Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 11th Mar 2013 14:46 UTC
"To see anyone defending EA and Maxis for the state of SimCity, even were it in perfect working order on launch, depresses me to my core. This self-flagellation-as-skincare notion, where gamers loudly and proudly defend the destruction of their own rights as consumers, is an Orwellian perversity. That it might be considered in any way controversial to call them out on their crap, to point out that no, always-on DRM is not an advantage to anyone, is bewildering. It's a sign of just how far the gaming world has fallen into the rabbit hole of the publisher's burrowing." As usual, RPS hits the nail on the head so hard it shoots through the board.
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RE[3]: The solution is not simple
by sparkyERTW on Tue 12th Mar 2013 13:59
in reply to "RE[2]: The solution is not simple"
Member since:2010-06-09
"The first are [mostly] children and teenagers who don't have £50 a time for games and would never have bought the game to begin with.
A lot of modern PC games need pretty decent hardware to run. If you can afford to get a laptop to run the game you or their parents can probably afford the game.
When I was a kid, if I couldn't afford something ... I went without. "
Well said. Half the reason I got back into console gaming (yes, I realize the irony there, and I am already regretting that decision) was the need to spend ~$300-400 a year on upgrades to play the latest and greatest. And yes, if you can't afford the chocolate bar at the corner store, that doesn't excuse you for swiping it.
"The second are people who have already bought the game, but dislike the DRM, so they've torrented a cracked version.
That is bullshit and you know it. "
Well, I'm not sure it's entirely bullshit... but it should be. I've known a couple people who have mentioned doing this, but to me their response should have been either a) don't buy it because you object to the DRM, or b) if it was bought not knowing about the DRM issues, return and demand - strongly and loudly - your money back for what is a defective product (yes, I realize most companies have a no-return policy on computer games, but that's a whole other problem that needs to be addressed right there).
RE[4]: The solution is not simple
by WereCatf on Tue 12th Mar 2013 14:41
in reply to "RE[3]: The solution is not simple"
Member since:2006-02-15
was the need to spend ~$300-400 a year on upgrades to play the latest and greatest.
Every once in a while someone pops up with the claim that you need to constantly keep upgrading a PC. But well, why? There is no real reason to constantly upgrade a PC unless you believe that you must be able to play games at max details at max resolution at all times.
How about this: set games to similar detail settings as used on the PS3 or Xbox360 and keep the resolution to 720p and grab a PC from 5 years ago -- games will run just fine. The point is, people who buy PCs tend to push everything to max and then use that as a justification for complaining about needing to upgrade all the time, and that's just silly. It's like stabbing yourself and then complaining that you're hurting.
RE[4]: The solution is not simple
by ze_jerkface on Tue 12th Mar 2013 15:39
in reply to "RE[3]: The solution is not simple"
Member since:2012-06-22
Well, I'm not sure it's entirely bullshit... but it should be.
It is entirely bullshit because DRM-free games get pirated just as heavily
http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/11/30/the-witcher-2-was-pirated-ov...
(yes, I realize most companies have a no-return policy on computer games, but that's a whole other problem that needs to be addressed right there).
That exists because so many people would take home a pc game, clone it and then return it. PC gamers have made their bed and now they have to sleep in it. That's just the harsh reality.
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/13/13 14:35 UTC
The third and final WWDC product I want to talk about is - of course - OS X 10.9 Mavericks. While iOS 7 was clearly the focus of this year's WWDC, its venerable desktop counterpart certainly wasn't left behind. Apple announced OS X 10.9 Mavericks, the first OS X release not to carry the name of a big cat.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/11/13 17:07 UTC
We already talked about iOS 7 yesterday (after a night of sleep, it's only looking worse and worse - look at this, for Fiona's sake!), so now it's time to talk about the downright stunning and belly flutters-inducing new Mac Pro. As former owner and huge, huge, huge fan of the PowerMac G4 Cube - I haven't been this excited about an Apple product since, well, I would say the iMac G4. This is the Apple I used to love.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/10/13 23:13 UTC
Apple held its big keynote event thing at WWDC earlier this evening, but since I was away with friends I've had to read up on it later in the evening. The company announced iOS 7, OS X 10.9 Mavericks, and they gave a preview of the new Mac Pro. Especially the Mac Pro impressed me, and while iOS 7's new Holo/Metro-inspired theme looks messy and garish to me, I do commend Apple for finally breaking the mold. This news item will focus on iOS 7 - I'll dive into the Mac Pro and OS X 10.9 tomorrow (it's late here now).
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/08/13 14:57 UTC
And yes, the PRISM scandal is far, far from over. More and more information keeps leaking out, and the more gets out, the worse it gets. The companies involved have sent out official statements - often by mouth of their CEOs - and what's interesting is that not only are these official statements eerily similar to each other, using the same terms clearly designed by lawyers, they also directly contradict new reports from The New York Times. So, who is lying?
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/07/13 11:40 UTC
This story is getting bigger and bigger. Even though most Americans probably already knew, it is now official: the United States government, through its National Security Agency, is collecting the communications and data of all American citizens, and of non-Americans using American services, through a wide collaboration with the large companies in technology, like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and so on. Interestingly enough, the NSA itself, as well as the US government, have repeatedly and firmly denied this massive spying on Americans and non-Americans took place at all.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/04/13 12:45 UTC
Ah, patents - the never-ending scourge of the technology industry. Whether wielded by companies who don't actually make any products, or large corporations who abuse them because they can't compete in the market place or because they're simply jerks, they do the industry a huge disservice and are simply plain dangerous. According to The Wall Street Journal (circumvention link), president Obama is about to take several executive actions to address patent trolls - which may seem like a good idea, but I am very worried that all this will do is strengthen the positions of notorious patent system abusers such as Apple and Microsoft.
Linked by nfeske on 05/31/13 10:12 UTC
With version 13.05, the developers of the Genode OS Framework take measures to ensure that Genode continues to scale well with a growing number of users and the steadily broadening platform coverage. Further highlights are the improved SoC support for Exynos 5, OMAP4, Raspberry Pi, i.MX, and new components for realizing headless systems.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/29/13 16:59 UTC
At the D11 conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook once again took the stage to be interviewed by Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. While most of the interview can be replicated by picking and reading 10 random Apple fanblog stories - there were still a number of very interesting things that warrant some closer scrutiny.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!More Features »
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2009-08-18
A lot of modern PC games need pretty decent hardware to run. If you can afford to get a laptop to run the game you or their parents can probably afford the game.
When I was a kid, if I couldn't afford something ... I went without.
That is bullshit and you know it.