"Can have"? Name me one upside

Pirates get more work to do.

You're on a roll Wheels! LOL

Well maybe not "always online" but if they give you a product code with the game disk and force you to connect to play then they're almost certainly going to allow you to "keep" the game across multiple platforms. If done right DRM that did something similar to that could potentially allow you to have the game on multiple consoles without the panicking about people gaming the system.

Can do that with unified accounts but if you did it that way you could also move games across from retail versions with codes and whatever. If they had a "check out" system or something they could do that and prevent people exploiting it by sharing accounts across multiple users.

That could work. Speaking of which they could try implementing a time based random code generator. I know my dad has one for any projects he does for Royal Bank. It's a code that has a randomly generated section for each part of the password affected by different aspects of the date and time. They could generate the code at point of sale and have you enter it into your account online to verify it.

I dont have a single Steam game that I cannot play offline (after registration), with services like Steam I see only advantages for the user, if you dont want to be online just activate the disconnected mode.

@Mandoble Steam is a great platform. I accept DRM that is used to stop piracy when it doesn't interfere or limit what the user can do. (I still don't agree with it entirely but I accept it).
I also find iTunes' DRM acceptable (as it's account based. The only thing I find annoying about iTunes' DRM is that you need to authorise the computer you are using (Up to 5 but you can de-authorise) and you can only sync your device to one library. (there are workarounds though.)

At present I'm not happy about Nintendo's DRM use.
I wish games we downloaded were linked to an account (Club Nintendo for example) rather than the system itself.

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OK, that's great. However, two problems:

1. Games that require always online ALREADY EXIST. You having a few games that don't require it doesn't negate the fact that publishers are implementing these DRM schemes right now.
2. You still had to activate those games. What happens in 5, 10, 20 years when the serves required for activating your game go offline? No game for you.

The second part is my real problem with DRM (thus, by extension, that includes the first part). I like to play my old games, and I worry that there are a whole slew of games released in the last 5 or so years that literally will not be playable in the future because we can no longer activate them. The instant that activation server goes offline, your game instantly becomes a pretty coaster.

The same problem comes with services such as Steam. I can't see Valve going out of business any time soon, but you never know. Some of the games you have already downloaded may work, but say goodbye to those in your library that you didn't have a local copy of.

Even if all DRM stopped today, "retro" gamers in 20 years time (well, PC ones at least) are going to have a hard time of it. They won't just be able to pop in a disc, install the game and off they go.

EDIT: I should add that there have been many promises from developers and publishers to remove the DRM at some unspecified point in time. However, Dead Space still requires an online check, as do the Bioshock games, even though they were promised to have it patched out.

This is already a huge problem, and there needs to be pressure from consumers to tell publishers that it's not OK. I think once this sort of DRM reaches consoles, it'll be game over.

You only have to activate the game once...anyways, there are problems with Steam, namely the fact that you can't get rid of or trade off any games you buy.

No, for something like Dead Space, it looks for the activation server every time you install it.

Those rat b******s. Most games don't and shouldn't do that, though.

Off the top of my head:

Dead Space - limited installs (although revokable through a software download, but you have to know to do it before you format your PC) and install check.
Bioshock - install check
Bioshock 2 - install check
Assassin's Creed II - server check on every game start
Diablo III - always online
Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands - server check on game start.
Mass Effect - server check on install

These are just some examples, there are plenty more. And as you can see these aren't obscure games. This is a very real, very serious problem in PC gaming.

You actually expected something different?

Is a bit of conviction too much to hope for?

Yes. Gamers have impulse control on par with heroin addicts.

The way I see it I buy an album and I expect to be able to play it on pretty much anything I have that has speakers. If I buy a movie I expect to be able to play it on anything I have that has speakers and a screen. I think both of those are fair and reasonable and any DRM that tries to stop that is, IMO, ridiculous.

Games however I don't expect that much from because when I buy a game I expect to and probably will only ever play it on the one console and maybe it's successor if there's backwards compatibility. Selling used games? Well sure but technically there's not much between the grey market and piracy when you think about it. Not much of a loss there IMO and that's something I'd actually like to see disappear.

Personally, I would prefer it if old games didn't disappear, and I can't fathom why anyone would think otherwise. One man's trash is another man's treasure, and I'd prefer to go to garage sales and used game stores to find those treasures rather than look through the trash.

Just to be clear though, do you expect to be able to play it on that console for as long into the future as you wish? Under many current DRM schemes, you won't be able to.

I can play all my games offline too, but sometimes my Steam games won't launch offline unless I sign into my account online and select Go Offline first. And if a company like EA ever feels like pulling one of their games off the Steam service--you're just out of luck. Steam is great because you get games for 75% off or more, but DRM in any shape or form is still a hassle for the user.

BTW- Humble Bundle V is here! You'll find a lot of the same great games you can get on Steam but they're DRM free so in this case you're actually paying to own something.