Microsoft: Who needs blu-ray? (Dtoid Article)

[Iwata]

Looks like Microsoft is doing a prelude to a tantrum...

 

[TPiddy]

Dragon Age's DLC (one of which they give you free) is DRM. Try installing your DLC for Dragon Age on your second computer and see what happens when you can't log into their server.

Yeah I think you're specifically ignoring the fact that I am talking about the 360 just to make a point.

 

[TPiddy]

...and I'll bet that's true for the 360 as well. Try downloading your DLC on a second 360 and playing it while the internet is not connected.

And why would I need to do that exactly? And why are these companies 'wrong' for preventing me from doing that? I can play the disc in another 360 just fine

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

I generally agree. Sure, I have a PS3 and can watch a blue ray, but that has happened precisely five times. The problem, as I see it, is the lack of value.

A blue ray movie tends to cost 50% more than the same film on DVD. The increase in audio and visual fidelity, to be quite honest, rarely actually has a meaningful impact on the film. Worse still, most blue ray movies ship with fewer special features than the equivalent DVD release. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't really think the digital copy is a significant value add.

To be honest, I think Blue Ray as a movie format is a losing venture in the long run. It might stick around awhile longer for games as increased storage capacity is always a nice thing to have but even here you find the media's days are numbered. Eventually, game distribution will rely mostly in digital distribution but until you can guarntee the vast majority of potential players have access to reliable high speed internet (and as games get larger the top speed becomes increasingly important) the disc will always have a place.

I, for example, rarely acquired games through digital distribution simply because, with my old ISP, it could take up to a full day to download a game (it topped out at around 240k/s). Now, with top end speeds around 8,000k/s, I can install a full game in less than an hour meaning it is actually more convenient to get a game this way than it would be to go out to the nearest game retailer, purchase a game, and install it.

 

[rookie.of.the.year]

On the topic of price... To gain the same functions from each console =

PS3 250GB slim + Move = ~£330

Xbox 250Gb slim + blu ray player + gold live + Kinect = ~£450

Digital download is not the way to go at all, people like to have a hard copy of their purchases, I am wary of DLC because I can't have it on disc!

And I'm pretty sure switching would have a huge negative impact on our economy!

Edit: John lewis has a killer deal,

320GB PS3 slim + move is £280! So £300 for that and nav controller

 

[Reverber]

Im not batting for any ones side, but didnt the playstation move just rip off the wii mote where as kinect in future could be useful for home security and sign language (i believe that they are some of the patents that have been files for future development to the kinect. That having been said im reminded of an old internet joke about arguing on the internet and the special olympics.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

Holy fuck, did this guy go to the Bobby Kotick school of PR? The hell is up with Microsoft lately?

 

[LightOfDarkness]

Blu-ray may be the next disc format, but only because of it's sheer storage size, not because of slightly bigger resolution.

 

[TPiddy]

Well, if you have two 360's then you would want to freely transfer DLC between them lest you prefer to buy the DLC twice. Given that the 360 is the least dependable console this gen, a second 360 is entirely plausible.

You can transfer your account to another 360 only once per year. If you got the RROD twice or more in one year (which seems to happen alot) then you would need to be online to use your DLC.

BTW, save files are usually dependant on DLC so if you have a save file with the Stone Prisoner DLC, then try to take your disc and save file (mem unit) to another 360, it will likely not load without that DLC present.

Now, I don't care if you approve of this type of DRM or not, but rest assured, IT IS DRM and you claimed DA had no DRM. It does, the devil is in the details.

BTW, on the 360 the DRM is in the console. So every 360 game has DRM, you just can't see it that well. Try to make a backup of a 360 game and then try to play it on your 360.

At the end of the day, your 'DRM' didn't hinder my enjoyment of the product. At all. I didn't even know it existed. And you know what? I'm the majority. The vast majority of 360 users. And you do know that when you get a 360 repaired you don't send in the HDD right? That's where your DLC and save files are stored. So yeah, not as restrictive as you're making it out to be.

The LIVE marketplace also gives you the option of re-downloading any paid or free DLC content anyways, so you CAN get it on multiple boxes. Nice try.