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Gaming is heading in the same direction that TV, movies and music are. It’s a shame. I can invite my friends over, boot up my GameCube to play some Mario Kart D
by cautiouscat 2mo ago
Gaming is heading in the same direction that TV, movies and music are. It’s a shame. I can invite my friends over, boot up my GameCube to play some Mario Kart Double Dash. As long as the console and disc are okay, I can (hopefully) do that until I pass away.
These days? Not so much. I’ll never be able to be sure I can play GTA VI in twenty years. It just sucks not owning anything anymore. I know why they do it, it’s a massive profit difference.[1]
On the PC end of things, it’s not as bleak. Services like GoG let you download the standalone installer, DRM free. I try to get any single player games I can from GoG, you should too.
Support the corps that give you ownership. Buy those Blu-rays of your favorite films. Either to support physical media or to ensure you will have it until data degrades.
1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=sESfDf0My84 https://youtube.com/watch?v=sESfDf0My84
- jerf 2mo agoGeneral principle: It is way easier to avoid lock in by not being locked in in the first place then to extricate yourself later. It's easy for me not to be locked in to a streaming video service because I had a DVD collection that predates them, and I maintained it instead of being on a streaming service, so I've got a personal collection. It's easy for me not to be locked in to a streaming music service because I have a CD collection started decades before they came into existence, ripped digitally, and I've got music I own already. There's more entertainment of every kind, including video games that don't lock you down, then you could consume in a lifetime anyhow. If you limit yourself to just what doesn't lock you in, yeah, you may not be playing GTA VI, but it's not like you'll lack for good games. On the one hand, buying a subscription service for $20/month does give you instant, temporary access to a lot of things... on the other, consistently putting that money into media acquisition over the same period of time will build up quite a collection in a few years. Remember that you don't just have to buy blockbusters... you can raid garage sales, you can buy used, you can pick up surprisingly cheap collections like [1], you can hit the Salvation Army... what you find may be haphazard but you can bootstrap a collection cheaply, and may find some surprising stuff on the way. [1]: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006LOC01G https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006LOC01G - but look at the used prices, not the new. There's a lot of things like this on Amazon where someone thinks they can get a lot of money for it "new" where the used market reflects the more accurate market reality.
- inigyou 2mo agoAnd it's very hard but fame-inducing and illegal to defeat locks.
- flerchin 2mo ago1. Hard. No. 2. Fame-inducing. No. 3. Illegal. Maybe where you live.
- inigyou 2mo agoReally? You cracked Denuvo?
- goodmythical 2mo agoDenuvo doesn't exist in a vast majority of games. It's not even used in all modern games.
- nemomarx 2mo agoDenuvo cracks have sped up a lot lately, and usually take two months or less.
- inigyou 2mo agoBecause the system itself has been thoroughly defeated. Apparently GGP did that, because they think it isn't hard.
- not_a9 2mo agoback.engineering folks seem to imply that Denuvo is another case of virtualization based obfuscator being vulnerable to a symbolic execution/optimization approach. > As AI assisted static deobfuscation continues to improve we will see more virtual machine based obfuscators fold away. In an upcoming article we will publish details on how we fully statically devirtualized Denuvo anti(tamper/cheat). One of the most attacked pieces of software second only to anticheats. …or you can not bother with analyzing at all and just feed correct CPUID/shared data/whatever values to Denuvo, like the hypervisor thing does. https://back.engineering/blog/31/07/2026/ https://back.engineering/blog/31/07/2026/
- softwaredoug 2mo agoI can buy and own legal copies of movies and music. But I often really can’t with games.
- b3lvedere 2mo agoNot staying this to be pendantic or to annoy you, but you really do know that at the bottom line, the same sort of license applies to movies and music that as of games. It is just accepted with movies, music and books that people just 'have' them. The publishers seriously know what a huge outrage there would be when they did the same to those forms of media like they did with games, but they would if they could get away with it.
- softwaredoug 2mo agoWhat I really mean is a difficult to revoke license. Not dependent on a server or DRM. I realize I do not actually own copies.
- ssl-3 2mo agoEh? I can still go to the store and buy some music on physical media, and (if history is any indicator) I can still play it forever until it or my playback equipment wears out. As a practical matter: You do know that when I spin up an album at home, I simply do not care what limitations any licensing agreements may or may not apply, right? I'm going to play it anyway, and it will work when I play it -- free from outside influence.
- b3lvedere 2mo agoI wish Gog made a Steam Deck.
- cautiouscat 2mo agoMe too. It’s coming to Linux though. https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/07/gog-confirm-they-are-working-towards-gog-galaxy-on-linux/ https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/07/gog-confirm-they-are-w...
