Regional Digital Distribution

[Dogg Thang]

There's an interesting phenomenon that I've seen on the Apple App Store, which has to be one of the biggest of the digital distributors at the moment - dying unsupported games.

It happens for two reasons (maybe more). Firstly, on the iPhone and iPod Touch, iPad etc, every time Apple updates the firmware, the rules change. Some apps break completely. It is then up to the devs to 'fix' their games that the firmware broke. But that doesn't always happen. Similarly, you could have a device that the new firmware doesn't support, leaving you with games updating out of your OS basically. Either way, games you've bought are well and truly fecked. A similar scenario happened with one of the PSP Wipeouts, where a firmware update broke one of them (think it was Pure).

The other reason is a company going bust. There's a game, Sword & Poker, that apparently is very good (I haven't played it, I don't know). Seemingly it was listed on the App Store for ages but was unable to be purchased. Eventually it vanished. And, yep, turned out the company had gone bust. So like the above scenario, that game will never be updated, so it's now at the mercy of Apple's updates. But, more than that, the game is completely pulled from the Store - so, even if you've bought it and you lose the file for any reason, you can never get it again. People have been unable to redownload it.

So, even having bought your game, your purchase is very fragile and at the mercy of forces beyond your control. Unlike your dusty Megadrive and games, which still work and will work even if Sega closes its doors today.

[Family Fry]

I don't know why people are fearing the worst when it comes to losing content, big businesses would take a large hit if people who paid have to either pay again or lose content completely on home consoles.
MS let you transfer your gamertag from Xbox to Xbox 360 and the content you bought from Xbox, whilst xbox live V1 was still up and running, I wouldn't see that being any different next gen especially with all the gamerscore whores too, would be outrage if it reset to 0.
Same goes for Sony, since PSN is fully fledged and running well across PS3 & PSP I reckon it will be fine the transition to PS4/PSP2. Nintendo are taking steps in right direction with 3DS, was surprised you could transfer your content from your DSi to 3DS as Wii stuff is tied to the console.
It's been 6 years since I registered HL2 Collectors Edition on steam, I got a new PC, downloaded steam and I had access to all my content 6 years later, pretty simple if you ask me.
I think as Digital Distribution becomes a way forward for more companies they will HAVE to keep your old downloads alive as it is bad for reputation and business taking away these features.
Then again maybe the companies will think owners will keep their 360/ps3's/wii and just play the old games on old systems.
The only thing I fear with DD is pricing models being locked at higher prices.

[EvilBoris]

I noticed that the film downloads on Xbox Zune marketplace state that they are only available til 2016. Never seen that for anything else though

[STAPLES]

For me, the pricing for downloaded content is also a big issue. I can sort of understand the big prices for retail games when all the physical aspect is taken into consideration meaning the discs, packaging etc. But with downloaded content, all that is taken out of the equation yet we find prices are still pretty high. I mean if in the future, the physical games are disbanded and downloading full games is the norm, I will be expecting not to be paying any where near the ?40 odd mark for games. If they want to get products to gamers via DL, and yet charge the retail style prices, they can f*ck off.

[Lyris]

my problem is with digital distribution is simple...there will come a day when stuff is taken of servers to make room or that servers are shutdown and so stuff will not be available

Quite right.

So, anyone want to play a game of Phantasy Star Online?

[eastyy]

...was so glad i didnt get that tabula rasa game

[Family Fry]

So now we are using subscription based MMO failures to push forward opinions and worries about DD, nice.

[Lyris]

And just why not? The point is the same. If it's not profitable to keep the server space, it'll get wiped into history.

Even if the game wasn't a failure, hell, even if it was a huge success, that is the case. Want to play Halo 2 online?

