80°

Always-On DRM, Day-One DLC,Online Passes – What We Don’t Want to See in 2013

Overall, 2012 was a good year for games like Far Cry 3, Dishonored,The Walking Dead, on the other hand, certain games, trends became so ubiquitous that we hope to be rid of them for a good while.

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prototypeknuckles4122d ago

i can bet money that well still see a bunch of these, gamers just et it happen and dont care.

brish4121d ago

I think they care. A lot of gamers feel helpless about it but not all do.

I know a lot of people who got sick of the DRM on PC games and stopped buying them. The PC game industry started to shrink when they added intrusive DRM.

The vita has technology that makes used games, and sharing games a pain. It also limits the device to one psn account. The vita is failing in the market.

I predict that new games, and consoles will continue to do these things. The gaming market will continue to shrink and the industry will use this as justification to put even more DRM into their products alienating yet more of their customers reducing the market even further.

I expect the game market to crash in 2013, or 2014.

SAE4121d ago

I agree with you. i dont think they will stop doing these limitation because it gives them money and people buy them too . vita is the prototype for these things.

brish4121d ago

@IDeath489

"i dont think they will stop doing these limitation because it gives them money and people buy them too."

Less people are buying console games since the market started using more DRM.

The problem is those pesky pirates right? ... despite that there wasn't any piracy for the ps3 for the longest time and ps3 games typically undersold the xbox games which did have piracy. If pirates are to blame then why weren't ps3 sales significantly better than the xbox?

I know, it's bringing games over to friends places to play, and the used market must be the problem right? Now they have online/content passes which are required to enable portions of the game that are bound to a specific account. So of course adding these would fix everything right? Since passes were introduced the console market has been declining.

So if they add even more DRM like the vita has it will be a success right? There is a vita sitting about 15 feet away from me. A device that I can use any time I want ... but there is a problem. It's not mine. It belongs to someone else and it's bound to her account and always will be. I have playstation plus and could download games for it ... but it isn't bound to my account so I can't even put the games on it. She almost never plays games and won't likely be buying any. If the single account restriction wasn't in place I would buy a VITA game to try it out and if I liked it I might even buy my own VITA. I don't buy VITA games because of the DRM.

I know, it must be the economy right? People are spending less money on entertain in general right? If that were true than the movie industry would be in decline but it isn't.

There is something very wrong with the game industry right now. The industry likes to blame everyone from pirates, used games, game sharing, to the economy for their woes. There is no way anything they do could negatively affect sales, right?!

Who am I? I'm one of the millions of people who stopped buying PC games because of DRM. I moved over to the console market because it had far more sane DRM (can't copy the disc for the ps3). Then they added online passes. I used to buy 1 or 2 games a month which is significantly more than the average. Today I rarely buy games for the console anymore because I'm disgusted with what they are doing with the DRM for their products.

MikeMyers4121d ago

Just because it happened doesn't mean they don't care.

prototypeknuckles4121d ago

actually it does, if we dont support it then the company would back down and not use it, such as DRM with ubisoft people got pissed and ubisoft took it off, but online passes especially for single player games,makes no since, people dont speak up about it and a few gams have had it, not many but a few.

MikeMyers4121d ago

For the PC they have spoken which is why some publishers have now retracted their stance. There is only so much the consumer can do, companies like Sony now have online passes for their own games. So when I buy a used game I make sure my copy hasn't had the online access used or else I take the difference in price and use that to counter what it will cost me to unlock it. I also support GOG and other DRM free game services. I still haven't picked up Diablo III because the price is still too high IMO for a game that is online enabled for even single player. So yes, from my end I do care. I cannot speak for anyone else.

I will not buy digital games on Xbox Live or Playstation Network for example unless the price is lower than the physical format. I will not support online pricing if the price is the same as it is at retail. That is why I like Steam, the prices are much more competitive. If publishers want to take away the flexibility of the physical format then give me something in return like a lower price.

rainslacker4121d ago

No doubt you'll continue to see them. There is hope though as Ubisoft said they were cutting back on their DRM practices. It's safe to assume that others may as well, depending on the reasons Ubi did it.

Day-One DLC is just added revenue, so it'll likely never go away.

Online passes are a way to prevent, or at least recoup revenue from, the 2nd hand market, so they'll likely stay. Quite frankly a better solution to me than cutting out 2nd hand sales. Although I personally don't care for online passes.

SilentNegotiator4122d ago

Yes. I hate those things. Restricting the new buyers isn't the right way to fight used and piracy (the latter of which finds ways around anyway).

showtimefolks4121d ago

Let me tell you how to stop a lot of this non sense 2 way solution

1: gamers need to stop beng used copies at GameStop where they only save $5 from regular price.

2: publishers need to look at Sony with sly 4 and not charge full 60 for every game. Some games don't offer enough content to justify a full $60 price

So both sides are at fault. Used game business is a multi billion dollar business so publishers will find a way to take some of that piece of pie

animegamingnerd4121d ago

what if the game is out of print that is the problem with this war on use games

Cam9774121d ago

I agree with point 2 whereas I disagree with point 1; some gamers really need to save money, even if it is a measly $5.

