WTF - Suing Over Game Points

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So last week I ran across this article. Yes I know this is America, where in some cases the right to sue is considered more sacred then freedom, but seriously WTF?

For those who haven't read the article, it breaks down like this. Guy buys Microsoft points for downloading games/media. Guy uses points but has extra left over. Guy cries fowl over the extra points which number too few to buy anything else.

I'm sorry, has this person been living in a cave? Or more likely, is he just trying to get a quick buck? Take the average video arcade for example. You put a dollar in and you get 4 tokens. Those tokens aren't worth jack outside of the arcade. You won't get your money back. So you try to maximize your enjoyment with the tokens you have. Demanding your money back for unused tokens will likely get you laughed out of the arcade.

Similar systems are in place everywhere. For example gift cards, if this guy actually gets Microsoft to pay, why shouldn't he go after Visa for left over money on gift cards?

And before you say, well it is Microsoft, they have plenty of money, think about it for a minute. If all the consoles have to re-engineer their stores (because this is standard across the consoles) then the money for the developers has to come from somewhere. That likely means an increase in prices for downloadable games. I've always believed the price on downloadable games is too high, as there's no media, manual, or shipping costs, but this gives companies the justification to raise prices.

Once again, this is just funding lawyers in order to get something from a big company. It is fraud, and it should not be tolerated. Gift certificates and other systems just like this have existed my whole life, I don't have trouble reading and understanding the fine print. Downloadable games on consoles is in it's infancy and lawsuits such as this will hurt all gamers.

WTF - BFBC2 Gamestop MP Mode

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So I had the privilege of playing Battle Field Bad Company 2 during the PS3 beta. While I cannot say more than that (EULAs suck!) @mittense brought to my attention the whoring out of game modes. In the past retailers such as GameStop and Best Buy have had pre-order exclusives. Hell, they have enough purchasing power, that they can demand special prices and favors from game publishers. I mean it is their job to squeeze out the Mom and Pop game shops because they can then demand higher prices from consumers and control the publishers better.

Up to this point, the items have been costumes or special weapons for single player mode, they haven't limited the game play. Yes it affects the few of us who absolutely must have everything, the fanatics but for the general player, meh. But as Bob Dylan said, "The times, they are a changing".

GameStop, Best Buy and their pre-ordering system represents an immediate threat to gamers. Not because it is causing people in your community to loose their jobs. Not because they charge obscene prices and give back a pittance in trade in. It is because we have already given these companies far too much power in our entertainment and our lives.

Take for example the pre-order system. Let's say I pre-order BFBC2, from GameStop. Now I'm locked into buying from them, even if my local game shop comes up with a better deal.

Some gamers may not be too keen on that idea. So, instead of competing with the local game shop, GameStop went to the publisher to limit competition. And like the little kid bullied by for his lunch money, the publishers relent. I mean if GameStop won't carry their game, imagine the loss of audience. And just like a bully, once they get a little bit, they start asking for more. I expect in the not too distant future GameStop to demand that multiplayer mode on new games only be for GameStop pre-orders.

Let me be clear, I do not begrudge the workers at GameStop, but the management is trying to harm all of us.

This has to stop. And the best way to stop it is to vote with your money. If you've pre-ordered BFBC2 from GameStop, cancel it. If someone offers you an invite to the 'Squad Rush Mode' reject it. Not only boycott the store, but the game mode as well. Support your local game shop. Take a stand now, because if you don't you won't have a leg to stand on later.

WTF - XBox360 Hard Drive Upgrade

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In a time where hard drives are a commodity and storage space on the next generation consoles is limited, Microsoft has figured out how to cash in. Let's say you have a cheaper 20 GB Xbox 360 and you want 120 GB, be prepared to shell out $149.99. To put that in perspective, as of today for your desktop computer that would be 1.5 Terabytes (Seagate Barracuda ST315005N1A1AS-RK 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Retail, 3 year warranty) or for your laptop/PS3 you get 500 Gigabytes (Seagate Momentus ST905003N3A1AS-RK 7200 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive -Retail, 5 year warranty) with 20 bucks to spare for dinner.

Why is Microsoft's hard drive less than half the size for the same price? Because they can. And god help any gamer who doesn't want to pay.

If they catch you using a non-Microsoft approved hard drive, well you're banned from XBox Live, Microsoft's online gaming network. They do this because to even support a bigger hard drive you have to mod your XBox360. Since it is modded, according to Microsoft you're obviously trying to pirate games. Rather than making it easy for gamers to upgrade the storage space, like on the PS3, the XBox360 isn't upgrade friendly. WTF!