[Family Fry]

Well the point I feel is subscription based MMO's were not in the same league as DD content/games that is provided from a subscription based services like Xbox Live or PS+
A MMO lives or dies by it's numbers, people don't buy the game and pay the subcription the game dies OR if it's free and not enough people play it still dies.
Hell even now EA's shareholders are having a sweats over the new BioWare Star Wars MMO, that market is scary stuff. I can see the point but surely server/staffing cost for maintaining Games & DLC would be far lower than the entire running of an MMO.
Do I want to play Halo 2 online? Na not really, I played it for 3+ years online and pretty much as soon as Halo 3 came out it was dropped like a bag of old ****e, I gave it a massive wave goodbye in April 2010 and moved on.
I had my fun with it and it's gone really aint nothing I can do about that, or really want to.
Although if I really am desperate (which I never have been since Halo 3/Halo Reach) I will whip out PC version and play that online.

[Neon Ignition]

As far as digital distribution is concerned as time goes on I'm becoming less and less concerned about the ramifications as it gets clear that it's less and less likely to occur in the manner some gamers seem to think it will. Will the next gen systems allow us to carry over ID tags and some data? Probably. Will they allow us to carry over downloaded games? Probably not. Will be lose entire titles due to the lack of hard copies? Certainly. Sure they could let you redownload that copy of Briad next gen... or as Nintendo's shown, they could add a little negatable sparkle and recharge you.

Prices will eventually fall as someone will take the common sense approach at some point and reap the rewards (it's amazing they're being so thick at the moment with it) but it won't be every game. The next generation of systems will be physical media based and so will the one after that and by then there'll no doubt be some new buzz word being lauded as the 'next big thing'. We are so far from digital distribution being the core of this business it's not even funny so the need for gettign worked up about it isn't worth it.

As for region locking the content, it's annoying and seems a little unnecessary for digital outlets though there's inevitably a work around and it's something that's only used by a tiny fraction of gamers so I can see how the added security would be worth more to the manufacturers than a handful of moaning forumites. Those desperate enough will import which, ultimately, was the original point of this site.

[Sketcz]

Phil Harrison in some recent keynote speech said we're heading for a time where in the next generation triple-A titles like the next Call of Duty will be a browser game. Big feature on his speech in gamesTM - we're apparently heading for a download only era.

Which again, is why I would simply opt out of the next gen.

Also, it's worth stating that several DD games have been taken down, making them unavailable for the rest of eternity (Outrun on PSN for example).

[JamesS]

MS let you transfer your gamertag from Xbox to Xbox 360 and the content you bought from Xbox, whilst xbox live V1 was still up and running, I wouldn't see that being any different next gen especially with all the gamerscore whores too, would be outrage if it reset to 0.

You could only transfer some content, surely? I couldn't carry over my Xbox 1 arcade games, and presumably I can no longer download them on the Xbox either.

[rmoxon]

An excellent topic, with an excellent complaint. Arada392 has my vote for Prime Minister.

For the record, I have complained about this with the DSi, but few seemed to care so I couldn't be bothered any more.

Region locking is the reason I have never bought a 360, and it's the reason I won't buy a 3DS. A long time ago I had the energy to fight and complain and pay huge sums to have all my hardware modded with crude Russian circuitry to circumvent corporate control. But eventually a battle of sheer attrition breaks you.

I can't be arsed any more. If after suffering from the 8-bit days with regional control people are still not rising up, continuously trying to rally them seems pointless. I'll just choose not to buy the hardware.

This is my last generation in the games industry. From the next, I will exclusively be Mr Retro, with my outdated PS3, PSP and original DS slim, all region free.

PM me when you've assassinated the Tsar (Miyamoto), Arada392, and then together we can break the chains of oppression that shackle our fellow workers (gamers), and the region-free revolution can begin.

Region locking is the reason you never bought a 360?

What is the PS3 the only home console you have ever owned then along with some handhelds?

Sounds a bit extream.

[sj33]

^I guess this is also the first generation where it's been relatively non-trivial to make a console region free. Any modification to your 360 will render it unusable online (at least in the last generation of consoles, you could simply disable the modchip).

[Brad]

Region locking is the reason you never bought a 360?

What is the PS3 the only home console you have ever owned then along with some handhelds?

Sounds a bit extream.

You neglected to read the next sentence where he described how he used to have time etc.