs and a required Internet connection as a method to stop used game sales on its next Xbox (even earning a preemptive public warning from GameStop on the matter). Making such a move independently of Sony would seem to be extremely risky, given that consumers could easily change their system purchase decisions based on this important factor. Still, a determined Microsoft could power through the consequences anyway in an attempt to cater to the many big publishers that absolutely hate the used game market, which they see as a drain on their profit-generating new game sales.