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As a result of an investigation from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the U.K., both Sony and Nintendo will introduce new, consumer-friendly policies regarding their subscription services. Nintendo will no longer make auto-renewal the default option when purchasing a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, which the CMA says "address[es] a number of the CMA’s concerns about people becoming locked in." As for Sony, they will contact users who are not actively using their PlayStation Plus subscription to remind them how to cancel their subscription. If the user doesn't cancel but also doesn't start using the service, Sony will ultimately stop taking payments. It's worth noting that the CMA does not say how long the user must remain inactive before either of these steps are taken, simply saying users who have not used the service "for a long time" will be contacted. They also don't say explicitly what constitutes "using" the service - whether any use of a PlayStation account with a subscription satisfies that requirement, or if one must actually play online or play a PS+ game to satisfy the requirement.

These actions follow similar measures taken by Microsoft, who proactively adopted policy changes back in January in anticipation of the investigation. With all three major platform holders changing policy, Michael Grenfell, Executive Director of Enforcement at the CMA, announced that their investigation into the online video gaming sector has concluded.

Source

 

[TomSwitch]

Sell online service like fuel, sell them by the minutes would be the fairest. Offer volume discount if people buy in bulk. Give bonus minutes if they use more in a day.

Trade minutes for the monthly bonus games. Don't like those games save some minutes.

 

[Spider_Man]

Its pretty retarded really, change laws because idiots don't remember to cancell a service if they no longer want it.

Id rather see more important laws introduced such as, when you buy a game, that game comes complete and bug free as possible.

Not, lets buy a game, ohh fuck me it needs a massive update because:
o Its too expensive to fit the entire game on a cart.
o we want to push our online shit game and force you to download the actual game you purchased as download packs.

This is just an excuse for lazy parents that don't have a clue what their kids are doing and sit there blaming everyone else because they didnt realise a subscription service means it renews automatically at the end, just like:
o Shitflix
o Crapple+
o Dysentery+

im stuck for Prime lol

 

[Dark_Ansem]

tbh these changes were rolled everywhere now no?

 

[|<roni&g]

Now they need a policy that prevents companies for charging for online play

 

[64bitmodels]

only temp can take a good thing and turn it into something ridiculously bad
although paying for online is still fucking stupid

 

[subcon959]

All this stuff should be turned off by default, including the hundreds of tracking cookies on every site these days. Make users that don't care manually opt-in (offer them an incentive in fact since you're making money off them).

 

[the_randomizer]

People who defend Nintendo's garbage online deserve to get ripped off

 

[WG481]

Insane these companies are still charging for basic functions which some games are unplayable without on an additional sub fee beyond the upfront game costs. The money isn't even going to the devs who host the game servers, its just free cash for sony/microsoft/Nintendo. I moved all my online gaming to pc these days to avoid this bullshit, im never paying a subscription to access games I already own.

Good luck with that.
At the rate we're going, especially with cloud gaming, everything will be a subscription.

Basic wireless server connectivity doesn't need a subscription beyond broadband. Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft just have a function that lets them paywall it.
Brawlhalla uses its own system altogether, which is what every dev should be doing. Run your own servers and let people just connect to them.

 

[WG481]

People who defend Nintendo's garbage online deserve to get ripped off

I defend the idea.
It's honestly more affordable than everything else.

They just need three very essential things:
1. Better servers
2. Rollback netcode
3. A cheaper expansion pack. In all honesty, I'm not paying $80 a year.

 

[Ibcap]

Good luck with that.
At the rate we're going, especially with cloud gaming, everything will be a subscription.

Basic wireless server connectivity doesn't need a subscription beyond broadband. Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft just have a function that lets them paywall it.
Brawlhalla uses its own system altogether, which is what every dev should be doing. Run your own servers and let people just connect to them.

I doubt we will ever get to a point where all of gaming is sub based. Theres many devs, especially indie but sometimes AAA as well, who still release drm free games because they recognize theres a sizable audience of people who like that sort of thing and even if cloud gaming really takes off I dont see it killing off these markets or even drm stores like steam. Theres too many people who wouldn't pay for a cloud subscription to ignore that market. Cloud gaming is more of a 4th pillar in gaming (console, handheld, pc, cloud) rather than a replacement.

Edit: cloud gaming and subs like gamepass are different anyway. In the case of gamepass im paying to access games I dont own. In NSO/PS+/Xbox gold im paying to access games i do already own.

 

[the_randomizer]

I defend the idea.
It's honestly more affordable than everything else.

They just need three very essential things:
1. Better servers
2. Rollback netcode
3. A cheaper expansion pack. In all honesty, I'm not paying $80 a year.

They need more to offer more than one game a month.

 

[error404bsod]

I'm surprised you prefer ESRB over PEGI.
Most people online seem to prefer PEGI over ESRB since it doesn't have a "banned" rating like AO but rather 18+.

Rated B for banned

 

[WG481]

Edit: cloud gaming and subs like gamepass are different anyway. In the case of gamepass im paying to access games I dont own. In NSO/PS+/Xbox gold im paying to access games i do already own.

You're paying to access the servers.
No online service is free.
That's a fact of nature.
In fact, when you use a "free" service like Google, you're actually giving them your personal information, which they sell for around $5.

When someone offers a subscription, they're not exploiting your privacy for personal gain*, they're just giving you the option to give them the money directly.

*I make no promises because identifiers and IP addresses are a thing.

 

[Ibcap]

You're paying to access the servers.
No online service is free.
That's a fact of nature.

Two issues with this. Firstly, the money doesn't go to running the servers, it goes to the console manufacturer. Secondly, those same games have online with no sub fee on pc. Its just console manufacturers ripping you off, its not "paying for servers".

 

[FAST6191]

Two issues with this. Firstly, the money doesn't go to running the servers, it goes to the console manufacturer. Secondly, those same games have online with no sub fee on pc. Its just console manufacturers ripping you off, its not "paying for servers".

You forgot user run servers, things that existed from dial up days on up.

 

[Ibcap]

You forgot user run servers, things that existed from dial up days on up.

Unfortunately less and less common with newer games, but yeah user run servers are also awesome. I hope a lot of modern games allow users servers when the official ones inevitably die.

 

[Jayro]

I could see the UK being more likely to switch back to the BBFC, especially for 18+. I see no reason to switch from PEGI.

Bearing in mind, last I checked games ratings are actually legally enforced here where as in the US it’s more ‘state by state’ from what I’ve heard.

My state of WA doesn't enforce shit, Oregon either. Teens under 17 buy M-rated games all the time, like CoD and Battlefield. GameStop has the monopoly here, so they just want the money.

 

[Aglaophotis]

You're paying to access the servers.
No online service is free.
That's a fact of nature.
In fact, when you use a "free" service like Google, you're actually giving them your personal information, which they sell for around $5.

How is (and always was) PS3 online multiplayer completely free then?

 

[WG481]

How is (and always was) PS3 online multiplayer completely free then?

Because once upon a time developers realized they could swindle people out of their money by making you pay for the servers.