SAE4121d ago

People buy and sell used things for hundreds of years. why is it wrong now ?. hiding these stuff to collect dust and no one play them just to give the companies more money is the wrong thing.

people sell for these reasons and many other reasons such as to bring back money and try new things by selling what they dont use / or just like what you said games are toooooooo expensive now so when they sell the used games they ذompensate for the loss..

Software_Lover4121d ago

If it weren't for the ability to buy/sell used items, we wouldn't have...........drum roll..

Used Car lots
Goodwill
Pawn Shops
Ebay
Consignment shops
Rent-to-own places (stupid commercials)

Imagine how many business would close down and how many more people would be out of work. People need to get off this and let consumers decide what they want to do with their own purchases.

I will say that because of the popularity of steam, although pc gamers couldn't share as fluently in the past because of install codes, it shows that if you have great prices people dont care.

000014121d ago (Edited 4121d ago )

more people should act like a broke college student, as i one, and dont deal with most of these gripes on the list. i wait if i know a game like Batman Arkham City will get a GOTY edition, just like im waiting now for a Borderlands 2 GOTY. that way you get all the dlc with the retail game at a $40 price tag, instead of just buying the retail game at full price and buying all of the dlc too. also i've become more patient over the past few years, i now only buy three games a year at the full $60 price tag, as much as it sucks, i now wait a couple months for a lot of games to just drop in price to at least $40 or $30 if im buying it new.

other than that im not a pc gamer so the always on drm isnt affecting me, so i dont have answers to solve that problem. and as far as day on dlc, just dont buy it, or that particular game if its a big deal to you, because it stupid to complain and then turn around only to support the game developers and publishers that continually do that to its fan base *cough* EA and Capcom *cough*. equally unless you are playing a game like COD, Halo, or Battlefield, it is pointless to purchase a season pass. season passes vary game to game as to whether its worth it or not.

Day one patches and shitty ports are just apart of gaming, not everything is perfect, so i think those two will be around to stay.

but i think with a costly hobby like gaming, whether you can afford spending a lot of cash or not, gamers should be more conservative with how they purchase games and dlc. i have too many mates who buy multiple AAA games when the come out only to take months to finish, whereas by then most of those titles have drop in price. just like movies, comics, and art, gamers need to show a bit more restraint rather than throwing cash at the companies like a titie bar dancer.

kagon014121d ago (Edited 4121d ago )

I'm glad I still avoid those kind games, too bad most "gamers" are fools that accept digital extortion unfortunately....

260°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

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darthv721d ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle11h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic18818h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio8h ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Lightning773h ago

What he said was facts. How he plays games is no concern of you. Don't get too mad about it.

Cacabunga10h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

shinoff21839h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga8h ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan4h ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

romulus233h ago

Odd that a company that touts you dont need the hardware to play is already touting another console in the works.

darthv723h ago

They are not reliant on the HW but still want to maintain a presence (no matter how small) is a good thing. It shows commitment to the craft. It reminds me of SNK and how they made games for their own hardware (Neo Geo) while also making them for others because they knew there was a market to do so. They knew they would sell more to others but also sell to their own niche fan base.

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purple10113h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos13h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

DOMination-2h ago

In the last two years they've started exiting the consumer market altogether. All of the newest Surface products are business models only. They can't seem to work out what they want to do with it.

XBManiac12h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad12h ago(Edited 12h ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple10111h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos11h ago(Edited 11h ago)

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic9h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

MrDead3h ago

The only growth MS will get out of the console industry is if it supports it's rivals platforms. Xbox is a pointless machine now. I can see them on a big push for live next, and they won't give up on trying to buy Steam.

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140°

Why Monopolies In Gaming Must Not Be Allowed

As of right now, there are no monopolies in the games industry, and for the sake of the medium as a whole, they never should either.

thorstein22h ago

Shouldn't be allowed in any field.

Inverno19h ago

And yet the biggest tech companies in America are essentially that. They buy up all the small comps only to kill them off and steal what they have, and if they can't buy em they bleed them to death.

jwillj2k417h ago

Eventually they’ll realize the value is with the employee not the company. Buying an IP means nothing if the people who contributed are let go. They’ll get it one day.

MrCrimson17h ago

tech is different because they buy threats and then kill them. Twitter bought Vine and did nothing with it. Despite people seemingly liking it. Could've had tiktok a decade before bytedance. go figure.

Zenzuu18h ago

Monopolies shouldn't be allowed regardless. Not just for gaming.

MrCrimson17h ago

They buy IPs not talent. That's why these buyouts never work and the IPs die. Right now it's too expensive to develop games - but I expect that to shift maybe as AI tools can make it easier. The best games have been indie games for awhile as big developers fuck their ips to death with "games as a service" -

70°

The INDIE Live Expo 2024 event is to feature over 100 game titles

INDIE Live Expo, Japan’s premiere online digital showcase series , will debut never-before-seen games & content updates across more than 100 titles on May 25th.