Or that buy games used, or like to take them to a friend's house without having to go through all the bullshit that is installing them on their machine, or don't want draconian DRM forcing them to install every fucking game onto a hard drive, or don't want to be forced to keep their machines online so that Microsoft can keep tabs on you, or...
I'll admit, I've bought used games for current generation systems from time to time when there was a deal. Though, it's not as if both Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo don't already offer up sales on digital downloads (I picked up the digital download of Little Inferno for my Wii U after it had 2 price drops). Heck, I already own Guardian Heroes on the Saturn and played it to death, but I just bought it again this week because it's only $2 on Xbox Live. Maybe it's simply my age showing, though, I can't recall the last time I took a game to a friend's house. Most of my friends that are still into gaming that I grew up with live all across the country, and again, I'll admit, I've actually mailed out discs before to some of them to borrow. As for installing games, don't current PS3 owners do this already (I don't personally have one, though, I recall reading that don't most games have an install)?
Trust me, these days, Microsoft possibly keeping tabs on you is the least of your worries, when your friend the NSA is already everywhere with gag orders (previously) in place to where even when asked directly, companies like Google, Apple, Yahoo and Microsoft included had to up and bold face lie about if they had handed over or given access to any information.
I couldn't care less about "sharing" downloaded games. It wasn't an option before, and it doesn't offend me that it still isn't. I'd rather NOT lose existing features/options than gain new ones.
Again, I don't doubt I'm in the minority here, though, I was fully prepared to jump headfirst into going all digital for the next console generation, not owning a single disc (probably where most PC gamers already are). Their game sharing plan reminded me of when iTunes 1.0 launched. Everyone in the company I worked at at the time went insane over it, in a fun way. Now, I haven't used iTunes in probably 10 years, so these features may be long gone, but when it launched, your iTunes library doubled as a radio station. Everyone in the company had iTunes installed, and had what they purchased in their iTunes library (and I went the extra mile and took lugged my work PC home to rip every CD in my substantial collection over the course of a weekend) So, when everyone booted up iTunes, you could see everyone else on the network that had their iTunes open, and you could listen to their entire iTunes library across the network. I always left my work computer on, so people could basically pull anything I owned and listen to it while in the office or away from the office (we had our network setup for remote access).
Yea, Apple had DRM all over everything you bought from iTunes, and even at the time, it could only be played on an iPod, but it was an innovative way to look at how to distribute and experience music, and quite a few people ditched their Sony Walkman's for an Apple iPod.
For me, I saw this as being the exact same thing, and that's why I was excited, with all of my friends, with all of us having our always online and available game libraries for lending. In my opinion, Microsoft was attempting to pull an Apple iTunes 1.0-esque business model for games, with Internet sharing and all, and again, Sony was simply promoting business as usual, pumping out discs, the same way they wanted you to stick to CD's to sell you Walkmans, I'm sure they want you to continue buying BluRays, as they do own many of the manufacturing facilities, here in the US and abroad, simply Google "Sony DADC".
Maybe it's agan just me showing my age and being a crotchety old man, though, I'm willing to give up "options" to gain new ones. As the Dead Kennedys put it, give me convenience or give me death
I mean, my MP3s arguably didn't sound anywhere as nice as my vinyl, though, it's much easier for me to lug around my music collection on my phone than it is to break my back trying to haul record crates around, and I couldn't imagine trying to play a vinyl in my car, that would downright be horrid
Though, maybe Microsoft will find a happy medium like the music industry eventually did. These days, many labels throw in a MP3 download code with my vinyl. Heck, the Epitaph label throws in an emailed MP3 download code, along with a CD in a paper sleeve packaged inside the vinyl itself. The movie industry seems to be doing these days as well, throwing in a BluRay, DVD and a UltraViolet download code. So, maybe eventually they'll give those of us that want to go all digital with lending options in place the option of doing so.
Now, what I find humorous at the end of the day when it's all said and done is this:
http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/19/4444450/steam-could-allow-for-game-sharing-between-friends-in-the-futureBasically, Steam looks to be heading down the same game sharing path that the XO was pushing as one of its features. I'll be curious to see what the response is to that when it launches.
