Ownership isn't what it used to be

[VideoGameCritic]

This Slashdot article caught my attention:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/16/04/06 ... e#comments

It seems like today both hardware and software have a lot of strings attached.

[ptdebate]

I've always thought the best way to address software ownership concerns is to manually create and maintain backups. It doesn't work in every situation, but for most software you're covered. Sometimes it requires thinking outside the box that industries have created.

[scotland]

Some devices of mine needed mandatory firmware updates recently. Usually, the device would not have been bricked without the FW update, but it would lose features, such as continued access to online stores or playing more recent games.

The retro gamers a decade from now may have to be aware of firmware versions in buying older long discontinued hardware.

[VideoGameCritic]

For modern console updates (Wii U/PS4,XB1) they usually tell you the update is mandatory unless you stick to playing offline. I think that's fair, but I wonder if that option is even going to be around much longer.

[Hardcore Sadism]

Probably will continue that notification if they want physical copies to sell at all, I know those who've gone full digital for their music, e-books, and audio books but keep their physical PS2 and Xbox copies. Digital is still being pushed and even forced, but an iota of preservation is still there.

[Red Clash]

Some devices of mine needed mandatory firmware updates recently. Usually, the device would not have been bricked without the FW update, but it would lose features, such as continued access to online stores or playing more recent games.

The retro gamers a decade from now may have to be aware of firmware versions in buying older long discontinued hardware.

The same DLC and multiplayer servers that will be (not if- WHEN) taken down in the not so distant future are the same ones that run the online services and push the updates onto consoles. The update servers themselves will not long survive the others. All any retrogamer enthusiasts have to do is ride out the storm of required updates and wait until the update servers are themselves taken down. It'll be as if there never were any such servers in the first place if one waits long enough. Simply buying a console new and never connecting it in the first place will accomplish this.

[VideoGameCritic]

Red Clash,
Unfortunately it's not that simple. Consoles like the PS4 require an initial update just to work. My PS3 stopped playing Blu Rays because it tells me I need to update me encryption key by doing a system update. The problem is, I can no longer update the system. I think Sony stopped supporting that.
VGC

[Sonicx9]

Red Clash,
Unfortunately it's not that simple. Consoles like the PS4 require an initial update just to work. My PS3 stopped playing Blu Rays because it tells me I need to update me encryption key by doing a system update. The problem is, I can no longer update the system. I think Sony stopped supporting that.
VGC

Critic, here is the latest PS3 system update on Sony main website, and you can use a USB to get it.: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/suppo ... dates/ps3/

[Atariboy]

The problem is, I can no longer update the system. I think Sony stopped supporting that.

Stopped supporting what?

The PS3's online network certainly is alive and well and will be for years to come. No matter how old and out of date your console is, you should have no problems updating it to the latest firmware level. I recently updated one that had been offline since 2010 for instance, which took a long time but worked just fine. So you should have no issues performing a system update and getting the latest firmware that will again unlock support for Blu-Ray's.

If you literally can't connect to the internet any longer, how are you trying to connect? Your system's wifi module or ethernet port may be dead, so you should try the alternate option from what you were attempting to connect with the last time.

[VideoGameCritic]

I can put my PS3 online but can't seem to pull down an update. I get some kind of crazy error message with a bunch of random numbers in it.