Video games will be digital only within 5 years, says report

[spacein_vader]

IMO it shuold be law to provide a physical media option, but it will never happen. Politicians are too spineless.

Why? All that will happen is you'll install from disc and the game will refuse to launch until you've authenticated with their online servers and downloaded a huge patch anyway, so what difference will it make?

If it did happen EA or whoever would probably just day "sorry, it's not worth making physical discs for just 1 country, you'll have to buy them from our online shop over the border instead."

As I understand it, you can crack PC and digital console games quite readily, while physical discs and game cartridges are a bit more involved?

Cartridges are, discs not so much. Many PC games are on GOG which doesn't have any DRM so people could just share them freely. And yet new games are added to it all the time and sales are booming so it doesn't appear to be affecting the market too much.

People don't actually own their digital games and they are all priced the same as physical games. If this was to happen I hope better consumer rights to be implemented.

People don't own their physical games either. It's just a licence. You have a local copy of the data sure but you can do that with downloads too.

At this rate, they'll be surpassed soon by mobile providers for data speeds, who seem to be far more nimble in upgrading. The problem is pretty poor planning from the offset with how the country's infrastructure has been designed in a mish mash fashion over the years, add into having to dig up roads to lay fibre cabling, crappy old copper cabling, a protectionist BT / Openreach who had to be forced to change and it is one hell of a slow process.

Whike I've no doubt things should have been rolled out faster to be fair upgrading a bit of kit at a mast is a hell of a lot easier than digging the road up and running cables.

[Ttaskmaster]

Cartridges are, discs not so much.

I understood console discs have/had some pretty sophisticated and/or well-hidden security measures that made it a right PITA to pirate them. Something to do with matching the disc to the signature of an oscillation feature (actually a defect) present in the console's reader lens?

Many PC games are on GOG which doesn't have any DRM so people could just share them freely. And yet new games are added to it all the time and sales are booming so it doesn't appear to be affecting the market too much.

Possibly not affecting it any more than it used to, anyway.
But then, (AFAIK) by the time people had pirated Nintendo carts, the newer generation had come out and the companies had already made their money on the older games? Most of the piracy just impacted the second-hand market.

Side question: I've never bought a new release game from GOG - Now that they seem to sell those, I assume tge new stuff still has all the DRM?

[Rejuvination]

Well they should ask themselves, do they prefer all currency go digital or they need to feel their money in their hands?

[ik9000]

Why? All that will happen is you'll install from disc and the game will refuse to launch until you've authenticated with their online servers and downloaded a huge patch anyway, so what difference will it make?

that would be part of it too - that servers must be maintained for min 5 years, and at point of server deactivation patches MUST be released to make game DRM free and for people to create their own LAN servers. I've outlined my thoughts on this in detail in a previous thread, but I really don't have time to dig it out right now.

It goes alongside at end of software support a final service pack containing ALL patches should be made available. So XP, office 2003 et al should have a single download for licence holders.

It should be up to people if they want to use out of date software they've paid for. I still use office 2000 on one of my machines, and word 2000 is actually easier to use for some macro functions due to the better macro recording ability and custom function tabs it possesses.

[spacein_vader]

I understood console discs have/had some pretty sophisticated and/or well-hidden security measures that made it a right PITA to pirate them. Something to do with matching the disc to the signature of an oscillation feature (actually a defect) present in the console's reader lens?


Possibly not affecting it any more than it used to, anyway.
But then, (AFAIK) by the time people had pirated Nintendo carts, the newer generation had come out and the companies had already made their money on the older games? Most of the piracy just impacted the second-hand market.

Side question: I've never bought a new release game from GOG - Now that they seem to sell those, I assume tge new stuff still has all the DRM?

GOG new games are as DRM free as the rest.

that would be part of it too - that servers must be maintained for min 5 years, and at point of server deactivation patches MUST be released to make game DRM free and for people to create their own LAN servers. I've outlined my thoughts on this in detail in a previous thread, but I really don't have time to dig it out right now.

It goes alongside at end of software support a final service pack containing ALL patches should be made available. So XP, office 2003 et al should have a single download for licence holders.

It should be up to people if they want to use out of date software they've paid for. I still use office 2000 on one of my machines, and word 2000 is actually easier to use for some macro functions due to the better macro recording ability and custom function tabs it possesses.

Why does it need to be DRM free if the physical copy still has the DRM on it?

I've no issue with using out of date software and I have several games on Steam that are made by studios who've long since disappeared. They're still available to me, with all patches. I could download a backup of them if I thought Steam was likely to go belly up and many games ,(on Steam at least, not applicable to GOG and no idea on Origin or others,) have no DRM so work even if you don't have Steam installed.

[ik9000]

GOG new games are as DRM free as the rest.



Why does it need to be DRM free if the physical copy still has the DRM on it?

