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A CS:GO X-ray scanner has been released in the game’s latest update from Valve. This new feature in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will allow players to peek inside of loot boxes to see what they’re going to get, but there’s a catch: it’s only being deployed to a single European country.
The latest patch notes for the game have revealed that France is getting a slight change to their loot box mechanics. The CS:GO x-ray scanner will allow French players to look inside of a loot box before they spend the money to open it with a key. That sounds like a pretty good system, but there’s a downside: you can only scan one loot box at a time. Once its been scanned, you cannot scan another until you unlock the first one that you’ve already scanned. You won’t even get a one-off freebie: all players in France are being given a P250 Xray that they’ll have to scan and subsequently claim before they can make use of the system.
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So, why does this system exist? Well, the patch notes state that loot boxes can no longer be purchased in France, although they can still be sold. This presents Valve with the problem of players who are in possession of loot boxes but are unwilling to sell them.
Furthermore, /r/csgomarketforum notes that there may be concerns of French regulators coming after Valve under gambling laws. By revealing the item inside of the loot box, it is no longer a random, unknown item that you are paying for.
It should also be noted that the CS:GO x-ray scanner is a mandatory system for French players. Have a gander at what the patch notes say:
In France, every container must first be placed into the X-ray Scanner to reveal the item inside before purchasing a key. The X-ray Scanner will consume the container and reveal the item inside. To use the X-ray Scanner again, the revealed item must be claimed; it is not possible to scan another Container without claiming the revealed item.
This is a pretty clever countermeasure against potential loot box laws by Valve, although one wonders if it would ever survive being tested in court. For what it’s worth, at least French players will be able to get at their goods in the loot boxes.
[Header image credit: BananaGaming]
