The X-Ray Scanner in Counter-Strike 2 is a special in-game item that is allowed in specific regions to address regulations around boxes, given the luck and cost involved.
The X-Ray Scanner allows players to preview a container’s contents before opening it, unlike the previous system, where opening Boxes was a game of chance. While moving to a more transparent process may take away the excitement of opening cases, on the other hand, it saves players from wasting money.
How does the X-Ray Scanner work?
Once a container is scanned, it will be considered as consumed and will disappear from the inventory. Scanned Cases cannot be sold or traded through the Steam Community Market to prevent players from exploiting the system, where unwanted cases can be sold.
Players are allowed to scan one container at a time, and only after choosing to buy or pass will they be allowed to scan the next case. This ensures that multiple cases cannot be scanned without committing to a purchase.
Why was it introduced?
This X-Ray Scanner was introduced to counter the newly introduced legal regulations regarding loot boxes, and CS2 cases come under the same category, as they are now counted under gambling, given their nature. At the time of writing, this has only been introduced for Germany and the Netherlands, but if more Countries decide to target gambling, then Valve will be forced to make this a large-scale adoption.
The randomised nature of CS2 cases gets eliminated with the introduction of this new system. Having a preview-based system introduces transparency, and restricting the usage of a case following a scan prevents misuse of this new system. It goes without saying that this significantly brings down the excitement factor around the cases, but only time can tell how the community takes it.
