28th September 2005, 8:42 PM
Oh, OH! That's what this is. Basically, single player games you have to pay a monthly fee for.
Hmm...
Unless it is absolutely needed to maintain a monthly fee and use online access for something, I would prefer it if it was not required.
By the same token, I have a problem with anything that expires more quickly by DESIGN just to get me to have to artificially continue to pay for something that should work forever. For example, those old DIVX players.
I also take issue with companies that cripple computer hardware in a purely artificial way, like just the software "locking out" certain parts of the hardware. For example, when ATI was making cheaper versions of their video cards that were exactly the same except the driver was programmed to run it worse by doing things like closing pipes off.
Basically, I consider pretty much all of that disingenuous.
But this is a bit different. It's more or less a rental service if you ask me, only instead of snail mail, it's pretty much right there. However, it's still a rental service in my eyes. It has about as much interest to me as the Sega channel. Oh wait, did I point out the fact that this isn't entirely original? Sorry.
Anyway, no thanks. I'm all for downloading games instead of going to the store, but once I download it, I want to own.
Hmm...
Unless it is absolutely needed to maintain a monthly fee and use online access for something, I would prefer it if it was not required.
By the same token, I have a problem with anything that expires more quickly by DESIGN just to get me to have to artificially continue to pay for something that should work forever. For example, those old DIVX players.
I also take issue with companies that cripple computer hardware in a purely artificial way, like just the software "locking out" certain parts of the hardware. For example, when ATI was making cheaper versions of their video cards that were exactly the same except the driver was programmed to run it worse by doing things like closing pipes off.
Basically, I consider pretty much all of that disingenuous.
But this is a bit different. It's more or less a rental service if you ask me, only instead of snail mail, it's pretty much right there. However, it's still a rental service in my eyes. It has about as much interest to me as the Sega channel. Oh wait, did I point out the fact that this isn't entirely original? Sorry.
Anyway, no thanks. I'm all for downloading games instead of going to the store, but once I download it, I want to own.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)