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Sony Patent Checks PlayStation Disc Loading Times to Prevent Piracy

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Sony has patented a new technology for its PlayStation gaming platform which detects whether a game or Blu-ray movie is a genuine copy or a pirated knock-off.

By reading the loading times of the discs and comparing them to a benchmark, the system can discover if the media is legit with official titles loading much faster than home burned discs which take longer for the PlayStation to read. If a disc fails to meet the load time check it’ll be given a second verification which establishes whether the lag is caused by grubby fingers, scratches and damage to the disc or whether it’s actually a bogus copy.

These discoveries will be logged and if a user is found to have repeated incidents where a game has struggled to load there may be restrictions or bans imposed on their play time. On the other hand if a gamer has a good reputation for running genuine copies instances where media might load a little slower will be overlooked.

This is an interesting development, especially in light of Sony’s decision to take older PS3 titles to its online streaming platform ran by Gaikai rather than having the discs run on the new PS4. Still, using discs for dedicated titles on its new (and currently unseen) console Sony looks to crack down on the piracy that has troubled previous PlayStation generations.