We're headed towards an all-digital future, and there's nothing we can do about it. We've only ourselves to blame, really. As more of us moved away from buying physical music, movies, and video games, it's given the platform holders the fuel they need to do away with it entirely.
PlayStation has already pulled the trigger, confirming that from 2028 there will be no new physical console games released. The next Xbox, Project Helix, is going to be some kind of PC/console mashup, and we're expecting it'll do the same. We already have the Xbox Series S and a digital-only version of the Xbox Series X.
I'm not an eggs-in-either-basket person. I have a large library of digital content, as well as physical games, music, and movies. I like buying a thing on a disc, and I appreciate the convenience of not having to do that, also.
But in less than a week we've had two major Xbox outages and one from PlayStation; living proof this all-digital future we seem to be locked into is going to be pretty awful at times.
Unfortunately, I don't really know the answer. One thing is pretty clear, though; we need more robust systems in place and we need reliable ways to enjoy our content in an offline environment when these systems go down.
Offline access needs to be guaranteed
It's not just Xbox and PlayStation catching attention for the wrong reasons in recent weeks. Ubisoft had a hit on its hands when it launched Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, only to stomp all over it when folks couldn't play it offline on PC.
A Ubisoft Connect outage somehow also stopped players playing the game offline, leading us to question whether Ubisoft even knows what an offline mode really is. Ironically there were comments about saying pirated versions of the game were working just fine
We've since found out that a licensing tool not specific within Microsoft to just Xbox is what failed and ultimately brought everything crashing down around it. Folks couldn't even see their library of 'owned' games. All these systems are in place to prove 'ownership' of our content, and it turns out that they're not necessarily up to scratch.
Steam, for all its faults, at least has a pretty robust offline mode. There are still conditions that need to be met, but assuming you keep game files up to date, there's no external connection required to launch or play, and it uses Steam's own DRM for your 'ownership' check, you're usually able to play when you don't have a connection.
I've had a Steam Deck for four years now and never once have had an issue playing a game offline on it that didn't need outside connections. The rest really do need to catch up.
The future really isn't so bright after all
I've been feeling increasingly disillusioned with gaming over the past few months, for many reasons I won't go into here. The Xbox layoffs situation certainly hasn't helped.
But I think it also carries over a little from other media. Trying to explain to my children what it was like when I was their age is like speaking a foreign language.
Going to Blockbuster to find a movie to watch at the weekend. Hitting the local games store with friends to hunt for something new to play, then being able to just put a cartridge or disc into a console and get right to playing it. No updates, no accounts, just straight into the fun.
The entertainment industry as a whole is structured now to take as much money as possible from us and give us the least in return. Instead of focusing on making good games (at least at the biggest studios), the focus is on how to ensure that a game can extract revenue for as long as possible.
We're paying more than ever with less to show for it. And it's only going to get worse.
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