The article says that there’s not enough people mad about it to hurt their bottom line. You’re basically proposing to continue doing something that had 0 effect so far.
As with many things, its a vocal minority amplified by the internet. Everyone is mad when you’re on the enthusiast websites, but most people with playstations etc dont go on the enthusiast website and just keep doing their thing.
100% of the gamers still interested in physical media could stop buying and it still wouldn’t make a dent. It’s just not a large part of the market anymore.
And even if it was, we’re long past the point of voting with your wallet anymore in this age of tech oligopolies. You’re going to have to get politically active if you want this. Plenty of allies to be found in cultural preservation efforts across many different media!
And even if it was, we’re long past the point of voting with your wallet anymore in this age of tech oligopolies.
Respectfully, the hell we are. Telling yourself there’s nothing we can do about it perpetuates the cycle. For one thing, you could probably stick to just the physical media that already exists and never run out of great video games to play, and besides that, depending on what’s important to you, there’s DRM-free games.
The end-users aren’t who the big names in the industry are responsive to anymore. It’s the shareholders. Alanah Pearce has been banging this drum for a while now; I recommend following her content for more on the topic.
Besides, I didn’t say there’s nothing we can do. I mentioned exactly what you can do. Get politically active. Connect with others working on media preservation. Help with data collection and research to inform good public policy. Advocate and spread the word. Vote for candidates that pledge regulation and anti-trust action. Back the development of new candidates that will if none exist in your districts.
Enshittification makes companies money by being actively consumer hostile. Companies know they will lose customers by making unpopular decisions. But these days, they all know how to keep making more money in spite of/because of it.
Sony knows people hate this move. But the problem is that it saves them way more money than they’d ever lose in sales. They get to have a more captive audience with lending/reselling no longer a thing, no longer have to pay for materials and distribution for discs, no longer need to include a disc drive in the cost of the console, etc.
And they know the gambit will pay off, because what are people going to do otherwise? Pay the cost of a PS5 just for RAM?
I already outlined two things you could do instead. Casually overheard on the subway, I know the average Joe who just plays NBA 2K is becoming more and more aware of his other options as the one he liked grows to be worse in some way, whether his line in the sand is physical media or not.
Yes, Netflix got worse; buy some Blu Rays instead…you might find that they’re higher quality video than what Netflix has been sending you anyway, and you can get them pretty cheap on sale. PlayStation got worse; play your games somewhere else, even old or low spec ones that run on machines you already have or that you can afford. You won’t be the only one in this predicament, and game developers are going to have to start targeting a lower spec to survive. These companies get you used to a thing and either cut benefits or raise prices or both, but they’re not essential to your survival or happiness, and there are other things you can do in response.
I think they’re estimated to b between 10-15% of users. The upcharge they’re going to do after the change is implemented will more than make up for it.
Of course not. It’s all about voting with your wallet. It needs to hurt their bottom line.
The article says that there’s not enough people mad about it to hurt their bottom line. You’re basically proposing to continue doing something that had 0 effect so far.
As with many things, its a vocal minority amplified by the internet. Everyone is mad when you’re on the enthusiast websites, but most people with playstations etc dont go on the enthusiast website and just keep doing their thing.
100% of the gamers still interested in physical media could stop buying and it still wouldn’t make a dent. It’s just not a large part of the market anymore.
And even if it was, we’re long past the point of voting with your wallet anymore in this age of tech oligopolies. You’re going to have to get politically active if you want this. Plenty of allies to be found in cultural preservation efforts across many different media!
Respectfully, the hell we are. Telling yourself there’s nothing we can do about it perpetuates the cycle. For one thing, you could probably stick to just the physical media that already exists and never run out of great video games to play, and besides that, depending on what’s important to you, there’s DRM-free games.
Respectfully, they never said there was nothing we can do. They said the method you proffered was ineffective.
The very next sentence they said was “you’re going to have to get politically active”
The end-users aren’t who the big names in the industry are responsive to anymore. It’s the shareholders. Alanah Pearce has been banging this drum for a while now; I recommend following her content for more on the topic.
Besides, I didn’t say there’s nothing we can do. I mentioned exactly what you can do. Get politically active. Connect with others working on media preservation. Help with data collection and research to inform good public policy. Advocate and spread the word. Vote for candidates that pledge regulation and anti-trust action. Back the development of new candidates that will if none exist in your districts.
They’re right, though.
Enshittification makes companies money by being actively consumer hostile. Companies know they will lose customers by making unpopular decisions. But these days, they all know how to keep making more money in spite of/because of it.
Sony knows people hate this move. But the problem is that it saves them way more money than they’d ever lose in sales. They get to have a more captive audience with lending/reselling no longer a thing, no longer have to pay for materials and distribution for discs, no longer need to include a disc drive in the cost of the console, etc.
And they know the gambit will pay off, because what are people going to do otherwise? Pay the cost of a PS5 just for RAM?
Well, once I stop paying for their products I really do not care how shitty of a company they become. I’m already free of them. Enshittify away.
I already outlined two things you could do instead. Casually overheard on the subway, I know the average Joe who just plays NBA 2K is becoming more and more aware of his other options as the one he liked grows to be worse in some way, whether his line in the sand is physical media or not.
Yes, Netflix got worse; buy some Blu Rays instead…you might find that they’re higher quality video than what Netflix has been sending you anyway, and you can get them pretty cheap on sale. PlayStation got worse; play your games somewhere else, even old or low spec ones that run on machines you already have or that you can afford. You won’t be the only one in this predicament, and game developers are going to have to start targeting a lower spec to survive. These companies get you used to a thing and either cut benefits or raise prices or both, but they’re not essential to your survival or happiness, and there are other things you can do in response.
I think they’re estimated to b between 10-15% of users. The upcharge they’re going to do after the change is implemented will more than make up for it.