I've no issue with using out of date software and I have several games on Steam that are made by studios who've long since disappeared. They're still available to me, with all patches. I could download a backup of them if I thought Steam was likely to go belly up and many games ,(on Steam at least, not applicable to GOG and no idea on Origin or others,) have no DRM so work even if you don't have Steam installed.

by DRM free I mean you can install it without online DRM servers. For example Adobe Pro 8 which no longer runs not due to activation - it activates with the right key, but the one-time elicence key server (2nd stage DRM) no longer exists, so it nobbles itself after 30 days. Now, adobe say you can download and run this crappy 3rd party version which requires prerequisite software install (and conveniently monitors your usage etc SFAIK). That is not the functionality I used to have. It is not the same. That is forcing bloatware and datamining on me. They should just release a patch to either generate a default elicence key, or remove the need for it altogether.

Edit, ditto my full licence winXP which no longer activates as I found out to my cost when I did a wipe and reinstall. Had I known I could simply have copied the relevant bak files beforehand...

[OilSheikh]

BS. I will never buy digital games. How will I be able to sell them then ? Physical media FTW

[spacein_vader]

by DRM free I mean you can install it without online DRM servers. For example Adobe Pro 8 which no longer runs not due to activation - it activates with the right key, but the one-time elicence key server (2nd stage DRM) no longer exists, so it nobbles itself after 30 days. Now, adobe say you can download and run this crappy 3rd party version which requires prerequisite software install (and conveniently monitors your usage etc SFAIK). That is not the functionality I used to have. It is not the same. That is forcing bloatware and datamining on me. They should just release a patch to either generate a default elicence key, or remove the need for it altogether.

Edit, ditto my full licence winXP which no longer activates as I found out to my cost when I did a wipe and reinstall. Had I known I could simply have copied the relevant bak files beforehand...

I've no idea about Adobe products but GOG games and some* steam game backups work without activation servers.

I didn't think Win XP required online activation? It certainly didn't at launch, a valid CD key was all it needed.

*With steam games it down to the individual d v/publisher. They can choose to use steam purely as a store & download client or they can choose to use it's DRM (or add their own third party DRM.) So if they choose to make it DRM free once you have the data on your drive or backup medium of choice it doesn't need a net connection.

[utopic]

"it is a certainty that videogames will be approximately 100 per cent digital in the coming years,"
aka
"I'm always right, 60% percent of the time"
aka
"it is a certainty that videogames will be approximately 0 per cent digital in the coming years,".

What sort of approximation are we talking about?

[lodore]

the last disc based games I brought was for ps3. pc games have been digital for years now. Never made much selling old ps2 /ps3 games so that doesn't really bother me.
The main thing annoys me is the price difference. Years ago when I was playing wow an expansion pack was £30 direct from blizzard as digital or I could get it for £10 on disc from amazon and for £30 get three expansions and just had to wait for delivery which I was happy to do for the cost saving. same with playstation store games are rrp but can get cheaper on disc so I prefer that.
digital downloads should be cheaper but apparently you are paying for convenience which is a load of BS to cut down on costs and charge more.

[spacein_vader]

the last disc based games I brought was for ps3. pc games have been digital for years now. Never made much selling old ps2 /ps3 games so that doesn't really bother me.
The main thing annoys me is the price difference. Years ago when I was playing wow an expansion pack was £30 direct from blizzard as digital or I could get it for £10 on disc from amazon and for £30 get three expansions and just had to wait for delivery which I was happy to do for the cost saving. same with playstation store games are rrp but can get cheaper on disc so I prefer that.
digital downloads should be cheaper but apparently you are paying for convenience which is a load of BS to cut down on costs and charge more.

It's more expensive (for consoles,) as there is no competition. Want a Playstation/XBOX game? Got to buy it from Sony/Microsoft and thus they can charge what they like.

Currently the reverse is true on the PC, you can buy digital downloads from loads of sites, everyone from Amazon, Humble, Steam or GOG to the smaller players like Green Man Gaming or Fanatical. This has made prices for games lower than they ever where before, particularly if you don't purchase during the first week of release.

Sadly the bigger devs are starting to build their walled gardens, with the new COD joining Blizzards games as exclusive to battle.net and EAs output being exclusive to Origin now.

But for the vast majority of games not published by EA, Unisoft or Activision there is a thriving competitive market.

[Saracen]

that would be part of it too - that servers must be maintained for min 5 years, and at point of server deactivation patches MUST be released to make game DRM free and for people to create their own LAN servers. I've outlined my thoughts on this in detail in a previous thread, but I really don't have time to dig it out right now.

It goes alongside at end of software support a final service pack containing ALL patches should be made available. So XP, office 2003 et al should have a single download for licence holders.

It should be up to people if they want to use out of date software they've paid for. I still use office 2000 on one of my machines, and word 2000 is actually easier to use for some macro functions due to the better macro recording ability and custom function tabs it possesses.

But would you buy games trusting that such De-DRMing patches actually would be released?

