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Xbox One Launch Woes Were Preventable, Next Console Likely Digital Download Only
MojoKid writes: Microsoft's Xbox One launch didn't go off exactly as planned in late 2013. Before the console's release, the company was dogged over DRM restrictions with the console and concerns over its high price tag compared to its counterpart, the Sony PlayStation 4. Microsoft would attribute the higher price tag to the included Kinect camera — a peripheral that many gamers didn't particularly care for. Former Xbox Chief Robbie Bach offered his two cents recently on the Xbox One — a console that launched years after he announced he retired from the company in 2010. Bach noted, regarding the Xbox One's rocky launch, "...gosh, I think some of that was predictable and preventable." As for the future of physical game media, Bach doesn't think that the future will be so bright when it comes to DRM and always-connected requirements in the next generation of gaming consoles. He said that the next Xbox would "probably not" have physical media to speak of, with consoles adopting digital-only distribution.
What pushed me towards a PS3, after decades of PC gaming, was the large "lending library" of PS3 games offered by a co-worker.
Steam on PC now allows your co-worker to lend you her entire library.
Pay $60 for PS3 game
Run into a game design flaw that ruins your enjoyment, can't lawfully mod PS3 games. Use value $0, though it has resale value.
Pay $60 for a PC game that isn't online-only, run into a game design flaw that ruins your enjoyment, mod it out. After completing the game, add mods that increase replay value. Use value more than $0.
Get a replacement at GOG.com for a cheaper price than Steam and without any DRM.