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I'm very interested to see how this will affect closed gaming platforms like Nintendo, Sony, etc. Personally I'd love to be able to install an itch.io app on m

I'm very interested to see how this will affect closed gaming platforms like Nintendo, Sony, etc. Personally I'd love to be able to install an itch.io app on my switch and play some silly indies.

simondotau 4y ago
If this law doesn’t force the consoles to open up, it will prove that it was not grounded in real principles. Consoles are computers, just as surely as an iPhone is.
- bogwog 4y ago
  > Consoles are computers, just as surely as an iPhone is. I don’t think most people see it that way. Game consoles could be general purpose computers if you changed the operating system, but no one (except maybe PS3 customers) buys a game console expecting to use it for general computing. Likewise, the computer in a Tesla is probably powerful enough to run a full desktop operating system, but it’s clearly not what it was designed for, not what anyone bought it for, and not what anyone reasonably expects it to be used for. Smartphones are indisputably general purpose computing devices.
  - krageon 4y ago
    They are general purpose computers, just like phones. It's purely a software limitation.
    - shultays 4y ago
      My toaster probably have the same cpu as my phone, but limited by its software. Is it a general purpose computer as well?
      - deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
      - simondotau 4y ago
        The purpose of a game console is to run software and allow the user to directly interact with that running software, the software itself being the purpose and not cooking or transportation. It's not the CPU that makes something a computer, it's the function. Regardless how the task is achieved, the purpose of my toaster isn't to run software, it's to provide measured doses of radiant heat. It's the same as the grandparent who observed that the purpose of a Tesla is as form of transport, not to be a general purpose computer. (Though I'd argue it's a rather blurry line when using the centre console for entertainment while at a supercharger.)
  - simondotau 4y ago
    I disagree with the implied assertion that playing modern video games is insufficient to class a device as general purpose computing. Video games are no less of a "general purpose" computing task as sending an email or doing your taxes. I further disagree that the rules should vary based on customer expectations. If Apple isn't allowed to argue that most of their customers see their iPhone as a communications appliance and not a general purpose computer, Sony shouldn't be allowed to argue that most of their customers think of their PS5 as an games appliance.
- dodobirdlord 4y ago
  It doesn’t, it’s been carefully boundary-set so that it only impacts a small handful of large US tech companies. They probably would have just come out and written their names in explicitly into the law (like Australia did a while back), except that sort of thing is frowned upon.
antioppressor 4y ago
What do you think why Sony started to bring their used to be exclusive games to PC?
viktorcode 4y ago
What's the point of producing low margin hardware if you don't control the sales on this platform?

I'm very interested to see how this will affect closed gaming platforms like Nintendo, Sony, etc. Personally I'd love to be able to install an itch.io app on my switch and play some silly indies.

simondotau 4y ago

If this law doesn’t force the consoles to open up, it will prove that it was not grounded in real principles. Consoles are computers, just as surely as an iPhone is.

bogwog 4y ago
> Consoles are computers, just as surely as an iPhone is. I don’t think most people see it that way. Game consoles could be general purpose computers if you changed the operating system, but no one (except maybe PS3 customers) buys a game console expecting to use it for general computing. Likewise, the computer in a Tesla is probably powerful enough to run a full desktop operating system, but it’s clearly not what it was designed for, not what anyone bought it for, and not what anyone reasonably expects it to be used for. Smartphones are indisputably general purpose computing devices.
- krageon 4y ago
  They are general purpose computers, just like phones. It's purely a software limitation.
  - shultays 4y ago
    My toaster probably have the same cpu as my phone, but limited by its software. Is it a general purpose computer as well?
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    - simondotau 4y ago
      The purpose of a game console is to run software and allow the user to directly interact with that running software, the software itself being the purpose and not cooking or transportation. It's not the CPU that makes something a computer, it's the function. Regardless how the task is achieved, the purpose of my toaster isn't to run software, it's to provide measured doses of radiant heat. It's the same as the grandparent who observed that the purpose of a Tesla is as form of transport, not to be a general purpose computer. (Though I'd argue it's a rather blurry line when using the centre console for entertainment while at a supercharger.)
- simondotau 4y ago
  I disagree with the implied assertion that playing modern video games is insufficient to class a device as general purpose computing. Video games are no less of a "general purpose" computing task as sending an email or doing your taxes. I further disagree that the rules should vary based on customer expectations. If Apple isn't allowed to argue that most of their customers see their iPhone as a communications appliance and not a general purpose computer, Sony shouldn't be allowed to argue that most of their customers think of their PS5 as an games appliance.
dodobirdlord 4y ago
It doesn’t, it’s been carefully boundary-set so that it only impacts a small handful of large US tech companies. They probably would have just come out and written their names in explicitly into the law (like Australia did a while back), except that sort of thing is frowned upon.

antioppressor 4y ago

What do you think why Sony started to bring their used to be exclusive games to PC?

viktorcode 4y ago

What's the point of producing low margin hardware if you don't control the sales on this platform?