Future of gaming?

[ukaserex]

http://gamingfuture.net/

I came across this on my fb page, figured some of you would find it interesting. Why Red Box has an interest in it, I've no idea. Perhaps, they have an interest in it. <shrug>

[TimtheEnchanter]

Besides 'cloud gaming' what 'innovations' are these consoles really doing that they weren't before?

[Arachnion]

That appears to be a blog for people to discuss the current gaming industry.

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) starts soon as well, a few days or so, this week IIRC.

@TimtheEnchanter: Not much else, IMO. The usual. Better graphics. Better sharing functions. Nothing so revolutionary that stands out for me.

[dwturducken]

The concern with the new consoles' policies on DRM is that it would effectively end the game-portion of Red Box' business.

[houtex]

The concern with the new consoles' policies on DRM is that it would effectively end the game-portion of Red Box' business.

No, Red Box is, much like Blockbuster, doomed already.  It's just a matter of time.

The DRM is the same concern as we have with CoH.  Namely, if they decide to pull the server support for the rights management, or it gets 'lost' or whatever... the game becomes non-functional.  You can't play a DRM'd game if the server doesn't let you, or can't.

All in the name of "piracy prevention."  Which is another name for "profit maximization."  Which I don't blame them for... I used to write software, and one of my packages was pirated by giant corporations.  Until we caught them off guard with dongles, that is.  But hey, we shipped them the dongles, and they could run all they wanted... as long as they had a dongle.

All of a sudden, one sold package became one package plus extra licenses/dongles... because amazingly, they were using 20 of them from one buy.  It was... eye opening, to be sure, that my company... and by extension, me... was being stolen from by multimillion dollar companies.

So yeah.  DRM rules.  And sucks.  All at the same time.  Because YOU (not you personally, but the collective 'you', which includes me I suppose) can't be bothered to buy your own copy of whatever it is, insisting on playing it for a few hours at minimum to say "yeah I'll buy it" but don't, or "naw this sucks" and then don't.

And don't give me the "not everyone can afford it" act.  I get that.  Don't buy the thing.  Too bad.  Life sucks like that, and why are you buying a $400 console in the first place then?

/Uh... so yeah, it's not about Red Box.
//Sorry.  My experience tells me DRM and downloadable content and always needed Internet isn't bad or good.  It just is.  Get used to it.  It's the future(tm)

[dwturducken]

No, Red Box is, much like Blockbuster, doomed already.  It's just a matter of time.

While I agree with the rest of your post, this part is a little hard to back up. Redbox has a nearly 40% market share as of the end of last year, box locations are only expanding, and they are currently testing a streaming service. Frankly, I have to wonder how many streaming services the market can support, but, when I was joking about it to my wife, she pointed out that we subscribe to two.

[Tenzhi]

Games are overpriced for the mere 8-10 hours "entertainment" they too often ultimately provide.  This is why I often prefer to rent them.  If the XBL Marketplace offered me limited time licenses at a reasonable price they'd make more money off of me as I'd "rent" things frequently on impulse when I was bored.

[Kaos Arcanna]

To be honest, I don't see myself buying either an Xbox One or PS4. I currently have an Xbox 360, a PS3, and a Wii. (I like options. Sue me.)

But the main reason I bought consoles was because I wanted to be able to play games offline. If I can't do that or have to jump through hoops to do that, I may as well stick with PC Gaming.

[Illusionss]

//Sorry.  My experience tells me DRM and downloadable content and always needed Internet isn't bad or good.  It just is.  Get used to it.  It's the future(tm)

Its a future I wont be buying.

Luckily I am a PC gamer. But what I am reading says that the new Xbox is out of the owner's control: when Microsoft pulls the plug on those games, your new Xbox is going to be a big, expensive paperweight.

I have already been through one unplugging and have NO intention of investing myself and my money in something like that, to be unable to play offline forever.

I have been following this Xbox crap and it looks like gamers are very deeply divided on this. Not to mention, if they have to ping you once every 24 hours so they don't delete your account [!!WTH], what happens when THIER SERVERS go down or are hacked for 24hrs +? [Because we all know, server just never go down unexpectedly, right? bwahaha] Oh yeah.... everyone loses their account and the games they PAID for HOW ABOUT NO.

I truly hope the fecal-matter storm over Xbox/PS4 DRM hits the fan well and truly; I want these consoles to fail and these companies reined in. They are literally berserk with power.

[Segev]

You know, I could get behind a "buy this console, and have a Netflix-like access to its entire library of games" model. Monthly subscription fee. Probably pay the game publishers a royalty based on how long their game is played in a given month by a given account.

Likely would not go over well with most AAA publishers, though.

[General Idiot]

Probably go over about as well as it did with the movie and music industries. Which is to say, not at all for ten years or so but then fine once they realise it's going to happen without them if they don't.

[JaguarX]

While I agree with the rest of your post, this part is a little hard to back up. Redbox has a nearly 40% market share as of the end of last year, box locations are only expanding, and they are currently testing a streaming service. Frankly, I have to wonder how many streaming services the market can support, but, when I was joking about it to my wife, she pointed out that we subscribe to two.

Well, the same was said when blockbuster ruled the market. It was stated that Blockbuster's days were numbered but it still had majority share of the rental industry and seemingly growing. Yet, a few years later, they are struggling an it's traditional market is barely a blip and thinking about closing for good in that realm although been talks of blockbuster going streaming to stay alive.

