1UP writes: "One day, games will depart the physical world, existing only as data on a storage device, downloaded like everything else. It's inevitable. And with the ever-growing popularity of digital distribution services like Valve's Steam, Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade, and Sony's PlayStation Network, that future seems to be near. Freed from the constraints of shelf space and the enormous cost of physical distribution, game developers will have a chance to explore ideas that never could've turned a profit at $60 on a Best Buy shelf. We've already seen it happen with last year's (partially) Steam-distributed hit Portal and the currently in-vogue Xbox Live Arcade puzzler Braid.
Recently, however, that future's hit a speed bump. Broadband Internet providers, the folks you pay every month for unfettered access to the online world, are reconsidering the way they do business. In order to save us all from the movie-pirating bandwidth hogs -- who, broadband-service providers contend, are gumming up everyone else's good time -- many companies are testing or implementing limits on their broadband services. Time Warner's currently experimenting with 5-to-40GB caps in Beaumont, TX, charging customers a buck for every gig they download over the limit. Canadian cable operator Rogers has already implemented a system with a hierarchy of caps -- the lowest of which dead-ends at 2GB -- that charges customers between $1.25 and $5 per GB for excess downloads. Comcast is looking into a more generous, yet precedent-setting, 250GB cap. All signs point toward a shift away from the heyday of all-you-can-download to an Internet that charges by the YouTube video."
The Finals’ new Easter event is live now in Embark’s PS5 and Xbox FPS, as Bunny Bash ushers in free skins and more for a limited time only.
This is a fun game and it will be interesting to experience it in V.R. Play through a brand new story as you fight to gain a foothold in the perilous Overlands, battling the elements and the many colossal creatures that reside in the forest.
The ray tracing update Diablo IV on PC has been released, and if you're wondering whether there's a noticeable improvement, read ahead.
This story needs to get approved, so we can talk about how much BULL this is. If this happens wave "bye-bye" to online gaming for the most part.
yep tho this is every internet providers wet dream what a cash cow.
Yeah this is definitely worth a read and something to think about and perhaps fear from the future. If alot of internet company's implement caps then we can say good bye to the average use of the internet as we now know it.
...and I will get rid of cable for good.
Welcome to Australia's Internet. Lots of Caps.