The anti-DRM thread

[DrMrLordX]

Regardless I do not see being required to make and be licenses by Microsoft as a big hurdle for a manufacturer

If MS wants to protect sales of their own peripherals, expect them to abuse the position. Also it's unlikely that MS would whitelist any products already on the market.

 

[BFG10K]

Sony at it again, removing purchased content from users' libraries.

Sony is purging some TV shows from users' libraries, including purchased content

If you have purchased Discovery content from PlayStation at any time in the past, prepare to lose it. Sony has notified some PSN members that it is...

www.techspot.com

Discovery Entitlements Affected Titles

www.playstation.com

Why is there still a "buy" button? It's actually "purchase license until we revoke it at any time". Streaming is "convenient", yo.

 

[BFG10K]

Capcom just added DRM to 11 year old Resident Evil Revelations. It blocks mods and has other technical issues like resetting the game to 60Hz every time you launch it.

Capcom caught adding Enigma DRM to older titles, for no good reason

The recent patch for Resident Evil Revelations highlights Capcom's practice of incorporating new DRM into some of its games. This software seems to disrupt modding and could...

www.techspot.com

This is the problem with "games as a service", enabled by DRM platforms like Steam that enforce mandatory auto-patching of single player titles. This wouldn't be possible on GOG because you actually own your games there.

 

[BFG10K]

Ubisoft confirming what I've been saying right from the start:

Ubisoft says gamers should just accept not owning their games

On Monday, Ubisoft announced its Plus (Ubsoft+) subscribers would now have two choices to play their favorite games - Premium and Classics. The Premium tier goes for...

www.techspot.com

 

[DrMrLordX]

Ubisoft should just accept going out of business.

 

[BFG10K]

They're not even trying to hide it anymore.

HP CEO says customers who don't use the company's supplies are "bad investments"

HP is very insistent that users of its printers don't turn to cheaper third-party alternatives for their ink cartridges. It introduced a feature called Dynamic Security in...

www.techspot.com

 

[BFG10K]

Currently GOG has an outage due to server upgrades. You probably wouldn't even notice, because all your single player games keep working.

That's the difference between true offline ownership and a "service".

 

[BFG10K]

Printers as a "service", complete with monthly page restrictions.

HP rolls out monthly subscription service for "hassle-free" printing

All plans include automatic ink delivery before you run out, as well as 24/7 customer service. In the event HP can't fix a problem over the phone,...

www.techspot.com

 

[BFG10K]

Class action lawsuit against HP. Consumers need to burn these donkeys.

Class-action lawsuit accuses HP of monopolizing aftermarket ink cartridges

Lawyers representing plaintiffs have rejected one of HP's arguments against a class-action lawsuit filed in January. HP has long been criticized by customers for repeatedly blocking the...

www.techspot.com

Ubisoft removes access to The Crew from paying customers. Another example of "games as a service".

An Update on The Crew

In December 2014, we launched The Crew, our beloved first game of the franchise and one of the most ambitious racing games of its time. Nine years later...

www.ubisoft.com

New initiative to stop this behavior.

Sign the petitions here.

Stop Killing Games

stopkillinggames.com

 

[lakedude]

They're not even trying to hide it anymore.

HP CEO says customers who don't use the company's supplies are "bad investments"

HP is very insistent that users of its printers don't turn to cheaper third-party alternatives for their ink cartridges. It introduced a feature called Dynamic Security in...

www.techspot.com

Never again HP, never again!

My $170 Brother just works with no fiddly accounts or ink service required.

 

[lakedude]

It is super frustrating to buy a game or movie you end up not liking or that does not work well with your system. In the distant past that lead me to "other" methods of procurement, however if I enjoyed a game or movie and it played nice with my system I'd buy a copy (or several). The "other" method became effectively a demo.

I bet I've purchased a dozen copies of FarCry over the years.

Now with actual demos or the ability to return a game on Steam (if you do it quick enough), combined with games tending to work better than in the past, the need to use "other" means is virtually eliminated.

In the old days I preferred the "other" copies even when I had a legitimate paid for disk because no disk was required. Or I'd make a disk image of the real disk so I wouldn't need to carry disks. Of course now with Steam you mostly just need an internet connection, which is handy, unless you don't have said connection.