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Just because a game is on disc doesn't mean it will work in the future

arstechnica.com

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Re: Just because a game is on disc doesn't mean it will work in the future

#61

Post by [deleted] »

scared_together wrote: post #18
Barrin92 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Discs matter because centralized digital distribution is what is eroding your rights . The medium's the message. It's the malleability and ephemerality of digital content that has enabled not just restricting people's rights, but destroying the authenticity of media by arbitrarily replacing its content. The reason Amazon could delete 1984 from your Kindle, is its digital nature. Nobody, except you, can delete a book…

Have you read the article? > For years now, the testers at DoesItPlay have been documenting this trend, testing thousands of physical game releases to see which ones live up to the promise of full “plug and play” functionality without an Internet connection. Thus far, a full 27 percent of the physical releases they’ve tested require some sort of download to fix game-breaking bugs or obtain core game content that is n…

[deleted]

Re: Just because a game is on disc doesn't mean it will work in the future

#62

Post by chocochunks »

CoolestBeans wrote: post #31

The discs have been a formality for longer than most gamers understand or want to admit. Sony is discontinuing disc sales as a response to how gamers are buying games not the other way around. So it's an irrational response but an understandable emotional response. It's a final marker of an era that realistically ended more than a decade ago. That video games are not an island: an enclosed experience of just you, the…

Most PS5 games still have the entire game on the disc and can be played offline. Sony also dumps DLC and microtransactions sales into the "proof" of digital being higher on top of digital only games. And they completely ignore used games. From what I heard for a lot of games that have both a digital and disc option it was closer to 60-40.

Re: Just because a game is on disc doesn't mean it will work in the future

#63

Post by beloch »

To provide a basic level of consumer protection, governments should:

1. Recognize that paying for a game implies ownership. Developers must not employ methods that remove purchased games from online stores or become otherwise unplayable.

2. Recognize the legality of cracking games to make them playable.

To put it in the classic anti-piracy "You wouldn't steal a car, would you?" terminology, we need to tell developers, "No, you can't sell us a car and then steal it. Yes, we have the right to built tools to take it back if you try."

Re: Just because a game is on disc doesn't mean it will work in the future

#64

Post by polishdude20 »

For an FPGA project I'm working on that requires a host software program on the host computer, I've been looking into finding a way to burn the host software or source code to the fpga itself. So you'd just plug in the USB port and it would automatically open a filesystem and let you copy over the source code or even binary blob for the software so it would work in the future.

Re: Just because a game is on disc doesn't mean it will work in the future

#65

Post by accrual »

beloch wrote: post #63

To provide a basic level of consumer protection, governments should: 1. Recognize that paying for a game implies ownership . Developers must not employ methods that remove purchased games from online stores or become otherwise unplayable. 2. Recognize the legality of cracking games to make them playable. To put it in the classic anti-piracy "You wouldn't steal a car, would you?" terminology, we need to tell developer…

I think item 1 will be most provable. Sony says "you can have X experience for Y dollars". You pay Y dollars. 10 years elapse. Sony says X is no longer available. Sony has absorbed Y dollars but your X is gone and you cannot access it. This is the new model.

Re: Just because a game is on disc doesn't mean it will work in the future

#66

Post by Keyframe »

musicale wrote: post #39
CoolestBeans wrote: post #31

The discs have been a formality for longer than most gamers understand or want to admit. Sony is discontinuing disc sales as a response to how gamers are buying games not the other way around. So it's an irrational response but an understandable emotional response. It's a final marker of an era that realistically ended more than a decade ago. That video games are not an island: an enclosed experience of just you, the…

With the exception of a few (regrettable) "game key" cards, physical Switch 1/2 games are usually playable offline with just the game card and the console. This is part of the appeal of Nintendo consoles - you don't need to connect them to the internet, and they are still terrific for local multiplayer.

That's what I do at home. We have few switches (2 and 1) and a stack of games. Whenever someone wants to play something they get the card and play and return it afterwards for others to enjoy. No internet needed except for initial switch 2 setup when you turn it on for the first time.

Re: Just because a game is on disc doesn't mean it will work in the future

#68

Post by huflungdung »

Keyframe wrote: post #66
musicale wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With the exception of a few (regrettable) "game key" cards, physical Switch 1/2 games are usually playable offline with just the game card and the console. This is part of the appeal of Nintendo consoles - you don't need to connect them to the internet, and they are still terrific for local multiplayer.

That's what I do at home. We have few switches (2 and 1) and a stack of games. Whenever someone wants to play something they get the card and play and return it afterwards for others to enjoy. No internet needed except for initial switch 2 setup when you turn it on for the first time.

[dead]

Re: Just because a game is on disc doesn't mean it will work in the future

#69

Post by nradov »

quadrifoliate wrote: post #48
nradov wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Legal rights don't matter if the other party is ever liquidated, or otherwise unable to meet their obligations.

This is just straight up false. Laws don't cease to exist because of a liquidation. Legal rights absolutely matter in the event of a liquidation, and will be part of any liquidation process. For example, if there was a law that the entire source code (including server code) should be immediately put into public domain if the game maker is unable to meet their obligation of serving up the game due to liquidation, then…

This is just straight up false. Apparently you don't understand bankruptcy law. Courts will prioritize the interests of creditors first.

And the notion of a law requiring source code to be released in the public domain is so stupid. The source code is an asset which can potentially be sold to benefit creditors. And often the source code contains IP owned by third parties who wouldn't allow a release anyway.

Re: Just because a game is on disc doesn't mean it will work in the future

#70

Post by chillfox »

augusto-moura wrote: post #59
zeroq wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The discs have been a formality for longer than most gamers understand or want to admit. Sony is discontinuing disc sales as a response to how gamers are buying games not the other way around. On the contrary. It's been a very long process of boiling the frog. I bought a physical release of Spore in 2008 and the game allowed itself to be installed a couple of times. Few years later I bought a single player RPG game…

Steam's policy is that an already published game can only be delisted, allowing old owners to still play the game. I still own the original versions of Skyrim (before Anniversary edition, definitive edition, and all other *ditions), and I can still download it and play it, even though that version is not available for purchase in the store anymore. Xbox and PSN don't have such luxuries AFAIK, after a game is removed…

Nintendo still sells games fully on the card that can be played offline.

(yes, they are allowing third party publishers to use key-cards, but their first party games are fully on the card)

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