Only the pirates get the best copies

They will still have more fun than someone who cannot download (or reactivate the already downloaded) game without a functioning server. Plus they could even sell it, if they wanted to. I'm digital only PC Gamer and even I understand the benefits of physical media (provided its all on disk / cart).

This is where emulation and fitgirl will pick up the slack if I want to play anything.

Ooooo, I hadn't heard about this.

Can you link to more info?

Edit: Nevermind, my lousy google-fu proved adequate.to find this one. Link for the lazy

Damn so Xbox is better about this now lmao

This wasn’t a Board decision, it’s not nearly at that level (especially for a company with $80B in revenue). This was some software engineer with an idea and a need to impress his boss.

This is contrary to my headcanon Cyberpunk capitalist-hell future where we all own nothing, and everything is a client and subscription-based, and 2018 kindles and mp3 players go for $700 both due to inflation and people finally realizing what they'd lost.

but sure, maybe, idk

On your watch.

HAHAHHA

How in the world are you this positive ? No fucking way will it be good.

If only there were some way to preserve them.

First of all, this disc rot thing isnt really true if you havent been storing them in an outdoor warehouse. That issue mostly pertains to burned discs. Optical media lasts a very very long time.

People say vhs tapes are going bad as well yet I have hundreds that were stored in a damp non climate controlled garage and they work the same as 20 years ago.

The bigger issue is the lasers in the drives. unfixable and no replacement.

The solution is SD cards, and networked play (for ps2 with ethernet )

If that fails, we have emulation forever. Get an adaptor for the og controllers and your golden.

I can fit the entire DC library on 1 SD card. Mind blowing. Truly golden age of gaming right now.

Good luck finding decently priced RAM, anything at a reasonable price used just gets picked up by scalpers and relisted at the inflated prices.

Why would they want to? What is the business model for this? How would it make them more money?

Their main development hub for this part of the platform is in my city and they list for new contract to hire or direct hire positions pretty regularly. I've been hesitant to apply ever because despite their obvious incompetence, I'm sure the interview process is a gatekeeping nightmare, and one manager I had was from there and thought he was God's gift to software despite being the creepiest, technically dull reject I've ever been managed by.

I think he was running part of Sony home when it was breached and leaked everyone's information.

This is the one reason why the Xbox 360 was THE online gaming console for a while because Sony’s servers were horrible.

Oof, that's crazy. What were they thinking?

My PS4's been collecting dust for a while, so I'm sure its firmware is out of date. Time to see what the homebrew scene is all about!

Edit: we can run Linux now? Oh this is gonna be fun

And that is why turning off automatic updates is sometimes necessary, and a must for games, consoles and mobiles. Because the anti consumer practices by corporate shitlords are far worse than a low chance of being hacked through a "security flaw".

FUCK!

Like, something beyond the usual "the currently available exploits were fixed in the latest release"? Or just that? Because the currently available exploits being fixed in the latest patch is pretty normal. Sucks, but that seems to be the arrangement they've worked out instead of Sony suing the exploit finders for letting people use their consoles the way they like. (Yeah, shit's fucked.)

-- Frost

No it was also about online check-in you just don't remember

Steam actually isn't terrible, fortunately.

I mean, it's not GREAT, it still fucks you over by requiring updates for games (it literally will not let you play a game that has an update available without updating), and I'm a bit squiffy about the offline mode and whether it'd work offline long-term, but they don't seem to be ACTIVELY malicious (with offline mode I'm more worried about it like, forgetting your login details and wanting a re-login, than i am about intentional "it's been X days since you were online, you're not allowed to play!" crap).

GOG is of course better for guaranteed offline availability. For stuff that's available on GOG. A lot of stuff isn't. But for stuff that is, GOG's pretty great.

Also, you do have to trust that Valve won't turn terrible. And they might do that as soon as GabeN dies. No way to tell. Even if they do turn hostile, though, there are apparently Steam API emulator tools that you could use to bypass Steam DRM checks (which of course does nothing for games that have e.g. Denuvo, but a lot of games on Steam just use Steam's stuff (that's probably the entire reason Steam even has DRM, is to let devs use that instead of something more invasive) and a lot of games on Steam are actually DRM-free even, but they don't tell you that in advance, it's just 'does the game launch without the Steam API working or not').

-- Frost

Buy a used PC that can run anything released up to ~2014 and you're golden.

Right. Now you have to go back and steal their internet every month.

Thanks for all the sources, very appreciate this.

As for the "expiration date", Valve made some changes a while ago. And there were misinformation, but also because Valve changed this and did not explain it well to the public. I think the 14 days limit was treated as a bug later, but can't find the source. And I know for a fact that its not 14 days, as last year in summer I had no internet for longer than a month if I am not mistaken. And some games were still functional, after 30 days. That is the Steam DRM only, so if a game has its own DRM and other checks, then that is a separate issue.

At the very latest with Steam Deck they had to do all of these changes, because using it offline for longer period of time is a totally normal thing to do on a handheld. Sadly its not very clear documented and communicated by Valve as far as I know, at least to the public for non developers.

I already researched it last year and did not come to a definitive conclusion. I only know that there were changes in recent years, that's why I cannot trust old sources. Actually someone has to do a ticket and ask Valve employee directly. Someday I do this if there is still no answer.

they’re coming for all the ROM sites.

And yet! If you HAVE to choose a major game company to do the right thing, they're the closest we're gonna get of the major players. Which is rich. I agree with you. They used to be arch villains in gaming and now, RELATIVELY speaking, look like angels.