eli5: If game console CDs just tell the game console “yeah they own this game” what was stopping people from just copying the data to other CDs and giving it to people?

Question

(besides legally)

In: 6

Answer 1

Burnable CDs are marked as such on the disc, indicating their types, safe write speeds, and other data. Console discs are usually in some way off-spec that the console can detect to validate the disc is legit. So it can tell copied games and legit games, and would refuse the wrong type.

Hacks existed, from swapping discs with the lid open at the right moment after the disc was accepted, to firmware hacking the CD drive itself to send bogus data to the game console, but as is, game consoles can tell real CDs.