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Is downloadable games still a possibility for next gen?

S

seismologist

Banned
After using HD Loader, I'm starting to feel spoiled. Being able to access all my games from the menu is so convenient and
Swapping disks seems so primitive. If we have to go back to that method next gen it'll feel like a step backwards.

You guys think downloadable games is still a possibility?
 
W

Wario64

works for Gamestop (lol)
Possibility? Probably. Will they do it, I hope the fuck not. We don't need a Divx game console
 
W

Wario64

works for Gamestop (lol)
Well I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to push some wack-ass subscription fee, like paying monthly to keep a game or charging a fee based on per play or some crap. Being able to download games seems too risky since I'm sure someone will find a way to get the games for free... I don't know. I'm pretty sure there's some security issues around downloading games though. Also, you wouldn't be able to carry the games with you to a friend's house or something unless you bring the whole console with you
 
S

StrikerObi

Member
seismologist said:
What do you mean DIVX game console? I just want to be able to download my games onto the HD and be done with it.
Click to expand...

He means DIVX the DVD ripoff format, not the video codec.

DIVX != DivX
 
I

impirius

Member
MS is about to do it this generation with Xbox Live Arcade, so I guess they'll use that to gauge interest. I'd love to see smaller games offered as downloads; it could help small developers by distributing games that otherwise might not have made it to store shelves. For the 'main' releases, however, physical copies are the way to go. They're portable, easy to resell or trade, and collectible.
 
S

sprsk

force push the doodoo rock
id say its very impossible, and anyone who is banking on it will fail miserably.
 
A

Asskicker064

Member
I think he means putting the game on the HD so you no longer need the CD. He just wants to be able to rip his games, not download the thing from a server.
 
S

seismologist

Banned
sp0rsk said:
id say its very impossible, and anyone who is banking on it will fail miserably.
Click to expand...


downloading it wouldn't be the only way to get games since not that many people have broadband. They could still sell the disks in the store.
 
S

Squeak

Member
Wario64 said:
Well I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to push some wack-ass subscription fee, like paying monthly to keep a game or charging a fee based on per play or some crap. Being able to download games seems too risky since I'm sure someone will find a way to get the games for free... I don't know. I'm pretty sure there's some security issues around downloading games though. Also, you wouldn't be able to carry the games with you to a friend's house or something unless you bring the whole console with you
Click to expand...
Say hello to Blu-ray.
 
S

shuri

Banned
I'm all for downloading games to hard drive. here's my 10 step concept:

1- You go to real store or you go to an online retailer.
2- You select the game you want. You pay 40$ or whatever
3- You get a serial code.
4- You boot your xboxnext. Go do "add game", you type the code you got from the store
5- The Microsoft Game Server receives your game serial code. IT ties the that serial to the serial number of your xbox
6- It downloads your game at 500k/s.
7- You wait 2 hour to download the 4.5gb iso image of the game
8- The game is downloaded to the hard drive. It auto-installs itself
9- The game is auto-added to your menu. The game is also added to your online xbox live profile
10- Play

a) If you decide to delete the game/your hd dies, you can still redownload it, since the serial code is tied to your serial
b) if your xbox dies, you can change that information by calling Microsoft or by re-updating your xbl infos by relogging. Once Microsoft detects the new xbox serial code, the server updates his informations.

To prevent piracy and people borrowing accounts to download the games, when you start a game, the xbox sends an auth req to the xbl servers, to authentificate the serial numbers

I rox!
 
