Goodbye Piracy with New Sony PS3 Serial Codes?

Three things are certain now: death, taxes, and piracy.

After iPhone hacker GeoHot broadcasted PS3 root keys online--for everyone--including game pirates--to grab, Sony is now doing some damage control.

Their solution: PC-like serial codes which players will be required to key in to successfully launch the game.  From now on, all Sony game discs will carry a unique serial code, which can be inputted up to five (5) times only.

Hopefully, this will prevent not only game piracy but discourage trading of second-hand game titles as well.  Now, retailers will be wary, being unsure of how many times the serial code has been keyed in by the trading customer.

But are serial codes for the PS3 really an effective deterrent to game piracy?  Edge Magazine says that, for years, PC game titles have employed the serial code method but crafty hackers still found their way around it.  

At the end of the day, they feel that the biggest losers would be the gamers who purchased the legit Sony game titles, which they can neither sell or trade.  A dilemma indeed.