Pendragon9 said:
I'm not saying it's justified because another company is doing it, but YOU are saying Microsoft isn't guilty of it at all and that Sony is somehow the only company that is doing this.
...And I never once said that. Nor implied it.
No, really. Go back and read the one line you jumped down my throat about.
Read it very carefully. This is about downgrading a CONSOLE you've already purchased.
Here's some evidence for you: microsoft not only increased their price for playing online without ANY prior notice, but they continually strip important features from their console like decent fans, proper coding and hardware to prevent it from bricking, and mass banning people just because they THINK they're hacking, even if no evidence is present.
Next time, don't bring your bias into the forum. I'm not defending Sony for this security breach, but you have no right to claim they're "the devil". It's console bias at it's worst.
Ahh, but Xbox Live is a SERVICE for the 360. Not a product. Services change over time. Costs change. If you've ever had to actually pay the bills for something like your ISP or Phone, you would know this.
I can walk into my local stores right now, buy an Xbox 360, and NEVER ONCE dedicate a single Byte of information to Xbox Live. And I could do so without the system locking me out of playing new titles, or stripping away other features. It's a Yes or No proposition.
I agree that Rate hikes suck, and I won't argue against how this devalues the ONLINE EXPERIENCE, but it in no way impacts how your INDIVIDUAL XBOX 360 can perform offline. It isn't taking away features you already paid for (they are required, by law, to notify the user of any changes to the service contract. Even Sony did this with their firmware update).
Those Other OS people (pirates or not) on the other hand, definitively lost something when Sony did this.
Either the Other OS people can:
1) Not play any future PS3 games (online or offline. New titles will mandate the new firmware to run, period)
2) Lose their Other OS. A feature Sony advertised (resulting in what is effectively a scam)
This is a change at the product level.
As for banning people from Xbox Live, that carries a Cessation of Service.
Simply put, when you have that many users, shit happens. I wholeheartedly agree that they should improve their service so users aren't being banned for seemingly arbitrary reasons.
Now, onto your second argument.
It's about...Microsoft stripping away cooling components so it doesn't brick.
Are you implying that Microsoft has mandated that they can come into your home, take your Xbox 360 apart, and REMOVE HARDWARE? Because that is the only conceivable way your evidence makes any sense in the context of what I'm arguing here.
Remember: I'm talking about ACTIVE UNITS.
Consoles already sold to and in use by the customer.
At this point I'm sure you misunderstood my first post entirely. I was not trolling, I'm simply trying to state the difference in premise between the console companies implementing security measures, and implementing measures that double-back on features they advertised.
In this regard, Sony is uniquely guilty. That isn't my bias talking, that's empirical fact.
If this had been a measure that only restricted access to PSN, then you might have something there, but the removal of Other OS does more than that. It directly impacts the offline performance of the unit.
For most gamers, you might find that to be reasonable and practical. I'm not arguing for piracy (as you seem to have implied with your first response to me), but rather against this practice that establishes a worrying legal precedent. A precedent that states these companies CAN legally pull bait-and-switch sales tactics on you, because hey, Sony was allowed to get away with it. Why can't we?