- b3lvedere 2mo agoUntil then we use this: https://heroicgameslauncher.com/ https://heroicgameslauncher.com/
- account42 2mo agoMeh I don't want another store app, I want an API that I can use from my store-agnostic open source game launcher / library. They should just officially support efforts like Heroic instead.
- inigyou 2mo agoWhy not an actual Steam Deck? You can install any software you want on it.
- b3lvedere 2mo ago
- throwatdem12311 2mo agoIn twenty years it doesn’t matter if Rockstar delists GTA6. The DRM will be cracked. You will be able to play and you WILL have a better experience playing a cracked DRM free version than any official version. You can play an emulated Mario Kart Double Dash on a Steam Machine (or any PC) today and get a better experience than playing it on a Game Cube. Digital only games sounds bad at first but preservation of video games will be done digitally more effectively than physically. How many full rom sets of Super Nintendo games are just sitting there on millions of PCs around the world? It is trivial to preserve them: copy paste to a new machine. Done. Disks will rot. GameCube optical lasers will fail. One day, maybe not soon, but it is it inevitable that all disk based games will become unplayable and lost one day. Maybe if we’re lucky an independent company will create an accurate FPGA based GameCube for people to play their games but emulation is just better. Prices on the second hard market will be astronomical making physical copies innaccessible - this has already happened for arcade PCBs and it will happen for disk based games. PCBs that used to go for a few hundred now go for tens of thousands. I personally believe that this push for physical preservation is largely driven by speculators that know this. You see insane prices for things like sealed copies of Super Mario Bros already. PCB prices were driven up by speculators hoarding supply and they’ll do it for console games too. If buying isn’t owning then piracy isn’t stealing. Preservation needs to be about accessibility FIRST. Physical Videogame Preservation Makes No Sense: https://youtu.be/3rM1jaFvM58 https://youtu.be/3rM1jaFvM58
- conception 2mo agoThis assumes a large portion of the game doesn’t rely on servers.
- throwatdem12311 2mo agoThe online portions will be reverse engineered and there will be community servers or the online checks will be replaced with offline stubs. You think in twenty years they won’t be able to do this in minutes for practically nothing using GPT 15 or whatever?
- josephg 2mo ago
- bpev 2mo agoEh, I'd probably leave music off that list. Even mainstream music releases are still pretty easy to buy DRM-free via services like Qobuz, even if the majority of people are using streaming platforms these days. Although I wonder if that's maybe just because music seems like it would be pretty easy to sidestep DRM, even if they do come up with some kind of innovation (heck, even my friend told me he pirated my album... WHICH IS FREE, BTW). But e-books? Holy crap the drm on those things is soooooo annoying to avoid.
- cautiouscat 2mo agoThat’s fair about music. I didn’t even know about Qobuz. I do wonder how long big labels will permit that, but I’m glad it’s here now. E-book DRM is crazy, I agree. I should have included that.
- baggachipz 2mo agoIf I want an e-book, I buy it from bookshop.org and then pirate the DRM-free version. It clears my conscience: the author gets paid, a small bookshop gets the sale, and I can read my book anywhere.
- glimshe 2mo agoThat's the one reason I don't use Steam. I'm not saying Valve is evil or anything like that. But GOG's transparency and commitment to DRM-free games should be the market standard.
- grumbel 2mo agoDRM-free was a nice idea 20 years ago, the problem is that it doesn't scale. There is just way to much media out there to keep track of and especially with games you are looking at frequent updates and patches, that your DRM-free backup won't get, unless you turn backup up a full time job to keep track of it all. If GOG went down tomorrow, those games would be gone just the same as the Steam ones, since I gave up trying to back them up a decade ago. On top of that, those updates can be kind of useful. None of my GOG games run on Linux, while most of my Steam games run on Linux. Also annoying: None of the GOG games run on a genuine Win9x either, as what you are getting is an updated version for modern Windows, not the original game. Either way, I just don't think DRM-free is the proper solution for media management today or in the future. The olden days of static media are largely gone and the modern world is just way more fluid. So far none of the proposed solutions are able to capture that properly.
- aquova 2mo agoI'm a pretty heavy GoG customer and I disagree with a lot of this premise. Most games aren't getting updates past a year or two after their release, and the ones that are aren't DRM-free. And even if they weren't, I'd rather be able to play an older revision of a game I own than not own it at all. Your Steam games run on Linux run due to Valve's (truly excellent) work on their compatibility layer. However, that work is not exclusive to Steam. I can play my DRM-free GoG copies of big budget Windows games just fine on Linux. There's an extra step you have to invoke, but they still run superbly. Supporting DRM-free is the best we have in an increasingly hostile customer market.