Now, if red box go streaming, they will be around for a while but the kiosk thing days probably are numbered as the streaming rental market continues to grow aka netflix, which is said to be stomping a mud hole in red box although at the moment red box is no slouch.

Things in technology rise and fall. The days are numbered as soon as it hits the shelf as someone comes up with a more popular idea and more popular way of doing it.

Me personally I dont think I actually left the house to rent anything in years. Tried red box a few times but usually ended up as a inconvience for me because I have to go back out to the box to return the movie or be charged again to a place I probably wouldnt visit every day and their selection is limited and by the time the movie do hit the box I usually already seen it and or rented it online same day if not before the dvd even hit the stores or out right bought it. Netflix I would use more often but again, movie selection is not my cup of tea with their offerings. Although not sure how netflix selection changed in the past few years since I had it and dropped it. But found another service I like and suits me better. Amazon. Although I usually just buy it but for questionable movies I can rent for about $4 for two days, which is more expensive up front for a day at red box but abotu the same for two but usually end up paying more for the red box because either not remembering or not being able to get to the kiosk within two days again before going over the 4 dollar point, not to mention the risk of getting a disk that dont work anyways which has happened on more than a few occassions. Red box just cost me more between those factors with the broken disks being a waste of money down the tube at a rate of $2 a day.

Although I still occasionally go out and buy actual dvd disks.

Never been much into consoles. Spend on a console a little less than on a decent computer but yet limited to console and very few games that catch my interest. I can do alot more with PC than console for me. But with consoles having internet connection, that normally would be a thing that say hey, consoles are useful now but then again why spend that much money on a console, still have to pay to access those features and then pay the internet providers anyways, when I could buy PC and pay only the internet provider. Not to mention from what I seen, the security and privacy is spotty especially if they come out with those cameras. I have nothing to hide, but that doesnt mean I want anyone or anything watching every move. I have nothing to hide in my car either but still dont leave my doors unlocked, or the doors to my house unlocked. I still believe in privacy a little bit. But hey, seems that most people like their lives being an open book (yet complain when stuff get leaked or information get stolen.) Used to feel sorry for those types but now, it's meh, you made it easy for them. If you make your life public access then anyone and their momma can have a field day with you life without so much as breaking a sweat. If they are going to get my info, they are going to have to work for it but it wont be the result of me just handing it to them because "I have nothing to hide." Although in some people's eyes I'm a little out there. I know people who still refuse to use facebook or even have their number publically listed in the phonebook to guard their privacy and some refuse to use contract phones. I aint going to lie though, it do get annoying being asked for my email and phone number when I want to buy an item from Bath and body works. It made me hesitate on using my debit card there. I mean what do they need that information for? Promotions? I dont give a crap about the latest promotions. I just want to buy these here items and be on my way so either ring me up without that information or I'll return these to the shelf and go somewhere else.

[Segev]

Red Box and other rental units will stick around at least as long as they can maintain deals with the movie studios that give them the right to have rental DVDs for new release movies a substantial time (weeks to months) before said movies are made available to streaming services. They will continue to pick up the secondary crowd who want to see them badly enough to go a bit out of their way, but not enough to spend $20+ on owning them.

[Reiraku]

You know, I could get behind a "buy this console, and have a Netflix-like access to its entire library of games" model. Monthly subscription fee. Probably pay the game publishers a royalty based on how long their game is played in a given month by a given account.

Likely would not go over well with most AAA publishers, though.

They had something like that WAY back in the day, before broadband internet was really around to support it.

I miss SEGA channel. 

[JaguarX]

Red Box and other rental units will stick around at least as long as they can maintain deals with the movie studios that give them the right to have rental DVDs for new release movies a substantial time (weeks to months) before said movies are made available to streaming services. They will continue to pick up the secondary crowd who want to see them badly enough to go a bit out of their way, but not enough to spend $20+ on owning them.

people spend $20+ on movies? Man, I must be shopping at the wrong place. I havent spent over $15 + taxes if in person and about $15 flat online even for the brand new releases that havent hit the stores yet. Like Amazon released Django Unchained like a week prior before brick stores had it and I paid only $15. Then when it hit it was $15 for it.

[dwturducken]

I own 2 Blu-Rays: Avengers and Shaun of the Dead. Both were over $15. Everything else was less than $10, and most were in the $5 bin/rack.

With Netflix and RedBox, I couldn't tell you, besides Avengers, when the last time was we even bought a movie.

[JaguarX]

I own 2 Blu-Rays: Avengers and Shaun of the Dead. Both were over $15. Everything else was less than $10, and most were in the $5 bin/rack.

With Netflix and RedBox, I couldn't tell you, besides Avengers, when the last time was we even bought a movie.

ah blue ray. Mine is a mixture of both and ironically I cant even tell the difference between the two. I dont have the eyes for it I guess.

Django the one I was talking about was blue ray. The regular one was available for another 4 days. 

[dwturducken]

I can tell the difference, but having the version of (in this case) Avengers that has both formats helps. My friends think it's funny that Shaun of the Dead is the other one, though. There really is nothing to the movie to warrant it.

[General Idiot]

Never been much into consoles. Spend on a console a little less than on a decent computer but yet limited to console and very few games that catch my interest. I can do alot more with PC than console for me.

For me, it comes down to backwards compatibility and mods. When was the last time you saw either for a console game on any system?

[Taceus Jiwede]

For me, it comes down to backwards compatibility and mods. When was the last time you saw either for a console game on any system?

If steam made a console it would not only be doable but encouraged.