Last week it was revealed that Sony would start including an online pass with all PlayStation 3 exclusive tiles. Many gamers were upset by this reveal. EA and THQ started using online passes over a year ago and many publishers are starting to follow. Is the requirement of an online pass really an issue?

I purchase a number of games in a given calendar year and its kind of divided between new and used. But if I know that I’m going to play a high profile game such as Battlefield 3, buying used is out of the question. I own 2 copies of Battlefield: Bad Company 2, one copy for my Xbox 360 and one copy for my PlayStation 3. I bought the 360 version brand new and a little over a year later I bought the PS3 version used.

I knew I was going to play the used copy of Bad Company 2 online and bought the online pass without question. When I purchased the used copy of Bad Company 2 and the online pass. I ended up saving more by purchasing the game used over purchasing the game new. Not every situation will workout the same way as it did for me. But buying used has its advantages and disadvantages.

Publishers and developers love stores like Best Buy, GameStop, Play N’ Trade and others retailers that sell their products new. Some of these retailers also sell games used. Publishers and developers never get a cut of these used sales. Used game sales cut into the over all profits of the publisher and developer.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to take a side here I’m just trying to show the reality of things. Buying used will always cut into the overall profits of any company regardless of the industry, but some industries can recover better then others.

Take for example: Used car sales

Ford, Dodge and Chevy dealers sell used vehicles all the time and that cuts into the profits of the automaker. However, the automaker knows that the used vehicle will need maintenance one day and they will supply the replacement parts to a dealer in order to repair the vehicle. Each automaker then continues to make profits even though they are not on new vehicle sales.

You could look at the online pass as a vehicle part that is required to regain the full functionality of your car or game. I understand that when buying a used vehicle from a dealer you wont have to fix it right away and there are extended warranties available. Lets not get side tracked here on what I’m trying to say.

The days of the required online pass are here to stay. If you buy a used game you get what you pay for. You are paying for something used that may not have full functionality. Now if you buy a new game then you also get what you pay for, which is the fully functional game.

If the online pass is an issue, then I recommend buying the game new. Or you could even rent it before you drop the full amount for the game new. Anyway you look at it. This is going to be part of the video game industry form now on.