Its not enough they are ditching physical media, they're being this brazen about it.
this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2026
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I can prove in home that I don't own any playstation past the 4.
Let's see who loses.
People need to stop supporting these companies. Stop buying Nintendo. Stop buying Sony.
im just glad i didn't invest in a console or a gaming PC because game streaming is going to be the norm very soon.
That opinion sounds like it is from 1985.
Then why do they have the word "buy" on the PS store🤨
Because you buy it. It being a limited license of course, not a game.
Next time: Acquire license
"Sony pushes the idea that "reasonable consumers would not be misled" into believing they own the games in their digital library".
Wasn't this the same basic legal outcome Fox News received when they were sued and it was determined that 'no reasonable viewer' would think Tucker Carlson was anything but entertainment? That worked out well.
Even if they succeed with a weird judge to prove this.... It's not the point. We want to own stuff, so either make "owning" available or we stop buying/renting.
Also, there is the common online sentiment "If buying isn't owning, then piracy is not stealing" and I can't help but believe that this will permiate even deeper into the gaming culture.
If I've already bought it I won't even hesitate to pirate it.
Having backups of owned digital media is just good practice.
Its crazy how everybody got used to rental prices as high as physical copy.
Most people don't know they are rentals
Imagine how well digital games would sell if they showed up in your cart like: 1 x Revokable License for God of War $69 See Terms and Conditions* [Confirm Payment]
- Terms: we will do whatever the fuck we want. Conditions: whenever we want.
There's a reason they say "Buy" instead of "Pay".
It's been going on for generations, but it's no less dishonest for all that. Software sellers write complex EULAs for which the only valid answer is "Agree" because the store won't take an open box back and the software won't install unless we pretend to agree, so even us legitimate software enjoyers are pirates in our hearts. Meanwhile normies don't even think about it that much. Fuck this whole system, but double fuck an online service that says "purchase" but will steal it back later. Fuck that.
1x temporary license to play. Duration of license unspecified.
Pretty sure in the past it was at least considered a lifetime license.
*Lifetime for the time the product/service is alive
If they end the thing, they can just pretend they did a rewrite and invalidate the current version/not develop it any further and maybe offer a migration discount (lol).
I'd prefer the model of "Buy version X for at least x years of feature updates and Y days of security updates".
If I don't own them, no reason to pay for them ever.
That's why you should buy physical disks. In the worst case you can re-sell them to someone else.
Or buy games without DRM. Like on GOG.
Also wait until development of the game is really done. That way the game is better and cheaper and works on cheaper hardware.
Yep. I buy every game I can on GOG.
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They are not wrong tho
They are wrong, you can buy digital downloads from other platforms like GOG, Itch.io, Humble Store, and keep the files forever. There is no DRM on those purchases, no way for the seller to revoke it in any way. Sony could operate their store that way too but choose not to.
They are not wrong, when it comes to their platform
The courts still need to weigh in on this. If you purchase a license to use the software, the company shouldn't have the power to revoke that license without cause. The license should last as long as the copyright/patent/etc. does.
If buying isn't owning, then piracy isn't stealing.
Good thing I buy games on gog so I own them and I could copy them to a DVD if I really wanted to.
Nothing new. This is the same bullshit legal framework that underpins the entire software industry and extends back to the mid 90s. It's just front-and-center in games now because the industry has transitioned from a growth industry to a mature one wherein producers need to extract more revenue per user and predictably enshittify their platforms to do so.
I've basically decided that I will not buy any game that I cannot play offline. If I do a buy game, I will also pirate it to ensure continued access. If I can't pirate it, I won't buy it.
Fuck em.
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