Several gaming servers have been at the receiving end of DDoS attacks over the past several hours. Blizzard's Battle.net servers, Riot's League of Legends, Grinding Gear Games' Path of Exile, and PlayStation Network are among those under attack by a group of hackers calling themselves Lizard Squad.
Genuine Enabling Technology was seeking damages, claiming the tech allowing PlayStation consoles and controllers to communicate infringes its rights.
Crazy to think the savings from this lawsuit allows them to develop one AAA game.
Make it Bloodborne 2, please and thank you.
Sounds like patent trolling they tried the same thing against Nintendo with the same pattern.
Motion and control input traversing over higher and lower frequencies seperate from each other allowing the controller to do both
So to recoup the money Genuine is going to take on Nintendo or Microsoft next. I hate patent lawyers they are some of the worst bottom feeders out there.
i mean, the other side couldnt prove their argument at all haha.
they even sued Nintendo ha
So basically Genuine Enabling Technology(GET) claimed Sony is using their technology that allows the controller and console to recognize button input and motion controls. Sony made the argument that GET has to prove that the Dualshock and Dual sense controller had a component that resembles what they have in their patent diagram and when GET failed to do this, the judge sided with Sony.
Blizzard only lets you license its products digitally now, not own copies.
and so it begins. one company starts, other will unfortunately follow suit.
god i hate this
Well do not read the sony tos so many forgot PT era then you got nintendio many they like shutting down stores.
Every company even your phones has this in some form already
Getting downvotes because it doesn't fit the narrative that boo! Microsoft bad! 😂
True, they're all at it!
Ubisoft recently wanting consumers to be comfortable with not owning their games.
Not for nothing but Sony just opened a production line in Brazil. They plan to make physical media for Latin America. Doesn't look like Sony is going the all digital route like MS. I'll continue to purchase my games physically to avoid this 😁. Tried to tell y'all.
@raven
Yes the made that but there is alot of games that need server check that become coaster after that server is gone like the avengers game.
Isn't store shutdowns really a different issue though? As I understand it, shutting down the store isn't removing your ability to play the games. The Xbox 360 storefront is shutting down in July, but they've confirmed you can not only still play your games, but download stuff you already purchased. Same with the Wii. Store shut down years ago but you can still download your purchases.
^ For the most part, you can download games you've purchased before.
However, there have been exceptions in the past and there certainly won't be any guarantees in future. Games that have licensed music or characters seem to have the biggest issues here.
I’ll never buy any software from them ever again.. i don’t remember last ABZ game i got i can easily keep the trend..
I hope most will boycott, so others think before deciding something this dumb
The best way to combat this is simply buy more physical media and send a message that this is a demand that will not disappear
This isn't new. Most big videogame companies already do this. Including Sony.
It doesn't matter who is enforcing it. Some do not have the brain capacity to navigate this without making it a fanboy issue, and you aren't parting water by specifically naming Sony.
This is a universal bad, plain and simple. We are losing rights to our hobby across the entirety of it, and still people can only go "lol sony bad / ms bad". These same brainlets will ultimately be responsible for ushering in this era instead of pushing back because brand loyalty is more important than gaming as a whole.
I mean I thought this has been the case. You’re only buying a license to play the games… am I wrong about that?
It's called legal theft
When someone pays for a product but have no rights to it. Said company can take away what you paid for on a whim.
There's no real legitimate moral reason for companies to act upon it but they do and it shouldn't be taken lightly.
At least we can still borrow games from others...that's still legal.
You're buying a key to unlock the digital files, which typically are stored and validated on the storefront from which the game was purchased. This says you don't even own that key, meaning it can be removed for any reason and you can't contest it and neither can the storefront stop it, even if it's a mistake or they just decide to remove access entirely based on their whim. It's the opposite of game preservation, essentially, even for SP games w/o any online requirements.