S

swoon

Member
no one would want to go to a store and then wait 2 hours for a game to download, really. if they wanted to do that, they could just streamline it so the whole process is on the 'net
 
S

skip

Member
shuri said:
I'm all for downloading games to hard drive. here's my 10 step concept:

1- You go to real store or you go to an online retailer.
2- You select the game you want. You pay 40$ or whatever
3- You get a serial code.
4- You boot your xboxnext. Go do "add game", you type the code you got from the store
5- The Microsoft Game Server receives your game serial code. IT ties the that serial to the serial number of your xbox
6- It downloads your game at 500k/s.
7- You wait 2 hour to download the 4.5gb iso image of the game
8- The game is downloaded to the hard drive. It auto-installs itself
9- The game is auto-added to your menu. The game is also added to your online xbox live profile
10- Play

a) If you decide to delete the game/your hd dies, you can still redownload it, since the serial code is tied to your serial
b) if your xbox dies, you can change that information by calling Microsoft or by re-updating your xbl infos by relogging. Once Microsoft detects the new xbox serial code, the server updates his informations.

To prevent piracy and people borrowing accounts to download the games, when you start a game, the xbox sends an auth req to the xbl servers, to authentificate the serial numbers

I rox!
Click to expand...

all of that seems like quite the hassle as opposed to

1. go to the real store
2. buy the real disc
3. go home and put it in (or install yourself)
4. play

not sure why anyone would go through the trouble. people like boxes.
 
S

skip

Member
ok...

I think for companies to bother with establishing and maintaining a download model like that, a lot of people would have to a) share the same sentiments about using menus instead of swapping discs, and b) give up going to stores and physically owning the game. I don't see that happening. it's a nice thing to have for the 'core, but things like HDLoader don't seem to be mass-market.
 
S

Squeak

Member
The problem with harddrives is their relative fragility, and their finite size.
Removable and recordable media, like Blu-ray have all the benefits of a harddrive except for speed (which won't be much of a problem once they become faster, and better compression is used), and none of the drawbacks.
I picture the future of game buying like this:
Dedicated game shops won't exist anymore, except maybe retro and second hand shops.
You can choose to download games directly onto a blank disc, if you have a broadband connection. Or you can get your games from vending machines, with the most popular titles preburned in a physical buffer to shorten waiting time for the buyer. Blank discs can also be bought from these vending machines.
This distribution scheme would lower the overall cost of distributing games. Thereby, a) making games cheaper, b) making it less risky to put out different and innovative games.

Porthos said:
??? Could somebody explain this? I thought Blu-ray was just a HD-DVD format? What does this have to do with this topic?
Click to expand...
Blu-ray is not a kind of DVD format, in fact the DVD forum is against Blu-ray, and are pushing HD-DVD intead.
Most likely all Blu-ray drives will be write enabled, although Blu-ray ROMs will also exist.
Some weeks ago Sony had a press release about a Blu-ray ROM made partially of paper, making it very cheap and disposable.
 
S

seismologist

Banned
I think hardrives are the way of the future. Once HD Tivo becomes mainstream people will be able to download DVD quality movies off Pay Per View and store them on the HD.

You should be able to do the same thing with videogames.
 
Phoenix

Phoenix

Member
So long as there is a network adapter, a programmable ROM, and SAMBA mounts YES. If people were so inclined (and the network adapter was fast enough) an entire game could be streamed off a LAN pretty easily. You'd need at least a 100 BaseT network, but it is most certainly doable.
 
H

hobbitx

Member
I don't know about whole games, (I love the purdy cases :p) but I'd love it if they used hard drives to push downloadable demos next gen, hell maybe this gen. It would make my day if I booted up my console and went to menu mode, then got an alert telling me about the newest demos out.
 
N

Nikashi

Banned
Isn't this happening THIS gen (albeit on a small scale) with Xbox Live Arcade? Downloadable arcade games and such.
 
Phoenix

Phoenix

Member
trippingmartian said:
So far it seems that Valve is the only company that is prepared to do this kind of thing.
Click to expand...


That mostly has to do with the new psychology of the gaming industry. Game companies don't really make technology any more, they are all focussed on the whole concept of using middleware to solve all their problems. Sometimes that works, othertimes they get burned and end up writing whole chunks of the middleware or being stuck by its limitations.
 
B

boo7z

Member
Streaming media is the future...movies, games, whatever. Less distribution costs, plus with all the copyright infridgement and such it will be easier for the owners to put pressure on the gov't

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!!!
 
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