Following a number of reports claiming Microsoft’s (MSFT) next-generation video game console, codenamed “Durango,” will block users’ ability to play preowned games, a new report appears to back up those claims. In a series of purported screenshots from Microsoft’s Durango SDK published by Vgleaks.com, several earlier rumors regarding Microsoft’s next console appear to have been confirmed. Among them is the claim that game play from a disk will not be supported, and users will instead have to install games to the device’s hard drive in order to play.
Previous rumors suggested Microsoft plans to require that users install games on their hard drives and enter a unique activation code in order to play. The console will then require an always-on Internet connection and will ping a server to verify the activation code.
It should be noted that early rumors suggested a similar authentication system would block used games on Sony’s PlayStation 4, however the rumors were debunked when the device was unveiled last month.
The leaked Durango SDK screenshots also mention a “new high-fidelity Kinect Sensor” that will be sold with every console, and that must be connected in order for the system to operate. The most telling of the leaked images follows below.
