As Sony exits physical media, Microsoft is testing a way to link your Xbox discs to digital licenses
Microsoft's leaked "Positron" feature could let your old Xbox discs unlock digital versions of the same games
Digital content articles
Sony will stop making physical PlayStation games starting in 2028
The end of an era is upon us
Once an arcade company, Capcom now sells most of its games on PC
Monster Hunter Wilds sold 10 million units in a month
Doom: The Dark Ages discs contain almost no data, require full game downloads
All console copies require downloading nearly 100 GB
Ubisoft argues players don't own their games in wake of The Crew lawsuit
Company shut down servers and removed the game from customers' libraries last year
A hot potato: Many users already understand that buying a digital game typically grants a license to access the software – not true ownership. However, it's rare for publishers to revoke access to titles that customers have paid for, even after those games are delisted. Ubisoft's The Crew stands out as a particularly egregious case, sparking a legal battle over what it truly means to "buy" a game.
Nintendo will soon let you loan your digital games to your friends
Starting in late April digital games will work more like physical media
Steam's DRM was inspired by an exec's nephew and his trusty CD burner
CD burning was threatening Steam's entire business model
Burned: Valve's founding chief marketing officer, Monica Harrington, recently shared her account of how the company became the leading provider of digital PC games. Harrington pushed for stricter authentication measures after discovering how young players were more than willing to pirate their games.
FTC asked to implement and enforce clearer rules on digital product ownership
Califonia has already codified it at the state level
Video Game History Foundation releases trove of game dev documents, magazines, and more
Searchable archived documents and never-before-seen development materials available for free
Internet Archive ends effort to overturn defeat in digital book lending case
There will be no Supreme Court review, but the Archive's fight is far from done
Blizzard could have turned Battle.net into a third-party games store years before Steam, but...
Executives didn't like the idea
Google ordered to overhaul Android app store in landmark antitrust ruling
The tech giant plans to appeal
Why it matters: The ruling has the potential to reshape the mobile app market, offering new opportunities for developers and possibly lowering prices for consumers. It could also set a precedent for how app stores operate in the future, potentially influencing similar cases against other tech giants, such as the ongoing dispute between Epic Games and Apple over the iPhone maker's App Store policies.
"I fuc**ng hate generative AI": Procreate CEO vows never to use the technology in its products
Digital artists have praised the stance
Florida pulls the plug on digital ID app, surprising the few who used it
A 2025 relaunch is planned
GOG games can be inherited upon death, but you'll need a court order
Digital ownership remains a largely unregulated matter, even for DRM-free products
Who famously said: "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home"?
Predicting the future is hard.
Most kids want game currencies and subscriptions instead of physical titles for Christmas
Are boxed games going the way of the VHS?
Google's $5,000 Jamboard and its apps are being killed off next year
Bad luck if you bought one
Physical copies of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor require a digital download
Forget about playing the game if you don't have internet access
Four publishers are trying to destroy the Internet Archive and digital lending
World's largest digital library could be forced to shut down for good
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II disc contains just 70MB of data, requiring 150GB download
Represents a new step for console retail releases, but not PC
The Analog Embrace: How Some Experiences Are Surviving the Digital Age
Zeroes and ones were promised to be the future, a digital media has taken over, but in some situations customers are returning to analog experiences in search of something more tangible.
In Hindsight... Tech Predictions and Quotes
#ThrowBackThursday Many have tried to follow Intel co-founder Gordon Moore (of Moore's Law fame) in bringing their tech predictions into the public eye... with varying degrees of success. Every year for nearly a decade, we've revisited this TechSpot original feature to bring new quotes to your attention. Here's a taste of those now infamous quotes.
Square Enix Store ran out of game codes of Final Fantasy XIV Complete Edition
Even digital copies can sell out from time to time
Are Gray Market Game Key Sites Legit?
So you're going to buy a game from one of those no-good-gray-market key sites like G2A? Are those legit? What do developers and gamers think?
