Sony Could Interrupt Your Games With Ads

[blalien]

I tolerate ads in TV shows I don't pay for. I absolutely refuse to purchase anything with ads. That is why I stopped buying DVDs. If this actually materializes, Sony can kiss my money goodbye.

 

[burningdragoon]

Seriously Sony, I like your stuff. I like the Playstation. I like the Playstation 2 and Playstation 3. I even like the Sony laptop I have.

But these rumors really make it seem like you are actively trying to get me to stop supporting you.

Edit: I'd also like you, Sony, to know that most TV shows are designed with commercials in mind and movies are edited to work with them. They don't just stop randomly in the middle of a scene for commercials.

 

[DustyDrB]

No. I don't hate ads. Put them before or after something, and I'm cool with that. I'm even fine with product placement to an extent. I tolerate commercials in TV because that's how it has always been (though I watch most shows via Netflix nowadays, so it's generally not even an issue there). I hate the idea of my gaming experience being interrupted by something totally unrelated. This just seems disrespectful to gamers and to the games. I promise I won't buy a Sony console that does this.

I've actually been cool with those advertising billboards in games updating and the like, so I'm not even bothered by ads IN games.

I don't know if I've seen those. What's an example?

I agree, though. When you take away control, you annoy me. Try to do that so you can advertise some soda to me, you'll make me a bit angry and will lose my business. And it would fail, anyway. I think most gamers would just take that moment to use the bathroom or something.

 

[MarlonBlazed]

Why is it when I read this I instantly think that in 500 years we will all be watering our crops with Gatorade?

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

No. I don't hate ads. Put them before or after something, and I'm cool with that. I'm even fine with product placement to an extent. I tolerate commercials in TV because that's how it has always been (though I watch most shows via Netflix nowadays, so it's generally not even an issue there). I hate the idea of my gaming experience being interrupted by something totally unrelated. This just seems disrespectful to gamers and to the games. I promise I won't buy a Sony console that does this.

I've actually been cool with those advertising billboards in games updating and the like, so I'm not even bothered by ads IN games. These would stop gameplay, though. That's just wrong. I hate it when CUTSCENES take control away from me, and they don't actually sell anything.

It would ruin my experience. I've seen some heart-breaking scenes in games that I'll remember for a long time. Wanna know how to ruin it? Stop in the middle of one to tell me that Dr. Pepper Ten is not for women.

 

[DustyDrB]

Why is it when I read this I instantly think that in 500 years we will all be watering our crops with Gatorade?

But...the electro-lights! Don't you know plants need light? Gatorade has them in the drink. Everyone needs electro-lights!

 

[Something Amyss]

If you sell me the console really cheap and give me free games (including AAA games) sure, I might can deal.

Of course, they will do neither. They will probably even claim it's to subsidise costs, but they will charge the same as before and still expect as much.

Kinda like how that 15 dollar "online pass" is supposed to cover server costs, but they're shutting them down all the same.

 

[Bat Vader]

This seems like a terrible idea and I can bet people will get mad if it does happen. A better place for an ad would be a loading screen. That way the ad isn't interrupting anything.

 

[hermes]

EDIT: Now that I think on it some more, if it's hardcoded into the hardware I'm never buying the hardware. Not just that, but I'll help anyone I can jailbreak that shit out of their hardware so they don't have to deal with it, this is a terrible idea, and will pretty well just earn the ire of every gamer out there.

Not really. People around here are not in favor of piracy, but its hard to argue about it when the experience they offer is just better...

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

Playstation! It only advertises everything.

 

[Andronicus]

Course, I'd imagine there'd still be full-price games without ads. Sounds like it could be interesting, as long as they approach it smartly, and not just jamming random ads into every game with abandon.

At least according to the article, the ads won't be programmed into the game, they'll be coded into the console itself. No matter what game you're playing, a Pepsi commercial will be interrupting you. From the sound of things no game will be ad-free.

That doesn't necessarily mean they'd have to be in the game regardless. If you download a game that's completely free, it can come with a code to cause the console to produce ads. If you decide you want to pay to play without the ads, you can pay for an override code that stops the console from putting in ads.

Note that I'm not saying how it will work (if it actually happens), only how it could work.

The only problem I can see with this system is that it wouldn't work with online multiplayer games, unless everybody got the ad break simultaneously, and for the same length of time, which is completely unrealistic. Course, that means it would only happen during single-player games, and the need for the console to download new ads when the ad break starts means that you'd have to be online all the time, like Diablo III.

I reckon I could actually support it, but like I said, only if the games are free, and only if there's an option to pay a premium to stop adbreaks.

 

[Stormz]

Online always DRM, day one DLC thats already on the disc, in game advertisements that stop you from playing your game. Welcome to the future of gaming, this is what we asked for!

 

[Epona]

The only time I don't care to see an ad is at this screen:

You know, the screen where nothing is happening while the map loads?

So long as it doesn't happen when I am pinned down in the middle of a sniper zone, I could give less of a shit. I could imagine the irony when Pepsi is advertised while I am drinking my coke.

Though I also wouldn't care if there was a pepsi billboard stopping Tank Rounds from hitting me.

Your tolerance will be taken advantage of sooner or later.

 

[Weaver]

This is okay for free games. I even tolerated it in the past on load screens (Ragnarok Online did this, but most of the ads were in Korean so I didn't even understand them).

If I have to pay for a game, and you interrupt it with an ad, I'll fucking quit gaming for the rest of my life. I swear to you all right now, under oath (assuming this becomes a widespread thing).

 

[Stormz]

This is okay for free games. I even tolerated it in the past on load screens (Ragnarok Online did this, but most of the ads were in Korean so I didn't even understand them).

If I have to pay for a game, and you interrupt it with an ad, I'll fucking quit gaming for the rest of my life. I swear to you all right now, under oath (assuming this becomes a widespread thing).

Or you could just swear off buying new games. I don't see the need to quit completely when there's still tons of great oldies out there untouched by this bullshit.

 

[Hazy992]

If this is true then Sony have just lost themselves a customer. PC here I come!

 

[NerfedFalcon]

If you put ads before the game, I'm fine with that - loading screens tend to be dead space anyway; just don't make them buffer. If you interrupt my games, then that'll not only kill any sense of flow or immersion - regardless of how you insert them - it'll also destroy any amount of respect I ever had for the company.

(Note to self: must find Blu-ray player made by someone other than Sony.)

 

[Weaver]

This is okay for free games. I even tolerated it in the past on load screens (Ragnarok Online did this, but most of the ads were in Korean so I didn't even understand them).

If I have to pay for a game, and you interrupt it with an ad, I'll fucking quit gaming for the rest of my life. I swear to you all right now, under oath (assuming this becomes a widespread thing).

Or you could just swear off buying new games. I don't see the need to quit completely when there's still tons of great oldies out there untouched by this bullshit.

Well, sure I guess that makes sense

Kind of heat of the moment and all that.