Well, markets are based on supply, demand, and competition.  In the digital space supply and demand are controlled.  Demand isn't in as much control, but after costs are covered, you're not sitting on dead stock to clear out so prices stagnat.  Next is competition. 

Steam's competitors aren't as popular, nor are they as robust.  Steam has one other competitor, piracy.  Piracy, believe it or not, keeps Steam in check.   If there was no piracy, I can assure you, there'd be no sales every week on big titles. 

Console space has little piracy, so for the sake of discussion we'll say it's not there (Yes it is, but Sony and Microsoft have done a very thorough job to make piracy neglible.  It's also why publishers blame the used market now).  So supply and demand are still in control.  Prices are generally higher because piracy is not a competitor.  Competition is the key difference.  Microsoft and Sony are each other's competitor.  Nintendo as well, but to a smaller degree due to current Wii U userbase.  The Wii early on was actually a greater competitor but another discussion for another time.  Back on point.  Microsoft and Sony compete with each other, but publishers ultimately hold key on price.  Publisher's aren't going to change prices between platforms since that competes with themselves (e.g. EA isn't going to put the price down for Battlefield 3 on PS3 vs 360 since that'll affect profits).  Sony created PS + to compete with Microsoft, and that helped with prices.  The other competitor is the used game market. 

Used game market is more affected by supply and demand vs competition.  If there's a lot of supply vs demand prices go down.  Low prices on games creates competition to retail games on the digital platform (Not DLC or consumables[e.g. bullets]).  Prices can go lower on the digital space because now publshers have to compete for dollars, since they see no money from used sales.  Which leads to Microsoft and their DRM.

Microsoft wants control on the used market.  If they control supply, demand and reduce competition, they'll get closer to getting full control of the market and they can keep prices higher.  This is why they're trying their hardest to push this DRM through.  This anti-consumer tactic also removes our ability to become a seller and gets rid of a large competitor, us.  Now come in what this article suggests.

Sony is adding another form of competition.  By giving users the right to sell (Which we should have by default and have never been giving the ability to do in the digital space), they're actually creating more competition.  This actually creates competition in the DLC space now since there's very little (Most DLC sales are either marketting ploys, or used to push the sale of a retail game).  This also adds more competition for retail games.

What Sony is doing, if this article is correct, is adding more freedom to the market.  Supply and demand is controlled, but by adding another layer of competition this leads to a more free market, which is more than what Steam currently is, and is the exact opposite of what Microsoft is trying to do.

Interesting.

If I'm not mistaken Microsoft also wants to have a digital form of resale, it would be done by codes in a digital resell marketplace. Only difference is that the goods being resold are retails games (via activation codes). I'm not sure how it would work but it sounds similar to what your describing, except that Sony is extending it to virtual assets (not just games). What do you think?

The only thing I've gotten out of Microsoft and digital resale, is that you can have 10 people have access to your games, 1 person at a time.  If they said something else, someone please feel free to mention it.  Sony actually did this with the PS3, except with 5 people.  I personally don't think it affected much, but I guess the fear of people only paying once turned publishers off.  Sony actually added a similar DRM where two people can only play the same digital copy after 24 hours of each other (Only Capcom used it apparently so it's only in FInal Fight).  Sony later restricted it to 2 consoles.  So other than "Sharing" which I'm sure will change later on, I see nothing else for a digital used game market.  Reselling retail games (Physical games) at retailers is pretty much trying to control what you can already do.  If Microsoft lets you trade digitally bought games, then everything is changed.  Again I've heard nothing of this.  Now the difference between this auction house and what MS is doing?  One is allowing you to resell digital goods, something you couldn't do previously.  Microsoft is trying to control something they've had no control over before. 

I see what you mean now. It's a good thing there are forums like this where we can figure things out when we're wrong. Thanks.

And though the virtual market could lead to Sony taking advantage of the market, the market is likely going to modulate itself, like all markets do. You don't want something, you don't buy it. The only thing I said that I still stand by is that ultimately this virtual economy leads to increased value perception, and that is a danger. But what can you do, you can't avoid the lack of critical thinking of some people, so that's just a product of humanity I guess.

yeah... i learn the other day that you can get a achievement for being a day 1 buyer of the xbox one... i can see it now... long lines out side of stores to get that achivement...

@ OP... people and their expectations... sony haters expect the worse from this and sony lovers expect the best... this while knowing nothing about what this is... LOL

So MS does something good and it's still met with this attitude? I'm not surprised. If that was the sole reason you quoted me, to bash something good, however small just because it's MS is actually quite sad.

where did i say it was a bad thing or where did i have a "attitude" against MS? i quote you because you mention "free" achievements
 and i remember that information i read on a on-line retailer site... i did a (sort of)  joke. is that... that bad? where is your sense of humor? do not take me as a loyalist just because i have this sig. you don't know me to make these type of assumptions based on one detail. so don't...