Capcom?s controversial PlayStation Network DRM has made an unwelcome return.
A poster on the NeoGaf forum spotted that the PSN description of new release Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 reads: ?You must log-in to the PlayStation Network each time to play the game.?
While this is not quite always-on DRM ? the game only checks for a connection to PSN on boot, and will not kick players out of their session if a connection drops during play ? the move will still frustrate players whose PS3s are not always connected to the internet.
Capcom apologised last year for not making clear that similar DRM was present in Final Fight: Double Impact, which had online two-player co-op. Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 is an offline-only game, prompting suggestions that Capcom?s motivation in including its DRM is to protect against piracy.
That would be an odd move, with only a handful of PSN games prone to piracy because NPDRM ? the encryption Sony uses for PSN games ? is yet to be hacked.
And what about those who do not have an internet connection? This sort of DRM would discriminate against the poorer owners. Now before we get a kid who doesnt know the value of a dollar in here, second-hand ps3 consoles are a lot cheaper, esp if you can find a ylod one which you know you can repair but the owners does not know.
A majority of us do have a broadband connection, but you must also realise there are ppl out there who still have dial-up or no connection at all. There are also still some people who only have one black and white tv.
Such DRMs should be made illegal due to its discriminating nature.
If you have no internet, you cannot download it in the first place; that really isn't a good argument. The big concerns are that the PSN network goes down a lot, that it is frequently unavailable to whole regions, that it is dangerous to log in (JB systems are being tallied), and that Sony may delete your account (with your purchased games) at any time for any reason, or even for no reason at all.
Should they be illegal for these reasons? No...I mean, cigarettes are not illegal. Gambling isn't illegal (in some places), Alcohol isn't illegal (if you are of age). Lots of stupid, self-destructive, money wasting things are legal...if you want to pay for something that you won't own, to play on a console that sony claims ownership of, but only while sony says it is OK to play the game, and only when the network is working and not undergoing offline maintenance...then it should be your right to make that mistake, assuming you are of the minimum age to buy both tobacco and alcohol.
Now, what should be illegal are some of the things that sony does with the accounts.
While there are many semi-criminal things they can get away with, they should not be allowed to delete an account with purchased content (or with PSN+) without giving a refund. In the case of PSN+, it should be pro-rated to the day.
Also, there should be a clear warning; like a surgeon general's sticker or maybe even like an ESRB rating sticker. Something that says, "The offline segments of this game require an internet connection and will not work while the PSN is under maintenance or repair. Game may quit suddenly without saving if internet connection is lost or if PSN has problems" Of course, that is a lot of words to put on a logo, so the logo could just be something like a middle finger with "FU" below it.
