Comments on: Sony, Microsoft, and Game Restrictions

By: deuce_for2

deuce_for2 — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 17:23:20 +0000

How many people who are gamers do not have any access to the Internet? Households does not equal gamers. And I mentioned digital distribution. I think that buying games in stores is 100% going away in the next 10 years. Steam seems to be doing okay and so is iTunes. I am looking at being able to survive today and flourish tomorrow. It is a lot easier to make money if I don’t have to produce discs and pay stores to stock our game. Losing even 30% of sales due to the lack of a Internet connection is small compared to the cost of creating and getting games in stores.

By: Kid Fleetfoot

Kid Fleetfoot — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 09:19:59 +0000

I don't have enough room to play the free version of DC Comics Heroes game. Maybe if I delete the Bioshock game which I was able to download for free I can try to see I can use the DC Comics free game. I'll try. I only downloaded the free Bioshock to get an idea where the Home Rapture space came from. If I can't re-download Bioshock, no big loss as I did not pay for it. I do have video games for for a variety reasons the main being Home I don't hardly play video games anymore. That's my loss perhaps but my SONY PS3 (and PS2 if I wish) and XBox 360 are still of great value to me. Maybe I will go back to disc games. I miss the baseball game MVP 2005 for the PS2 but it's there if I want it as are others on all consoles I have.

By: Kid Fleetfoot

Kid Fleetfoot — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 09:08:17 +0000

If I am remembering correctly, decades ago when VHS movies were rented by stores it was ruled or agreed they would have to pay royalties ib resales. Perhaps too for music and video games. My memory is not that good and I'm not looking it up. I do believe strongly in creators (music, video games etc) getting paid their fair royalties. Sometimes in the past, songwriters and singers/groups did not get paid their fair share or occasionally did not get paid at all. (I should be able to give, trade or sell a hard copy video game or hard copy (cd or dvd)or book I viewed to someone else as an individual to someone else.) I don't know the rules as to royaltieson selling stuff on EBay and frankly I don't care a whole lot at least not so far. It's not a red herring to want to have or ask or even demand that hard copy games be playable by individuals without having to connect to the internet. But the game consoles make the rules. Microsoft changed there's. I don't know how many people don't have broadband but it find on search it's from 70 to 90% of households have broadband. If correct, the percentage of people who don't is not tiny. However, the game makes make their rules (if the game consoles agree) as to distribution. Home is not playable without broadband and I am not complaining about that, am I? Double standard? Nah! I don't think so. The rules are being changed as we move forward. If I don't like the colsole makers or game makers rules I can find something I guess for a computer or even on Facebook to play. It'll all work out.

By: Burbie52

Burbie52 — Sun, 30 Jun 2013 13:31:53 +0000

Freedom and choice are both good things, but we can’t demand it for ourselves and not allow the developers the same rights we are demanding. I think Deuce hit it on the head there. I have only downloaded a few games so far, most of mine are disk based, but I think that having the options to do either are a good idea.
I am glad Sony took the path they did, Microsoft kind of blew it this time and had to recant. But like it was said, it is truly up to the creators discretion how to handle their products.

@Krazy and Phoenix -- you can delete any game you own and not keep them on your console then retrieve them at any time and download them again. Once you buy it, it is always there as far as I know, I had to rest my PS3 and all of mine ares till there when I need them, though I haven’t downloaded them again.

By: deuce_for2

deuce_for2 — Sun, 30 Jun 2013 06:19:51 +0000

The reality is that markets are mindless, heartless masses that tend to act in their own best interest. There are several examples of games that have been extremely popular, but have not generated enough money to keep their creator open. Piracy has killed many game companies. And having people able to buy used copies, sending no money back to the creator does not help.

I am not and have never been a fan of copy protection. But I am also not a fan of people playing a game without any money going to the creator. I believe the answer lies in digital distribution. I honestly think this claim that people want to play a game never having their machine connect to the Internet is a red herring. What percentage of the gaming public is that? My guess is it is tiny at most.

I think Sony is striking the correct balance by leaving it up to the content creators to decide. If my company wants to ignore people who do not have Internet access, I should be allowed to make that game. But the platform itself should not mandate one way or the other.

By: Dr_Do-Little

Dr_Do-Little — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 21:55:43 +0000

Thats a very important point too often frogotten. There’s more strings attached to DRM than people think. Most of the time there’s also hidden in the songs code more than you bargain for…

By: Gary160974

Gary160974 — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 18:53:16 +0000

DRM is what all the companies really Sony have realised they need a bigger market share so they will run with the same marketing the Xbox 360 did originally, it’s all about being a games console mainly with exclusive developers and exclusive dlc, add on pieces and playing online is at a price. they will shout everything we wanna hear and whisper everything we don’t. But because Microsoft have already played that hand they can’t do it again. Examples of how views are distorted by marketing is price Xbox with kinetic is 429 pounds in UK PS4 with ps eye camera is 398 pounds in UK because it’s 349 plus 49. So ultimately the brands will probably go to the same result by different paths.
@Krazyface you can reset your authorised accounts online every 6 months via a pc

By: ted2112

ted2112 — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 16:54:12 +0000

I agree with you PHX.I still prefer having the disc. I bought a disc copy of Journey, just to have it because you never know what’s going to happen to a digital copy and it’s a game I want to have not only now, but in the future.

Were in a funny time as far as DRM. I have many song on iTunes, but I don’t truly own them. Same thing with my digital copy of Journey, there are many strings attached. My disc however is something I truly own. I can play it,lend it, use it as a drink coaster or Frisbee if I want to.

By: Jin Lovelace

Jin Lovelace — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 16:20:07 +0000

Insightful article and one I thoroughly enjoy from you, Phoenix.

By: Kid Fleetfoot

Kid Fleetfoot — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 13:39:46 +0000

If games go digital cloud download only what happens to those without internet access? They out in the sticks in more ways than one.
To have game downloads as an option is OK but to have it as the only option is not. Also, download gamed should be cheaper if both cloud and disc options are used.

By: KrazyFace

KrazyFace — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 07:33:05 +0000

I dread a fully digital future! I know, we do it with music and even film in a much heavier and concentrated manner but I still buy my movies on BluRay if I think they’re outstanding. But games, games are different to other media -- the machines they can be played on are much more specific for a start. You can shove a DVD from 10 years ago into any DVD player laying around today, but try sticking an N64 cart into your WiiU and see how that works! Anyways, I digress…

I have lots of digital games Ive downloaded (thanks to plus) and I’m quite happy for them to remain as they are, but there are problems with this system. For instance, I had a stream of rotten luck with my PS3’s for about 2 or 3 years running whereby they’d just die. YLOD only once, but I went through about 5 PS3’s in around 3 years. Now, the limit to a digital download game is 5, so when I hit PS3 No.5 I was unable to restore the majority of the games in my digital collection. Thankfully it was just a case of phoning Sony, explaining the situation, then waiting for them to allow me to retrieve my games. But man, what a clown caper! Re-downloading around 50 (or more) games every time got really boring. And annoying. And frustrating.

The young un’s may scoff at me over this but I honestly feel better when I own a physical copy. “It might get scratched!” or “It might get lost!” they say. No. Not MY games. They’re safe, and stored correctly; I still have PS1 games! Hell, I still have NES games!