On top of this, they, where applicable because of severability with regard to regions that don't allow it, you aren't allowed to take them to court over their decision to remove access, but you must enter arbitration with them, which means you get nothing because they just tell you no and that's it.
This is why the FTC is supposed to exist, to prevent these obviously corporate control methods. But, hey, no, let's call them incompetent, defund them, and let companies dictate what is right. It's always in the best interest of the consumer.
Not going to feel any compunction about pirating their games, then. Why pay money to own nothing when I can get the same from downloading it elsewhere? If you want my money, give me ownership and not just a subscription to a digital key you can revoke at any time.
@Lomugi
Which PS studio has this policy in their agreement that you no longer own the games you buy from them?
Im actually asking.
Dont defend MS to world’s end.
Torrent all you can now, and if more show up and can be torrented take them to. I already posted some torrent links of their games on their Twitter account and told them to fuck off. Probably will not matter, but other people will see that and maybe I helped influence them to torrent to LOL.
so it begins? you been living under a rock? It's been like that since forever now. You never owned any of the games you bought digitally, just a license to use the software.
Congratulations you've proven my and many other digital doubters right. Physical >>> Digital for life. Also Blizzard Congratulations shooting yourself in the foot too.
at this point there is no foot they are bones at best im not surprised by this but physical has drm/server check ins aswell as all the live service crap so alot of $70 coaster's out there.
Thats the thing. Yes you have a physical copy but if systems are in place for you to verify online then whats the point.
@Kaozz1979 @just_lookin
The one thing we still get with physical, is that the market controls the price you buy it at. So, If its old, you buy it for what the market says its worth, not what the digital store says its worth.
Most physical disc don't have check ins though. I personally don't play online so that's nothing to me.
@s2
So true there are digital games still full price years later but get a disc fraction of the cost.
Physical live service and multiplayer games*. All of the single player games I have are playable out of the box, thanks.
Let's not conflate one issue (Live Service games eventually being retired) with another (we decide how and what you own, not you). They're both issues, but this one is more severe as it applies to all games they produce, not just ones reliant on servers.
Well they belong to MS now so shooting themselves in the foot is essentially company policy....
Well its been around on pc for 10+years
Oh right that is a dream we never talk about
Lets us be shocked when all the pc issues show up on consoles years later as pc players be dealing with this aswell as new store front's like the horrific ea app removing digital purchases.
...c'mon...don't pretend PC gamers are actually concerned about the digital only situation....how else do you think people share games on PC?
Digitally...
Sad reality is the physicals are going to start requiring online check in too if we don't push back.
They tried it before and they'll try it again!
We see evidence everywhere from games with single player modes forcing an online collection: Helldivers being a recent example.
Helldivers is a Live Service game. It requires you to be online. All if not most online games require you to "check in".
Back when digital was not an option, I still didn’t keep games. I usually sold games on Craigslist. I would also trade games with friends and family. For the entire OG Xbox and Xbox 360 generation, I only bought 5 games new, all Halo games, and none at full price. You might recall that publishers started including content via download code to penalized players for buying used. If digital wasn’t taking over, we’d be back there. So if I’m renting versus buying, I don’t care so long as the price is attractive.
Your talking about the ea online pass to "curve cheating" bs
I too sold some stuff in the past i wish i did not but now i go more digital unless the game is truly offline like bulders gate 3 that physical copy is yours always.
But the future is gamepass/ps subs for sure renting is far cheaper like the blockbuster days were you rent a game before buying it.
I buy some games day 1 but I do buy less games day 1 than I ever have before. Still need to get Infinite Wealth, DD2, P3 remake and a few others but I’m still playing other games so I wait until I have time.
Imagine dropping this change when you have zero bangers since OW 2016
Ah Overwatch 1 . . . something that doesn't exist today, well it does . . . It was "taken" and re-released with revolutionary monetization.
Blizzard isn't the only one dropping these types of terms, mostly all companies do this 💩 welcome to the modern age, it truly sucks.
