MS. Total Screw up........ Or

[starcraft]

wick said:

starcraft said:

wcountries c:

I've seen you defending DRM and digital distribution in just about every thread since the Microsoft conference.

As someone who has been gaming since the Atari 2600 and my first Amstrad computer, can you please explain these "benefits" to me?

A few points.....

1) I have an unreliable internet connection that can't be changed unless I move.

2) My internet usage is capped. It's the way things are done in this country

3) I borrow a lot of games from friends before I pay up to $120, yes that's $120, for them. Oh and our dollar is worth more than the U.S

4) I often trade old games I no longer play to buy new games.

5) I have a Steam account. With my connection it took me 16 hours to download Borderlands.

 

How is Microsoft helping me again???

I live in Sydney, where in Australia are you?

90% of this country's population can gain access to relatively inexpensive internet with 200GB+ data a month. Some can't afford it, which is fine. Said people shouldn't purchase game consoles.

What was the last game you paid $120 for? Most new games cost $90. I bought the last gears of war for $69 day one from A brick and mortar store.

I to trade games, XboxOne allows this.

Many countries cannot support microsofts model, but ours can mate.

You mean a percentage of ours can?

I live in the outer suburbs of Melbourne and I'm not willing to move house for a console.

And since when is purchasing a games console reliant on having fast internet? 

I know about 20 people with consoles. Guess how many are online? 3 including myself.

The reason consoles have always outnumbered PC gaming was the simplicity. You don't need internet or graphics cards or the need to worry about DRM to just plug in your console and play.

The fact that this is even an issue to some should cause concern for Microsoft. They are trying to expand their userbase whilst cutting out a big percentage of users.

I am still waiting for someone to list the benefits of digital downloads and DRM????...............

The outer suburbs of melbourne can access high speed internet at similar speeds and cost to my location to the best of my knowledge...

A very large proportion of our population can support Microsoft's model.  85+% of our population lives within 50km of the coastline and has access to high speed internet.  Whilst I understand the frustration your situation may cause you, it is anecdotal, and not in any way reliant on a statistical cross-section of our population. 

On the point of simplicity, I agree with you, but simplicity is relative.  Those who use game consoles (and especially those who could be expected to purchase these consoles in the first two years of a cycle) these days invariably have smart phones, high tech televisions and a variety of other web-services appliances.  Using the step-by-step user interfaces Microsoft generates shouldnt be a challenge.  And lets face it, as others have pointed out, this is something Microsoft does well generally, and did particularly well with the Xbox 360.

Now I also agree that any concern this causes should be concerning to Microsoft.  But virtually the same concerns apply to the PS4, Microsoft's primary direct competitor. 

DRM:  I agree with you entirely, DRM is generally bullshit.  But again, its relative bullshit.  As far as we're aware, Sony has the same model as Microsoft.  Both are opt-in for more stringent DRM and online-specific guidance from software publishers.  Do I wish neither of them had it? Of course.  Do I hope software publishers dont routinely enact it?  Yes.  But I suspect many will, consumers will accept some changes, reject others, and a balance will be found.

Digital Distribution...not sure.  On the one hand, it is easy, and allows me to get many late games (especially on Steam) cheaply.  On the other hand, hard copies can be nice.  Regardless, both the Xbox One and the PS4 will have a mix of both, and I look forward to trying both of them out.