360 vs PS3 as future retro platforms...

[o.pwuaioc]

Yes, my point is that the place to buy DLC might not exist in the future.

this baffles me though. Yes, in the future -- who knows when -- a retailer may shut down. Do you buy books? You shouldn't. All the bookstores might shut down someday.

Books are just a bit more durable, dontcha think?

[noiseredux]

*Near future. In other words, a few years after the next generation takes over.

And your book analogy doesn't work, because I can still buy the book I want after the store shuts down. You can't do that with DLC because of DRM.

my point is you have no idea if/when PSN or any other service will shut down. You have no idea if bookstores will. You have no idea if those same games on PSN will be available on another service, just like you will still be able to get books elsewhere even if the bookstore closes down.

[noiseredux]

Books are just a bit more durable, dontcha think?

of course I do, I'm just trying to make the analogy of PRODUCT and RETAILER simple to follow.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Doesn't PC own compared to both PS3 and 360 when it comes to multiplatform games? Are there any examples otherwise?

PC does own in graphics, but some games are absolutely terrible on PC. Test Drive Unlimited, and all the XBLA games making there way over are good examples. No graphics or control settings? It's like they don't even know how PC gaming should work.

[fastbilly1]

Doesn't PC own compared to both PS3 and 360 when it comes to multiplatform games? Are there any examples otherwise?

PC does own in graphics, but some games are absolutely terrible on PC. Test Drive Unlimited, and all the XBLA games making there way over are good examples. No graphics or control settings? It's like they don't even know how PC gaming should work.

Like Ryan said, many games are created for consoles and just get poor pc ports. Bioshock, on launch, was one of the worst offenders - for widescreen they just cut the top and bottom out of the screen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Biosh ... screen.jpg

[BoringSupreez]

Doesn't PC own compared to both PS3 and 360 when it comes to multiplatform games? Are there any examples otherwise?

PC does own in graphics, but some games are absolutely terrible on PC. Test Drive Unlimited, and all the XBLA games making there way over are good examples. No graphics or control settings? It's like they don't even know how PC gaming should work.

Like Ryan said, many games are created for consoles and just get poor pc ports. Bioshock, on launch, was one of the worst offenders - for widescreen they just cut the top and bottom out of the screen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Biosh ... screen.jpg

They fixed that later, right? For lack of a better word, that method of widescreen is retarded.

[Purkeynator]

*Near future. In other words, a few years after the next generation takes over.

And your book analogy doesn't work, because I can still buy the book I want after the store shuts down. You can't do that with DLC because of DRM.

my point is you have no idea if/when PSN or any other service will shut down. You have no idea if bookstores will. You have no idea if those same games on PSN will be available on another service, just like you will still be able to get books elsewhere even if the bookstore closes down.

I think his point is that at some point down the road your hard drive will die. And if the online store is not up you won't be able to re-download your games to a new console/hard drive. Sort of like now if you upgrade your Xbox 360 to a new one with bigger hard drive you can still log in to your account and re-download your purchased content. Of course there is always the transfer cable but if you old hard drive died then that wouldn't be possible for you. This was never a problem in dealing with discs and cartridges since they would play on any new system you bought.

[noiseredux]

I think his point is that at some point down the road your hard drive will die. And if the online store is not up you won't be able to re-download your games to a new console/hard drive. Sort of like now if you upgrade your Xbox 360 to a new one with bigger hard drive you can still log in to your account and re-download your purchased content. Of course there is always the transfer cable but if you old hard drive died then that wouldn't be possible for you. This was never a problem in dealing with discs and cartridges since they would play on any new system you bought.

but just to continue my analogy -- somewhere down the road the pages of the books he bought could fall out. Not everything you buy lasts forever, y'know?

[DinnerX]

Anyone can sell a physical object. They don't even need a store. Even if all the bookstores in the world closed today, people would still be selling and buying books.

Even if the game is rereleased the PSN version will still be gone.

Yes everything decays. But DLC has intentionally accelerated decay with restrictions preventing us from doing much of anything to preserve it.

[The Last Horseman]

360 will be like the Xbox now. Quickly forgotten, the gems few and far between, and what is wanted being hard to get or expensive. I'm seeing stuff like the shmups, and certain multiplatform games (Bayonetta, others) being largely wanted. Niche console. I'll happily keep mine till it craps out. (If I remember right, Windows 8 is rumored to have Xbox 360 game compatability, which could lead me to become even more interested...)