Topic: DRM

Right that's it - I'm absolutely sick of it now. Does anyone else feel like their digital downloads and media doesn't belong to them? I'm spending good money on products only to find they're limited to the system I buy them on.

There seems to be too much support for this on the internet with people saying to just "deal with it" and "you only licence the use, you don't own it". Well that's just wrong and I wish more people would stand up to it. If we are just being licensed for the use of it then we are being completely ripped off.

For example, games that I download for use on this PC are sometimes locked to this PC. The problem is I'm planning on buying a new PC in the near future - these things don't last forever. It means I'd have to buy all these games again - it's just encouraging me to get pirated versions and emulations as I know I can keep them forever and move them around systems.

Then there's the Virtual Console and WiiWare - I don't think the restrictions on these are too bad for the moment but I can see it become a big problem eventually. There's always the problem that your Wii can break or get stolen and you'll be unable to back up your games and transfer them to a new Wii - we should have that right. There's also the question of what will happen when Nintendo launch their Wii follow up.

Now I know these companies need to make money but they're clinging on to old fashioned business models that require physical distribution from a time when copying such data was much more difficult. Times have changed and these companies are so far behind - the internet, file sharing and multi-platform digital storage is progress, a great convenience and benefit to people's lives. To try and restrict this is not only trying to halt progress, it's also an act of futility.

You make good points, though there's nothing anyone can really do about it. DRM has been around for years, and they aren't going to get rid of it now just because it's annoying some people. They'd rather risk losing a few paying customers that allow thousands to freely pirate their products.

Regarding PC gaming: buy through Steam, or another service that allows you to download your games to as many computers over time as you want. There, you DO own the game.

Regarding the Wii: if your Wii breaks, you do get your VC/Wiiware downloads back. You just need to send it in to Nintendo. And to address your other concern, if your Wii gets stolen with downloaded games on it, isn't that similar to just having your retail games stolen? Why would Nintendo or anyone else have to replace your games in that case? The concern isn't "What will Nintendo do for me if I get my Wii stolen?" It's, "Since it's my responsibility to prevent other people from stealing the things that I own, I'd better be careful with them."

Don't buy games with ridiculous DRM. Whatever you might think, there isn't a thing we need that has DRM in place. There are a million games out there, many cheap, many free, most without DRM. You have choices, so there's no reason to be upset. When enough people learn simply to avoid companies that put their profits ahead of customer satisfaction, those companies will be forced to change.

VC/WW is fine as it is. It is yours in every way possible. Everything I purchase, I make sure it is mine absolutely. On a related note, this is why I no longer buy online-only games or games that focus on connectivity. Relying on a company's servers and the availability of other players, not to mention the company's ability to alter the game at whim, means the product isn't completely mine, which often leads to disappointment.

Well that's the thing - I'm not talking about Nintendo replacing the games if they get stolen, I'm talking about backing them up in case that happens. With games I own I can keep them stored away securely but the Wii is always under the TV. You can back your games up onto an SD card and store that away too - but if the Wii gets stolen you still can't play them as they're signed to just that machine and are as good as useless when you buy a replacement Wii.

But then that's not the point either. The point is we have this amazing technology these days - we have the convenience to keep masses of media that takes up very little physical space. Something needs to be done so we can use this technology as it is intended without restrictions. It will happen eventually but at the moment money is the priority over very easy access to almost infinate art, media and information.

Actually, if your Wii is stolen and you still have the serial number, you can call up Nintendo and they can work out a way to allow you to redownload all of the downloadable games you bought. Because even Nintendo knows you can't stop people from breaking into your house when you're not home. Locks can be broken, windows can be smashed, dogs can be tricked or killed, security systems can be worked around. happens, and if Ninty wants you to keep spending money on them, they aren't going to let you, their customer, suffer for it.

Are you sure that applies to stolen Wiis, Mickey? I've never heard of that. If it were true, there'd be nothing to stop everyone from making that claim to copy games from friends, etc. I have probably spent more money on VC/WW than I spent buying the Wii itself. I'd very much love to let my family and friends copy the games so I don't have to bring my Wii over when we want to play Swords and Soldiers or whatever. I'm pretty sure Nintendo would not be happy about that.

Madgear, I think that is just tough luck. Things get stolen. That is a risk you take when you spend $5-10 on a game download. I really doubt most people keep their retail games locked away when not in use, anyway. And if you meant storage via copying them, well, Nintendo doesn't intend for that to be possible either, so I'm sure there'd be some homebrewed way to do the same with VC/WW.

Yeah, I know of someone whose stuff was stolen, including his Wii, and that's what he did to get his downloads back.

Yeah, Steam has a nice and big community with a thread that lists all of the games that have some sort of extra DRM on it. Oh, and avoid all Ubisoft titles (new ones).

The one annoying thing about Steam is that all the games are attached to your account, so you can't disown a game, and you can't install a game on multiple computers. So if my bro wants to play Team Fortress 2, he has to play on my account, and we can't play at the same time. This caused so many problems for us that I just ended up giving up on it and handing it over to him, and once he got sick of it, I had to delete all of his friends and find out what he changed the account name to so I could log back in again.

I'd imagine he'd'a had to supply a police report or something like that in order to prove his Wii had actually been stolen...?

DRM sucks.Full stop. Its an awful way of tackling piracy and just angers the customer.BUT......... as @Adam said ,if people boycott games with restrictive DRM then it will soon go away.Unfortunately a lot of people who complain about DRM still go ahead and buy more software with the same 'protection' so ,ya know, publishers will continue with it. I'm quite happy with Nintendo's policy regarding downloads if only they were a bit more flexible with transferring DSi ware etc it'd be fine for me.

Not necessarily, I doubt enough people think to call about this just to copy their games to their friends system (at that point, why not just homebrew?). It's probably worth it to Ninty to let a couple of people who are smart enough cheat the system to keep other loyal customers satisfied.

Homebrew is not without risks given that Nintendo is trying to put a stop to it with each firmware update and even bricked many that were homebrewed with one update, if I recall correctly. Plus, I imagine it'd take more effort and know how. I don't know anything about homebrew, but as attractive as it is, I am much, much too worried about the many legitimately downloaded games to try it. Lying about theft though... If I cared enough to get my games onto another system (which I don't, though it'd be nice), that would seem the easiest, if not quickest, way to get it done.

i doubt it, otherwise we'd hear more about it happening because people would attempt to cheat the system all the time. i've heard of companies providing guarantees and/or replacing things for consumers if you provide them a police report that the original was stolen, however, and i'd imagine if he'd had his place broken into and more than his Wii stolen, he'd'a gone through and filed one.

It's all a matter of whether or not the distributor can license you to use the games all you want. For example, iTunes only allows one download for a song, etc. because it would be much more expensive to allow multiple downloads

Correct. Getting upset solves nothing. Getting frugal does.

To me, DRM only makes sense if you're playing a downloadable game that specifically focuses on multiplayer (like the upcoming Blacklight: Tango Down). Other than that, it makes absolutely no sense at all to add DRM to a game.