All I want is for the studios to provide something comparable with what I can get on torrent sites:
* A standalone file that doesn't require authentication with some server somewhere. * A file encoded in an open (enough) container & format like MP4/MKV, such that it can be decoded by anything and on any operating system/platform. I don't want to have to rely on a propritary Windows-only program to play my purchased files. * HD quality files (720p or 1080p - even better, having a choice at purchase/download time)
That's it. I'm not asking for much really; if randoms on the net can do this, so can the corporations. Yes the torrents are free, but if all things are equal then I'll gladly pay a reasonable price for content if these requirements are met. I WANT to be 100% legit, if only because I feel it's a reasonable case to want to pay someone for their work. But I'm certainly not going to pay money for an inferior product.
But no - instead we have streams instead of hard files so that the video can be controlled (as if it'll stop piracy), and browser plugins for viewing that are Windows only (which is OK since I still use Windows, but I like as much openness as possible to diversify things and futureproof my options in case Linux distros improve enough to become a viable option for a home desktop). Oh, and regional shit which prevents me from accessing content the US releases because I happen to live in Australia - as if my money isn't of any value. Torrents don't have this limit.
They just don't want to give people the optimal solution, even if we're ready to reward them for fucking listening to us.
I will say that I also play Deus Ex: Human Revolution via a prated copy instead of Steam? Why? Because in late 2011 (just before I gave up on Steam) I bought the game, hence I feel morally OK with playing the torrented version since I bought it full price anyway. Technically this isn't allowed as it breaches the license agreement despite having paid money for the Steam version, but fuck it.
Yes, actually. If I am to stick to my principles it's basically the only options left really. That and older games that never needed Steam in the first place like Deus Ex and the Quake series.
Having said that, it's not like it's a bad thing. AAA games these days are too focused on cinematic experiences and QTEs and DLCs and all that crap. On GOG I can get Arma 2, Alan Wake and many other decent but modern games if I wish.
It's not like you NEED these games in their first place - they're just entertainment, which means that it's far easier to walk away if you don't like how things are, compared to say if you hate Microsoft and/or Windows but still need to deal with them for reasons of the software to do your job to pay the bills. With games, you can be fussy and reject dickheads... well, in theory anyway. In practice people enjoy abuse and hence EA is still all-powerful.
More specifically for game DRM, the vendors want to ensure you're locked into their platform when you buy games from them, and DRM enforces this. I don't use Origin, Uplay or even Steam anymore, because (for the most part) anything you buy on a platform requires a client to validate your eligibility every time you try to run a game. You're locked into that ecosystem the vendor has provided. If you decide that Valve are being dicks for whatever reason and you don't want to deal with them anymore, you can't just take what you've bought and leave Steam, since most Steam games require authentication from the Steam client in order to launch. You're stuck with them unless you find a suitable crack, which isn't something that should be necessary. EA/Valve/Ubisoft know this, which is why they have no incentive to remove the DRM on their respective clients.
I know in Steam there are a handful of completely DRM-free games in which you could separate from Steam itself if you wanted to, but they're also an extremely small subset of everything on the platform and aren't advertised anywhere in the game's store page of this being possible. It's ultimately easier to just assume all games on Steam utilize its DRM, and so you're still tied to it.
Slashdot Mirror
Agreed.
All I want is for the studios to provide something comparable with what I can get on torrent sites:
* A standalone file that doesn't require authentication with some server somewhere.
* A file encoded in an open (enough) container & format like MP4/MKV, such that it can be decoded by anything and on any operating system/platform. I don't want to have to rely on a propritary Windows-only program to play my purchased files.
* HD quality files (720p or 1080p - even better, having a choice at purchase/download time)
That's it. I'm not asking for much really; if randoms on the net can do this, so can the corporations. Yes the torrents are free, but if all things are equal then I'll gladly pay a reasonable price for content if these requirements are met. I WANT to be 100% legit, if only because I feel it's a reasonable case to want to pay someone for their work. But I'm certainly not going to pay money for an inferior product.
But no - instead we have streams instead of hard files so that the video can be controlled (as if it'll stop piracy), and browser plugins for viewing that are Windows only (which is OK since I still use Windows, but I like as much openness as possible to diversify things and futureproof my options in case Linux distros improve enough to become a viable option for a home desktop). Oh, and regional shit which prevents me from accessing content the US releases because I happen to live in Australia - as if my money isn't of any value. Torrents don't have this limit.
They just don't want to give people the optimal solution, even if we're ready to reward them for fucking listening to us.
In response to myself...
I will say that I also play Deus Ex: Human Revolution via a prated copy instead of Steam? Why? Because in late 2011 (just before I gave up on Steam) I bought the game, hence I feel morally OK with playing the torrented version since I bought it full price anyway. Technically this isn't allowed as it breaches the license agreement despite having paid money for the Steam version, but fuck it.
Yes, actually. If I am to stick to my principles it's basically the only options left really. That and older games that never needed Steam in the first place like Deus Ex and the Quake series.
Having said that, it's not like it's a bad thing. AAA games these days are too focused on cinematic experiences and QTEs and DLCs and all that crap. On GOG I can get Arma 2, Alan Wake and many other decent but modern games if I wish.
It's not like you NEED these games in their first place - they're just entertainment, which means that it's far easier to walk away if you don't like how things are, compared to say if you hate Microsoft and/or Windows but still need to deal with them for reasons of the software to do your job to pay the bills. With games, you can be fussy and reject dickheads... well, in theory anyway. In practice people enjoy abuse and hence EA is still all-powerful.
More specifically for game DRM, the vendors want to ensure you're locked into their platform when you buy games from them, and DRM enforces this. I don't use Origin, Uplay or even Steam anymore, because (for the most part) anything you buy on a platform requires a client to validate your eligibility every time you try to run a game. You're locked into that ecosystem the vendor has provided. If you decide that Valve are being dicks for whatever reason and you don't want to deal with them anymore, you can't just take what you've bought and leave Steam, since most Steam games require authentication from the Steam client in order to launch. You're stuck with them unless you find a suitable crack, which isn't something that should be necessary. EA/Valve/Ubisoft know this, which is why they have no incentive to remove the DRM on their respective clients.
I know in Steam there are a handful of completely DRM-free games in which you could separate from Steam itself if you wanted to, but they're also an extremely small subset of everything on the platform and aren't advertised anywhere in the game's store page of this being possible. It's ultimately easier to just assume all games on Steam utilize its DRM, and so you're still tied to it.