This issue is one of myvmajor gripes with Steam, and indicative of growing trends by MS and others to turn our devices, be they PCs, tablets, consoles, etc, into what really amounts to a terminal for running their "services" .... for which a subscription wilk be required.

I REFUSED to buy games requiring online authentication mainly because the company providing authentication then has you by the danglies if they (for whatever reason) withhold authentication. So, I never have and never will buy a games needing Steam, or any such similar system.

As for digital distribution, I have no objection to that in principle, provided that having paid and downloaded, when and where I install and play is under MY control and doesn't then require online authentication .... but of course, it will. It's part of the program.

A major reason why I reject W10 is the same point. First, they give it away. Then, they do mandatory updates. How long before an update requires periodic authentication to detect non-genuine installations? And then how long before we (or at least W10 users) end up paying monthly, or annually?

I'm not doing that for an OS (bye, Windows), or major software ( Au revoir, Office, Photoshop) andcso I sure as sh .... shells aren't doing it for games.


Digitally distributing games isn't the problem for me, but the rest of the implications are utter non-starters.

DRM-free games rule!

[ik9000]

But would you buy games trusting that such De-DRMing patches actually would be released?

This issue is one of myvmajor gripes with Steam, and indicative of growing trends by MS and others to turn our devices, be they PCs, tablets, consoles, etc, into what really amounts to a terminal for running their "services" .... for which a subscription wilk be required.

I REFUSED to buy games requiring online authentication mainly because the company providing authentication then has you by the danglies if they (for whatever reason) withhold authentication. So, I never have and never will buy a games needing Steam, or any such similar system.

As for digital distribution, I have no objection to that in principle, provided that having paid and downloaded, when and where I install and play is under MY control and doesn't then require online authentication .... but of course, it will. It's part of the program.

A major reason why I reject W10 is the same point. First, they give it away. Then, they do mandatory updates. How long before an update requires periodic authentication to detect non-genuine installations? And then how long before we (or at least W10 users) end up paying monthly, or annually?

I'm not doing that for an OS (bye, Windows), or major software ( Au revoir, Office, Photoshop) andcso I sure as sh .... shells aren't doing it for games.


Digitally distributing games isn't the problem for me, but the rest of the implications are utter non-starters.

DRM-free games rule!

a-men brother!

[Ttaskmaster]

As for digital distribution, I have no objection to that in principle, provided that having paid and downloaded, when and where I install and play is under MY control and doesn't then require online authentication .... but of course, it will. It's part of the program.

AFAIK, all my Steam games get installed wherever I specify...?

Online authentication - Cheaper and easier than issuing manuals from which you need to enter Page 17, Line 26, Word 3 in order to play each time... Besides, with the authentication, it does help combat both piracy and people who create multiple accounts to go griefing and the like.
But then, I tend not to pay £90 for the absolute latest FPSMMORPG anyway, so it's not my kind they're worried about. By the time I come to try your 'Battlefield of Honor of Medal of Duty' thing, if I try it at all, it will be a fiver in a Steam sale and not worth pirating... and most of the haxorz, cheaters and griefers will have long since grown up gotten jobs and had children that keep them too busy to play games!!

[philehidiot]

I despise this download stuff. If we had internet that was faster and more reliable then it wouldn't be such an issue but so many people have download limits and even more have poor speeds that take an age to download, also robbing anyone else in the house of the use of any bandwidth intensive internetness. If I format and reinstall then I can easily see how someone would breach their download cap for the month just getting their games installed. Mandatory patching for single player games (I don't do multiplayer, too much frustration) also drives me nuts, especially when it breaks what was a perfectly functioning game. Almost as nuts as downloading a game through Steam, having to log on to that and update Steam, then uPlay demanding you update it and log in with a stupidly long password (for GAMES - I don't have a combination lock on the pictionary) that I keep forgetting (to the point where it's now in a notepad file next to the damned game - was to make it more secure, force people to write down all their different passwords with their different and stupid criteria) and then be forced to update the game before I can play it OFFLINE. On MY OWN.

So, I find I've got 30 minutes before the missus comes back wanting dinner and I have to waste it pratting about like this and it has driven me away from gaming. I rarely get an hour or so to play them properly and having to spend so much of that with stupid DRM stuff and mandatory patches means I'm just not going to buy the latest games. Which is exactly what has happened. Latest Far Cry can sod off as can the new COD games. There's just too much hassle involved in playing them when you only have half an hour here and there. Oh and of course Steam loves to shove ads in my face whenever I use it, disguised as "news", which is also nice.

[Ozaron]

Oh and of course Steam loves to shove ads in my face whenever I use it, disguised as "news", which is also nice.

Agree with most of what you said, but this point in particular is a matter of perspective. Steam is an app which helps people find and buy games. Ads for games in an app made to sell games, is more like an informational update on stock availability; I guess browsing the application at all is like reading a brochure. Might as well call it news if something is going on which wasn't before.

uPlay by itself is awful and a huge waste of time, IMO. Never had a positive experience with it yet. Wish these devs would save themselves the effort.