Nah. The modern age is great. There are so many choices out there, I can skip every Blizzard title and still have plenty of quality options out there. More than I can play in my lifetime.
You mean new Microsoft agreement, Stop pretending Activision Blizzard are operating independently.
Rent* “see if I ever rent* a blizzard game again”
lol Sorry I couldn't help it.
MS buys them and now you don’t own your games. Sounds like Xbox One reveal. I already avoid ABK EA Ubisoft who’s wants to be next ?
This is why I switched backed to buying physical. These companies are getting out of hand with their decision making.
This is an irredeemably stupid decision on Blizzard’s part & I hope they pay for it severely.
And then MS and some people wonder why most gamers around the planet don't care for the brand and its games.
The most scum, cancerous and shady corp by a mile. I'm not even upset about this because the more dirt they throw on themselves (MS) the better;)
From article:
“in a forced new update of their user agreement, it is announced in plain language that you no longer own your digital games at Blizzard. The exact new text reads:
Your use of the Platform is licensed, not sold, to you, and you hereby acknowledge that no title or ownership with respect to the Platform or the Games is being transferred or assigned and this Agreement should not be construed as a sale of any rights..”
F* that. And through an UPDATE!
And this is why we need to have strong legislation in place to make sure that consumers are protected when they purchase a 70$ game.
If not situations like Funanimation will become the norm in the industry.
https://www.howtogeek.com/f...
I must say, Blizzard has been on quite the clown streak. I wonder what stunt they'll pull next.
"Brah, game consoles, games, and movies should all be digital. Why you all so hung up on physical media? Get over yourselves, boomers, and get with the future!"
(same guy)
"how DARE you take away games and movies that I purchased digitally!"
That could be ok if they priced it after that. Say they cut the price to 20$ and you get the game for a year. But if they keep the prices and Rob you of your ownership by hiding it behind "user agreements" they can fuck off!
"Say they cut the price to 20$ and you get the game for a year" sorry but that sounds like a really shit idea
This isn't a big deal. You don't own your physical games either, you own a license to play said game.
But in 15 years you can still put your PS5 disc in and install and play it.....even without an internet connection. If they for some reason decide to pull a game from the system, they aren't going to everyone's houses to confiscate the discs are they? With digital they can just remove the ability to play it. So I don't agree with you.....having a physical version with game on disc is ALWAYS better.
I torrented all I can from Blizzard. The only game I ever bought from them was the original Overwatch. Thanks for the heads up Blizzard I know I will never buy from you ever again.
Physical>Digital now and forever. They can't take away something sitting on your shelf.
So you sell me a license to use your game. This is why I prefer physical and won't go digital unless I have to. I think this might be the newest trend companies will pull from now on.
I called this BS over 15-years ago...And now it's about to become an reality...
Companies never think these things through. Now you own a license, which means if you obtain a copy of the game through other means you have the right to play the game.
Well we haven't fully owned our consoles for a while now so can't say I'm surprised. Still, how the mighty have fallen.. remember when Blizzard were owned and run by gamers? It's sad that this can legally stand, whatever happened to consumer laws that protected consumers? I guess I'm being naive.
Wake the f*** up and come back to reality…. You NEVER DID.
if ANYONE READS THEIR END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT (eula) it will tell you that you have purchased a right to play a copy of their game on your hardware. The only thing you own is the serial number or the disc it came on. This just makes language even more plain than it already was. You can disagree and agree with me, but that’s reality whether you like it or not. Sorry.
Misleading. This actually says you don't even own the serial number or the disc (because it requires the serial number).
So at some point, gamers might be like “screw this! I want physical copies of games!” Again?
Hasn't this been the case with games for a long time now though, especially when bought digitally?
Not saying it's right, but most games are this way now. It's why I don't buy digital games.
Ok if this is the case Then we should be able to play our licenced product on ANY system we own and not have to buy them multiple times...
the end of used video games for cheaper prices and the end of being able to collect games and own them.
