As a dork, I rather cherish my video games. I grew up without a gaming system until I received my Playstation 2 in middle school.
I still have that same system but have now added an Xbox 360 and an Nintendo 64 to my manifest of platforms. Being slightly low on cash and in college I can only afford to purchase used games. I first turned to GameStop, then eBay and now Craigslist for the best deal on a video game. Being able to buy used video games for a cheap price has been a great thing — when you grow tired of a game you sell it on to the next lucky individual so they can enjoy it.
Apparently the gaming industry, which in 2009 brought in $10.5 billion in revenue, is not doing as well as they wish, according to the Atlantic. New rumors have arisen that the next generation of consoles will have a built in blocker that prevents the use of used games.
This is comparable to buying computer software. The disc comes with a code that grants you only a set number of licenses and prevents you from installing it on as many computers as you want. This is essentially what video game companies want to do.
They believe stores like GameStop steal their profits.
I have some bad news for these companies — it will not work. People torrent software and computer games for free all the time without a hint of guilt in their hearts.
Rumors are rumors but these are just ridiculous.
Just a few days after the leak of information on the new Sony console, codenamed Orbis, Microsoft has let loose, indirectly, their new console. The new console, codenamed Durango, is a supercomputer on crack. It will contain two graphics processing units and a Blu-ray player. Blu-ray — a Sony creation — seems very out of place in a Microsoft product, especially since Sony is a direct competitor with Microsoft. The new system will also need to be constantly connected to the internet to work.
This is a bogus tactic to prevent piracy. As long as you are online Microsoft can monitor you, meaning no more piracy. At least that is what they are hoping.
Piracy cannot be stopped and companies like Microsoft and Sony should stop trying to play hero in ending it.
If video game companies want their success to continue, they should not release new platforms. The current top three, Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii are great consoles. There is absolutely no need for a new gaming system.
If these companies continue down this road they will destroy the video gaming industry and diminish their sales.
As for the new Nintendo console, the Wii U, critics speculate it will still not compete with the Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3. This is fine because Nintendo does not need to compete. They collect a niche of family users and female users and generate their profits off of that. According to the Atlantic, 80 percent of females who regularly play video games use the Wii as their main system.
My advice to you is do not buy the new consoles. They are all set to be released in late 2013 or early 2014 and Sony claims they will beat Microsoft to market. If you insist on having the newest toys then I suggest you do your homework and find an alternative solution or you will go broke trying to buy the new games — which I am sure will be more than the currently overpriced games for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
