Heyos Everyones!
Another update in the same month? The Vesperia review actually went up? I’d have to say, I’m more active now that I actually thought I would be. But, what can I say? It feels like the wheels of fate have begun turning again, after a 6 month hiatus. Things have finally perked up for me again, and I’m super excited to see what the rest of the year will bring on. I plan on going to Saboten Con, a convention located in Arizona that is actually pretty close to me, and school will begin next month, resulting in a busy schedule that I am actually looking forward to.
Now, I named this based on what I have to say next. I’ve been hearing talk about what people think of newer consoles and what the future holds for gaming. As an owner of a PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii, I feel like I’ve spent quite some time in this current generation. However, with the changes that have been happening recently, regarding internet censorship, excessive DRM, and other poor selfish measures taken by companies to protect copyright, I can’t say I want newer systems to come out just yet. Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to my consoles, they’re all connected to the internet and I’m generally logged in while I play. However, that doesn’t mean I’ll always be online while playing games. I’m hoping that Microsoft and Sony will actually avoid using measures to prevent people from playing games they have purchased. It’s hard to tell where the line is nowadays, with so many laws changing and people getting screwed out of games they paid money for. For example, on-disc DLC pisses me off to no end, and I can’t advocate paying for content on a disc that I already paid for. I’m fine with adding content to a game via online stores, whether or not that may encourage companies to put less effort toward post game and fun content that players may unlock in game, but don’t charge for content that should have come with the game in the first place, proven by the fact it’s on the disc!
In addition to that, if newer consoles are released, backwards compatibility must be added to the system, along with the transfer of content purchased on the previous system. I don’t want to buy a PlayStation 4 just to find out my previous games won’t work for the system, and my digital content is going to be lost once the PS3 is no longer supported by Sony. This is really a fear due to the lack of physical property in today’s gaming world. Sure, there are still disc-based games, but everything is moving toward digital releases. What’s going to happen when that digital software is no longer supported by the publisher? I fear it may be lost forever.
Of course, that’s not to say physical copies are forever. There’s always downsides to physical copies. However, physical copies give consumers the feeling of owning something. It’s a successful feeling that will probably be lost someday in the digital transition. But, I know I’m not alone in this regard; premium copies of games released nowadays contain physical “gifts” that push consumers to purchase said product, and with the success of many collectors and premium editions, I know there is a calling for physical property.
Well, most of what I said above is probably gibberish, and hard to understand. However, what I wrote above has been formulating in my head for some time, and I really needed to find some way to stop thinking about it. Anyways, I’m working on some other stuff for the site, so look for it in the near future!
-Ace