The anti-poverty policies of Microsoft are simply astounding. I only Sony doesn`t follow suit.
I live in Mexico. And I`d like to speak for every gamer living in a country that isn`t as widely developed as the US, Japan, and most European nations.
There are plenty of places where gaming is very popular, retail and used, where internet service is completely unreliable. I`ve had periods (living in one of the biggest cities in the world) where I`ve lost my connection for 2 to 3 weeks at a time. Now game console makers want to punish me for not living in the right country?
It`s easy for people to look around at their modern societies and think, "Well it`s 2013. If you don`t have a broadband connection, get with the times bro!" Excuse me, but the world is not that simple. Every country has internet that functions differently, run by different companies. Some residential areas in this country are STILL waiting for internet service to even become available, signing petitions to get the companies out there because it isn`t seen as economically viable to provide it out there.
The majority of people I know don`t even own credit cards. Many of them don`t have bank accounts. But they`re still members of a modern society. This country has large tech plaza`s full of gaming areas where people play console games. And there is NO internet connection in these places. I guess we can just tell all my friends who work downtown to look for a new job.
How about those families all over the world that go through tough financial times? Life is unpredictable. When console prices come down in a few years, and a minimum wage family can buy an Xbox One for their kid for Christmas to make him happy, are we to punish that family and child because they have a bad month and can`t pay the internet bill? If the cat knocks the modem off the wall and it breaks, are gamers forced to not play while they wait for repair service?
And how will this affect the rental system? If publishers are allowed to lock their games from being lent, or requiring charges to be paid just to play a game that`s been installed already, we are only punishing the poorest gamers who can`t afford to pay over $100 for a new game. Yes, in Mexico, retail games sell for $90 to $110 US dollars. While living costs such as rent and utilities are much lower. It`s already hard enough to be a gamer in many countries. Now we`re just gonna make it harder.
We should all be offended as gamers and consumers in general.