- shakow 2mo ago> There is just way to much media out there to keep track of and especially with games you are looking at frequent updates and patches, that your DRM-free backup won't get, unless you turn backup up a full time job to keep track of it all. I don't want to write a redo of the infamous Dropbox comment, but if you really want to go /r/datahoarders on it, you can simply have a GOG downloader running in a monthly (or whatever) cronjob. > None of my GOG games run on Linux, while most of my Steam games run on Linux. That's funny, I don't have that issue at all. I have whatever GOG 3rd party client running on Bazzite do the downloading & updating for me, and the only game with which I had an issue was Timberborn.
- goda90 2mo agoSomeday that GameCube will break and so will all the others. And someday that PC capable of running open source emulators will also break. And all that will be left is corporation controlled hardware running corporation controlled software. Maybe we'll be lucky and be allowed to rent a few of the old games.
- imhoguy 2mo agoI believe there will be still data horders alive who will have a running copy of any game you want. Until the Sun burns the Earth. Greetings to /r/datahorder bunch :)
- chrisco255 2mo agoThere are already perfect FPGA emulators of N64 out, why not GameCube.
- pezezin 2mo agoThe MiSTer is already struggling to fit the N64 core, and the GameCube is more than 10 times more complex than the N64. Just the CPU cache and the GPU embedded RAM would be prohibitively expensive to implement on an FPGA, it would require one of the very top of the line FPGAs in the market to even attempt it.
- chrisco255 2mo agoFPGAs are improving exponentially so it is only a matter of time.
- pezezin 2mo agoTime will tell, but I don't think big enough FPGAs will be affordable any time soon. And in any case, software emulation is already incredibly advanced, with emulators like Dolphin and PCSX2 arguably being superior to original hardware (4k rendering, anti-aliasing, high resolution textures, etc). Honestly I can't see the benefits of FPGA emulation for 6 gen consoles and onwards.
- egeozcan 2mo agoMy son and we as his parents really love Bluey, but it's impossible to buy a DVD set here in Germany, with German dub, because Disney distributes it exclusively through their plus platform. There are many more examples like these. Very sad state of affairs.
- verall 2mo agoOptical media capped out at 4 layer blu-ray (~128gb) which I'm not even sure that consoles can reliably read. So my theory is that GTA 6 is somewhat larger and they really didn't want to invest into engineering a solution for multiple-disc or something when ~everyone downloads their games nowadays anyways. So in some sense, the true physical release "can't" exist. This doesn't apply to most anything but GTA 6 is the one example I think could very realistically be unable to be stored on a disc at all, or unable to be stored on a 3-layer and the supply chain just isn't there for 4-layers in 2026.
- kskdkwkdjw 2mo agoPlease, it’s nothing to do with any of this nonsense. They know people will buy it regardless of format and price, so not having to spend money to print those pesky little discs is a major net profit. GTA VI is a cancer slowly metastasising. It will signal to all other game companies that they can charge whatever they want for their pos games and people will just swallow it all down because their favourite nobody with a YouTube channel told them to. We were already heading for an even darker age in gaming, but mark my words, GTA VI is the torchbearer of an altogether darkerer.
- redwall_hp 2mo agoBaldur's Gate 3 is already there. It's over 120GB and IIRC PS5 games only use up to triple layer. There was no disc release. The current Gran Turismo is around 140GB. I think it has a disc, but it'll only have like half the game on it. Final Fantasy XIV is around 200GB now, and they're talking about dropping PS4 support because drive capacity is going to be too low during the patch cycle for the next expansion. Also, median US internet is over 100Mb/s now, so downloading a game is faster than installing it from a BluRay reader. And then you don't have to get up and change discs to change games... Regardless, most console owners buy their games online. Otherwise there would be more games than Funko Pops at GameStop. They also have frequent sales, unlike retailers.
- diseasedyak 2mo agoHey just a correction, there was indeed a physical release of BG3 on PS5. It was released straight from Larian and came on 2 discs, dual-layer 100GB to be exact. Xbox Series as well, but it came on 4 discs due to capacity limits. Your point stands, though. Games have grown so huge that downloading them isn't a hassle for most, but disc definitely is or has maxed out. That's not to mention how long it takes to install stuff, especially on PS5!
- officeplant 2mo ago> I can (hopefully) do that until I pass away. At least there are already extensive ways to get a game cube running games off an SD card using a pi pico and some hardware that uses the expansion port. So even once disc rot takes away the original copy you can keep going.
- chrisco255 2mo agoYou'll be dead before disc rot takes effect on almost any disc kept out of direct sunlight and in a climate controlled environment.
- officeplant 2mo agoSaturn, 3DO, and Dreamcast collectors beg to differ. Some folks even finding sealed games to be unplayable. Could be the way it was stored, could be manufacturing defects like Sega cheapening out materially on Dreamcast discs. Always good have backups and/or modded consoles for longevity.