Hanzala from eXputer says, "PlayStation's recent bug is a critical reminder of just how uncertain digital games are, and why physical media and ownership are crucial."
And now that discs can hold an entire library of games there's no need for digital licenses.
Physical is where it’s at!!
Same reason paying with cash is my preferred option..
I always go physical unless it's something that will never get released on disc like some small indie game that will never get a physical release.
Always go physical when you can. Let this be a lesson. Digital is more convenient but has serious cons.
Mostly agree, though digital is not in itself inferior.
The issue from what I gather is that prices are the same and you only license those games. The pro consumer approach would be to either "sell"you games cheaper OR, preferably, give you the ability to do whatever you want with the digital copy you have. If I want to burn a game I bought from a USB drive to a blank Blu-Ray to generate a physical copy, I should be able to do that. If they have to develop some proprietary tech to enable one burn to prevent or mitigate piracy, fair enough.
But that's the issue people generally have with digital: they're moving toward digitizing everything without doing anything to address digital rights. The way it is now, we would pay more for less.
The only time I don't think much of it is when I already own a physical copy and buy it again on more modern hardware digitally (I did this with Persona 3, Persona 4, and Valkyria Chronicles).
Outside of that, people should avoid digital until the companies properly address the lack of ownership rights.
Disc based will last as long as there is disc drives i do not see disc drives being a thing next gen.
The best selling console this gen the switch has very few games 100% on the sd deal alot of digital sales.
Pc has been full digital for a good 8 years now.
48.2% digital sales. So your telling me they're going to take the chance and not have a console that takes physical games which accounts for more than half of their sales? I doubt it.
Physical will still be a thing next gen. It will probably be detachable like the current ps5. Probably sell ot as an add on with the base being digital only. Too many old heads like me, who will be bitter about no Physical media mext gen.
@raven @engima
Wow you can type numbers your a goat how about a source link.
Wait what is this? digital sales rose by 13% 2022-2023? key to companies making billions now?
https://www.prnewswire.com/...
Blindboys out there
You can scream to the mountains disc will always be here but with game services/mobile/GAAS being the future and year to year digital sales are eating up disc sales there is a very small chance ps6 will have a disc drive.
Oh and walmart removing disc video games now selling those plastic code cards to kill the environment 20 times faster
https://www.techtimes.com/a...
Oh also that uk supermarket tesco
https://www.gamesindustry.b...
bestbuy/gamespot are also doing the same
https://thedigitalbits.com/...
I will also leave this here
https://www.destructoid.com...
Buy hey this is n4g 90% of you are in a post jim ryan shell
I mean does anyone here actually know that little big planet servers were shutdown 2 months ago? oh right sony they do no wrong.
https://www.reddit.com/r/li...
https://www.reddit.com/r/li...
jan 7th 0 news coverage
https://www.youtube.com/wat...
I think your off by a bit. Doesitplay.org will also show you most games are on the SD. You have some flyers sure but most are there
I'm not gonna reply to all your links but Walmart still getting in new games for ps and Nintendo. It's xbox that is clearing house.
I can't buy physical because my PS5 is digital. So is my PC. And my media players. And my refrigerator. Haven't bought a physical console game since before PS4 came out.
Thank you for logical response
This right here is many gamers right now like it or not
I’m always physical on console and wish I could be on PC. Thankfully Steam handles licenses better than most digital stores. Even if the game gets pulled from the store for some reason it’s still available to me to download.
Last time I checked, I can still download my digital copy of Deadpool for PS4 and that's delisted. That and the Driveclub dlc are the only delisted stuff I think I have on PS4/5.
I always buy physical when available. Unless it’s the 1.99 snow mobile game I bought digitally last week. If I’m making an expensive purchase it’s always been a physical copy I can put in my library
I am physical all the way.
All of my digital stuff I have is from PS Plus since PS3 days when it started. I got it day 1 for storage. I did get Minecraft for my kids since we were out of town and they forgot their disc many years ago but that’s about my digital library. I have hundreds of games but never bought them.
