It has become apparent that we soon will be losing the need for physical items such as DVDs, Blue-Ray discs, CDs etc. It is also become known that more and more people want digital distribution easier and convenient. Most of use Netflix Hulu or other streaming services to be able to get the content they want. DVD boxes are becoming a novelty and more so extra baggage that we don't want. In the gaming universe this shift has also become apparent.
During the Xbox One reveal, Microsoft explained their vision of the future which included and all inclusive system and digital distribution. On this new console provided their customers a means to get rid of their discs and never have to buy one again. Sounds like a good deal right? Not exactly. Once a game was bought, it was stuck with you. You couldn't return in to a game shop or even lend it to your friends. If your friend tried to play it it would ask for a code, and at most you ca play without hassle for like 3 days. Services like gamefly and small game stores basically be put out of business. The list goes on and on, but what really matters is what happened.
People were outraged, they couldn't believe the news. I couldn't believe it. The one thing console gaming had over PC gaming was its freedom. And with Microsoft's new market plan, it seemed that luxury would have been lost. Gamer's were worried and had mix opinions by the time E3 roled around, but that all changed after Sony's big reveal. Sony had no intention of changing what was already a good practice. Gamers everywhere rejoiced and you could see the effect. Pre orders for PS4 toppled Xbox One, Youtube videos starting popping up stating their displeasure and Microsoft looked like the "evil" company. The scandal was so huge that Microsoft was forced to remove these policies so they could even stand a chance against their competitors. Well for most it left an awful taste in consumer's mouths and its not like the Xbox One is on the same level as PS4. There are still huge differences between these two consoles but that is a topic for maybe another blog,
As a gamer, I was following all the news and I couldn't grasp the reality of what just happened. How could it be possible that this form of digital distribution be rejected when others were widely accepted? I believe the answer lies in the purpose of console gaming. For as long as i can remember, console gaming was fun, easy and a nice escape from the real world. When playing online came into play, that was great. Now I didn't have to strap myself onto a desktop to play with my friends, I can do from the comfort from my couch. i could bring my system anywhere and play, something you really couldn't do with PC without putting in extra work. I play on both platforms and I see the benefits of both. But I do believe there should never be a blur line between them. And i think the scandal brought that to like. These new policies made you console into a living room PC, taking away all those advantages i mentioned above. And honestly, if that is the direction of console gaming, I would stick to PC. PC is better and has more power than consoles, consoles have always been trying to catch up. Console gaming should always be easy. I love renting my games from redbox or lending games to my friends. I love playing offline for weeks of the time. Remember playing online requires a membership, and I'm a college student, So if my year ran up I'd wait until I had money again.It goes to show that not everything that works in one industry work for another, at least not right away. We are moving towards a digital age yet their are portions of our society that are not ready to complete move in that direction.
I find it fascinating that a big community would be against moving forward, but then again I am one of those people. At least when in comes to console gaming, and I like that easy feel to it. Until it can be presented better, I don't think I want Console technology going in that direction. The digital age may have its benefits but I do not think it can apply in every industry or situation.
Heres the link to the policies Microsoft was trying to do, or that they changed. Xbox Policy
I have to take issue with how misinformed this post is, which is really an issue with how misleading a large portion of the media's coverage was around the time of the Xbox and PS4s announcements.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I'm not sure if you're strictly talking about digital distribution or Microsoft's program of discs being installable on the console, but it sounds like you're talking solely about digital games and not the disc program, which is what the controversy revolved around.
Digital games have never been transferable, and Microsoft's policy on digital for Xbox One only expanded access (friends and family could share digital game libraries, with limitations). Digital distribution isn't by any means a new business model, not just on PC but on console as well. Currently on both Xbox 360 and PS3 you can purchase games digitally over the internet, and neither service allows any sharing or trading in of games to a game retailer, for obvious reasons.
But to the issue of the disc install policy: that's something that's always been misrepresented in the public eye, mostly by people who favored Sony's offering before either of the consoles entered the public realm. Microsoft's policy was that games purchased on discs could be installed on a user's console, and afterwhich the disc would no longer be required to play the game. If someone else wanted to play that disc, then it would be unregistered from the account of the original user and thus be unavailable to be played until the disc was reinserted into the original console. The limitations imposed by this system are exactly the same as the one that exists in a disc only model: if you give the game to someone else, you're going to need to get the disc back at some point.
What made everyone freakout was Microsoft supporting an option for game developers to charge users some sort of fee if they use a disc that was already registered. This was not a requirement by Microsoft, it was an API framework they built into the console. None of Microsoft's games would have this requirement, and if any other company, say EA, wanted to implement it, then they were free to do so. They created it to do away with the system that some companies currently implement, which require the user to insert some sort of code when they get the game, or, in the case where the game was purchased used, rebuy an online access code before they'd be allowed to play.
So the Microsoft policy didn't really change anything. It made the current system less reliant on paper inserts and allowed users to use new features such as starting a game through voice activation without the need to switch discs.
The kicker to this is, when asked more details about the PS4's policies on used games following Sony's E3 press conference, executives clarified that the PS4 would allow developers to implement the same restrictions that were being allowed on Xbox One. This is the same policy that already exists on PS3 and Xbox 360, and Microsoft's backpedaling in response to the public reaction was to simply remove an API framework that would allow gamers to install discs onto their consoles.
At the end of the day, gamers would have been in the same boat in Microsoft's original plans as they are in now. Except they no longer get to take advantages of the features affording by Xbox One's implementation.