- macspoofing 2mo ago>Gaming is heading in the same direction that TV, movies and music are. I It's much worse with Gaming. At least with TV/Movies/Music there are standards-based 'offline' formats that one could preserve the content. Games, on the other hand, may be intrinsically tied to proprietary hardware and online 'live' services for patches and content. The recent hubbub about Sony removing disk access was somewhat of a red-herring as most disk-based games you buy today have incomplete games.
- tonyhart7 2mo agowell there is a way
- surgical_fire 2mo agoPitacy is back in the menu for me. That "if buying is not owning then piracy is not stealing" sounds corny and is legally void, but hell if morally it is not justifiable at this point. When I want to support the creator I go and "buy" the thing, but I also go and pirate anyway.
- kskdkwkdjw 2mo ago> That "if buying is not owning then piracy is not stealing" sounds corny and is legally void, but hell if morally it is not justifiable at this point. A law isn’t by default just, so when it turns from a safeguard into a manacle it is only logical, fair and correct that we rebel against it. If buying does not imply ownership, then piracy cannot mean theft.
- zuzululu 2mo agofor me these games are too large to pirate i went back to recomps and emulation
- ryandrake 2mo agoThis idea that you should have to log into an online account, in order to use a device that is otherwise entirely offline, is the root of all evil in consumer electronics today. Not just game software and game consoles, but PCs, TVs, smartphones, home automation... Everything requires a totally unnecessary tether to the manufacturer, and only allows you to use it if the manufacturer is 1. still listening to the connection, and 2. is satisfied that you tethered properly. I shouldn't need an online account to use 99% of the things that I have that currently require an account.
- genewitch 2mo agoi don't own or use anything that requires me to log in to use it other than games. So it is possible. I don't even use apps or give my cellphone number to corporations.
- somenameforme 2mo agoThe Steam DRM is trivially bypassed and they don't seem to be interested in playing the cat/mouse game with it at all. It's not a great argument that you can crack things you already legally purchased, but I'm conflicted. If digital software could be reasonably/legally transferred, then it'd probably put most software companies out of business simply because the digital domain would enable efficient reselling of 'used' copies with an exponential decline in price. This isn't a problem with physical copies because there's a lot of friction to selling stuff, and there's also something quite nice about having a physical collection of games, music, or whatever else. But with digital stuff there's no friction, and much less incentive to collect. The efficiency of the digital domain really messes with a lot of things we take for granted in the real world.
- ksec 2mo agoAgain. We need a storage medium that is reliable, has roughly 200GB of capacity, small in size, relatively affordable to press. Otherwise, there is only one option left, make it illegal to do certain things and ensure the ownership belongs to customers.
- WhyNotHugo 2mo agoMeh, perhaps games from big studios, but the majority of games work fine without DRM. I find indie games and games from small studio a lot more fun and have a lot more soul than most "big studio" games.
- pseudosavant 2mo agoFor games that require online services, this will always be an inherent issue. But for games that don't, I'm betting on emulation continuing to save the day. When the PS3 was released with its complex/novel architecture, it seemed like an emulator was highly unlikely, but look at how good RPCS3 is now. On the Microsoft side, they've been incredibly good about first-party backwards compatibility. I bought most of my Xbox 360 games digitally, and I have been able to play them on my Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and now they are even bringing them to PC. My son and I were just playing the timeless classic NBA Jam: On Fire Edition (a 15yo game) a couple of days ago. Emulation development will probably be significantly enhanced by the ability to use LLMs as well.
- fluoridation 2mo ago>look at how good RPCS3 is now My understanding is that it's nowhere near the state of, say, PSX emulators around the turn of the century. There's still swaths of late 2000s and 2010s releases that are unplayable without the original hardware.
- pseudosavant 2mo agoRPCS3 has come a long way in the last few of years, both in performance and compatibility. Even Metal Gear Solid 4 is supposed to be playable (albeit using game patches) now. And emulating the PS3 architecture, with those weird Cell SPUs, has to be one of the most difficult emulations to implement. I'm continually impressed by the emulation scene's passion for maintaining access to older games. LLMs/agents will be a force multiplier for that kind of skill and passion.
- fluoridation 2mo agoYeah, but I wouldn't put it forward as an example of a great success of game preservation. It may reach that point some day, but it's not there yet.
- pseudosavant 2mo agoI guess I view 75% compatibility of the most oddball console architecture ever to be fairly successful. And it is still meaningfully gaining. It was 70% at the start of the year.
- eleveriven 2mo agoThe part that bothers me is that preservation has become the customer's problem while continued access remains the vendor's decision
- account42 2mo agoEven if you will be able to play "GTA VI" in twenty years it won't be the same game as you grew up with because everything is a constantly changing live service now.