Bohemia Interactive implemented a system called FADE. When a pirated version of their game ARMA 2 is being played, FADE will kick in and degrade the game. The splash screens will play in front of the player's character every once and awhile, he may suddenly acquire beer goggles or an extensive decrease in his weapon accuracy. Fucking genius.

Xendrid wrote:
Bohemia Interactive implemented a system called FADE. When a pirated version of their game ARMA 2 is being played, FADE will kick in and degrade the game. The splash screens will play in front of the player's character every once and awhile, he may suddenly acquire beer goggles or an extensive decrease in his weapon accuracy. Fucking genius.

HA! That's pretty damn awesome, but how do they detect this?

I think its popularity is going to shoot up in the next decade or so. As consoles become more and more like the PC (installations and shit) we're going to see a scenario where consoles are very easily taken apart and Sony/Microsoft start announcing new video-cards and processors which are ludicrously simple in installing them into your console, once this comes about the PC would gain popularity as many people are turned off the concept of having to build it as they're frightened that something will go wrong and they'd of wasted about 700 quid. But once its being done with consoles people will gain an elementary knowledge of how to do it and realise how easy it is with the PC, then they'll realise the PC is the superior platform for such a concept and gradually the demographic for PC gamers will overtake consoles.

I'm sure in about a decade and a half we'll see Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have realised gaming clients, similar to Steam, which would compete against each other and each client would hold specific exclusives, for example the Microsoft client would hold the Halo franchise whereas Nintendo would hold Mario. Though its conspicuous that some hackers would find a way around it and be able to play it normally, but I'm sure the companies would simply sue for millions to scare off people thinking of doing so.

Essentially I think PC gaming is going to become the primary platform a decade from now. Unless consoles can pull some amazing trick out of their ass which makes it superior to the PC. Though I doubt this.

Currently its the simplicity of the consoles which allows it to be such a lucrative market, but as consoles advance it'll become increasingly harder and harder for the consoles to keep their simplistic ways and will gradually need to 'evolve' to a more intricate stage. The PS3 is experiencing this where the occasional game requires a mandatory installation, it seems small but unless in their next console, Sony can create it to be incredibly quick or not even be there then it'll gradually grow to the point where its equivalent to PC installations.

I see consoles nearing the sophistication of laptop PCs. All they basically lack is an integrated mouse and keyboard. There are custom models of 360s that even have LCD monitors mounted on them to make them more portable. With the only exception being the lack of any Office type and editing software, there's really not that many things that you can't do. I think that's the ultimate form of consoles.

Vestsao, isn't the Gaming on Demand thing MS has on XBL basically an overpriced console version of Steam? I've never used Steam, so correct me if I am wrong.

I am a console player, can't say the pc isn't suitable for games, durning long years of gaming there was few differences between pc gamers and console users.
PC users are mostly ocupied by morpg , strategy type and for some period fps (tough situation changed with nex gen PS3 and X360 and fps games massively migrated to consoles), so they get used for massive online joys + online communicating possibility.
Console users joined online massively a later and before that was cosidered us 1-4 game players. Nevertheless they never lacked on game genre variability, fightings, action games , jrpg , racing games all of them had a comfy control scheme and at most times universal.
So we had old-veteran gamers wich all are pc users, later new offsprings apears - console users , plus migrations from both sides. And only a small amount of them are both armies soldiers.
The situation in 10 years? I think it stays the same. PC upgrades they are commonly used . Consoles evolving to next gen level time -to - time. All ballanced. Untill somebody invents something brand new, hard imagine what like just something different from PC and Consoles.

Well, as a PC gamer, I have to agree that sometimes the controller is warranted. Playing sports games and certain action/adventure games just doesn't feel the same without a controller. I could never play a game that requires shooting without a keyboard and mouse.

As for the 'comfort of my couch' argument for consoles, I play games from the comfort of my awesome desk chair or the comfort of my bed, since I have my PC in my bedroom. Of course, I intend to get a nice big TV in my room, which I will hook my PC's display on to play games and watch movies straight from my PC where available, and eventually get me a PS3 and, should Project Natal get its multi-million dollar AAA rumored titles, a 360. I'd like to get a Wii too for the number of jRPGs it has as well as Mad World, No More Heroes and Red Steel 2. On the other hand, my PC can already play the Wii emulator, so maybe I won't =D

Nice, big dreams. I hope they will come true, but as from my experience , i can say only that - big dreams leads to big dissapointment. Let's hope not for others.