I agree with the main point of the article. You should never lose the right to choose.
Ding ding ding. Why are digital fans so against options. They hate us that prefer physical for some reason. Atleast were saying there's room for both but most digital fans wanna see physical die I swear
Around 2015 my internet speed was finally at the point where I could download a digital game in an hour or so. At that point I spent time selling off my physical PS4 games and rebuying the digital equivalent.
I regret that decision now and around the start of the ps5 generation the price of digital games skyrocketed vs physical in my region so I've gone back but I do worry about the futures there's absolutely going to be a day where I want to play GTA v in 20 years but with the state of modern gaming who knows if I could actually do that with a digital download
I'd honestly love to see government intervention that garuntees a platform holder ensures that digital content is accessible for 7 years similar to tax law you need to hold your records for 7 years in Australia so why not make a company selling digital goods in that country required to make them accessible for 7 years.
I'm sure the EU would push something like that eventually
7 years isn't enough though. You paid for that. I've got access to my physical forever
The one thing that really annoys me about certain physical games is there is a mandatory download before you can even start playing. Hogwarts Legacy, Avatar, Starfield, Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, the newer COD titles. This is a disgusting trend that I worry will become more commonplace.
I remember RedDevils made a comment about this and I shrugged off his comment. Guess I'm eating crow. My bad
Physical has a lifespan too. Tbh the best long term is emulation or PC store fronts.
Piracy you mean. Steam removes and restricts access to games all the time. Piracy is the only true preservation of media.
It would be annoying and spiteful if Sony didn't embrace higher capacity discs for the PS6. They already have cheaper discs that can now hold petabytes of data. But they would rather force consumers to go digital rather than be pro consumer. Ignoring a good piece of technology for corporate greed and control is not good.
Not sure if it's "spiteful", but it's in the interest of all publishers to move towards an all-digital landscape. The market is moving in that direction, and unless there is some sort of significant backlash that impacts their sales, there is no incentive for them to cater to a shrinking base.
This is from someone with a huge physical collection.
The problem with digital isn't digital or physical but the lack of proper reglementations regarding digital ownership.
For example. Sony just bought Funimation and decided to merge the service to Crunchyroll but they decided to remove all digital purchases despite that Funimation used to claim OWN it Forever.
A digital code that came with your Blu-ray disc won't work after April 2nd.
https://arstechnica.com/cul...
https://help.funimation.com...
Like I said the issues here is that the lack of proper laws does not force Sony to honor past agreements by providing a solution.
Loss of licenses is why I love PC gaming...there's ways around silly issues like that
I buy physical mostly, but...
Talk about being dramatic. This only affected a tiny amount of users and Sony can easily fix it. Nobody really lost anything
Article talks about needing receipts to get your stuff back, but that is a load of bull.
"that's why I buy physical" (as if it is some kind of modern still-relevant flex [maybe in a bunker in Idaho]) Meanwhile, their physical copy triggers a download and required update in order to play.
Holy hell and your helping this doof double down. "Is Why I Never Trust These Licenses". Withough understanding them aparently. Do you tie your shoes before running?
They said Microsoft was next. At least they were decent enough to give them a heads up.
Edit: One of the guys is already doxxed. Hope it was worth it.
Sh*t just got real!
It's LizardSquad. Just some kids trying to be big. They're gonna end up just like Lulzsec, everyone notices them then they go to prison and everyone forgets them. On top of DDoSing Xbox Live & PSN, they cause a airliner flight to be diverted because of a phony bomb threat. That takes it to a whole new level. An FBI rep has replied to ShackNews.com saying this is a national security matter. The guy even tweeted Islamic extremist stuff and stated that he wasn't afraid of the FBI. This poor kid is throwing his life away. What's the point of all this anyway? No one admires them or fears them they're just another wannabe hacker group.
Dumb kids looking for attention.
Well time to play watchdogs.