Hey. This guy hates drm, too.

I agree with most of this article.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/experienced-points/6452-Experienced-Points-Online-Activation-Is-a-Ripoff

  • Steam is pretty awesome, but eventually any server will have to shut down.
  • I can’t imagine any modern publisher supporting any of the retro games I still wish to play.
  • Pirates don’t have to deal with any of this.

Solution-wise: there will always be pirate cracks out there to try and enjoy these games long after their activation servers have gone down.  There may even be distros like GoG.com or Steam’s recent revival of indie and old games.  But the point is: I shouldn’t have to crack or rebuy the game in order to play it.  As the author puts it: All of my old cd based games like Baldur’s Gate that don’t require an online activation will always work.  Throw together a VM or old computer, and you are good to go.  Fans make patches to get games installed and running on modern systems.

What we buy today may not.

Xbox DRM – In the age of PC Digital Distrobution

I can\'t let you do that, Dave

Xbox DRM – In the age of PC Digital Distrobution

Xbox DRM has been a bane for us all. We have all red ringed our xbox 360’s, and if you haven’t, then you just haven’t used yours enough yet. I’m not sure how they calculate their 10-30% failure rate. I believe it lies closer to 100%. It WILL fail eventually, often within a year and a half. Still, it is probably the system to own if you like to play games (lots of great exclusives), and especially if you like to game online with friends. Once your 360 dies and you (hopefully) get it replaced, you have access to your content. Restricted access that requires the owner be logged on the 360, and in some extreme cases MUST BE ACTIVELY PLAYING. This is to prevent friends from sharing Live content, but it affects us ALL once our first system dies. I have to be logged in just for my friends to have access to FREE GAMER PICS I downloaded while they make their Profile (Local or Live).

PC Gaming, however, has even a bigger hurdle with Piracy. Yet, they are adapting in different ways with their digital distribution. Is there a solution to DRM on either platform that can make consumers happy, while giving businesses profit? The rule of a successful compromise is that neither party leaves happy; but isn’t that necessary for good/repeat business? As a consumer, shouldn’t we BE happy?

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