Currently Online 
SamuelRSmith said:
Doesn't require always online at all. Only the first time you use the disc on the console, or if you want to play discless. Seeing as most people buy a handful of games each year, "always on" becomes "online 5 times a year". I didn't say 99% of individuals, I said 99% of people who have the means to buy a game console. The kind of functionality I'm talking about could be achieved using just a few kilobytes of data, meaning it could work on cell network, satellite, hell, even dialup, with barely any time delay or cost to the end user. The unique ID is part of the data on the disc that is written. A 5 digit code using alphanumeric characters allows for 50 million different unique codes for one game, and takes up 175 bytes. |
It's an inconvenience which also questions ownership status as you're now activating a license.
But I'm surprised to see that it's actually up to 95% already and that was almost 2 years ago
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-95-of-ps4s-connected-to-the-internet-youtube-app-coming-this-year/1100-6420285/
However the unique ID is the problem. The size doesn't matter, putting it on the disc is the difficulty. A disc image is mastered into a stamper which is used to mass produce discs via a mould process. There is no place for variable data. That would somehow need to be added as a separate step on a different location of the disc.
Anyway it would suck if you take the console with you on holiday and you forgot to register the games you want to play at home :/
Mobile phone you say, $6 per kb while roaming, lol.
It costs more, it adds extra work to maintain the database, and it puts question marks on longevity and ownership. All for not having to swap a disc which you can skip already by buying the digital version in the first place.
