A Switch is just a toy anyways. Buy a different toy.
It's a trade-off, and I believe there is space for both kinds of devices. I want an unlocked Linux PC and a DRM-monopolized-by-Nintendo Switch so that I can do tinkering, when I want it, but also enjoy games without much technical fuss.
None of this would be an issue if the companies just released the server-side tools and let people host and moderate their own instances of games. This is basically how the Fediverse works and it's great. People who want to be nasty go into their little corner and everyone else in another.
Only problem is this would mean customers actually get to own the stuff they buy. Companies would rather you be the product.
Soon you would only want to play on closed/invite-only servers, since the guys that "wanted to be nasty" didn't go into their own little corners, but were glad to spoil it for everyone else. And even then the cheaters invested a lot of time and effort to sneak into closed circles to ... I don't know, simply cheat?
Guys just randomly using your key (at a point were Half-Life was really cheap and easy to come by) were also a constant annoyance.
So Valve had to do something, and this was the Steam client, cheat detection, and a constant cat and mouse game to save the experience for players and assets/investments for the developers and in effect their "platform".
Never underestimate the desire of idiots to ruin it for everyone else.
Minecraft is an example of this sort of system done right. It was so successful Microsoft had to own it.
For a device like a phone the owner's motivations can become muted, such as by a service provider functionality requirements or an employer's desires. This is similarly where the problem comes about in the discussion about side-loading.
We already know that there are many developers who wish to live on the 'nasty' side, but there is also a laziness motivation in using that side as well, it's less work for the developer.
This then becomes the ever-widening hole where consumers get brought onto the 'nasty' side blindly because that's where the market is - at the same time exposing the users to all of the 'nasty' stuff that technology was originally there to protect them from.
It's not "free for everyone". It's "free to use the software you bought and paid for in any way you see fit". I call this new concept "ownership".
While I abhor DRM, I also am averse to the potential malware lurking in there. There may be password and credit card sniffers.
I only play non-DRM and open-source games.
Imo it's more common for the "legit" copy of the software to have dodgy spyware and such in it, which is removed by the cracker.
Does anyone have any links to instances of this happening?
Here's an example of malware delivered via purportedly cracked software.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/ransomware-hits-research-facility...
Also, from the description there is, it kinda sounds like guy just googled and downloaded a random exe from internet.
Surely you understand that people who work in building games don't exactly like that attitude ;) So they might decide to release exclusively on Switch and not do a PC port, if pirate copies are plentiful on PC but rare on Switch.
BTW, I believe most of the games I've played recently are Switch-exclusive:
- Super Smash Bros.
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Wars
I am a game dev.
I bought the toy because I enjoy Zelda and Mario. I've bought every Nintendo console since the NES and will likely continue to do so because of the enjoyment I get back from it. I'm not interested in modding or downgrading or whatever.
If you are not looking for a toy to enjoy Nintendo only games with then get a Steam Deck or whatever else and mod to your hearts content.
There are countless variations of this in cars. Changing a fuel pump or ignition control module or sometimes even disconnecting a battery activates 'anti theft' features in many cars and companies frequently use the DMCA to prevent repair and maintenance without $10k/year software licenses.
Had the dealer done the repair, I could probably fight with them to get the radio fixed. But with the independent shop that did the repair, whom I feel did nothing wrong, I do not want to pressure to repair the "collateral damage" that really isn't their fault.
And the fact that they are locked down is not a bad thing. It actually made Nintendo's success. While other manufacturers had to deal with a flood of poor quality titles, Nintendo was able to set quality standards. As for the evil DRM, game publisher sometimes don't want to release games on open platforms (like PC) because of piracy.
Your car analogy doesn't hold, you don't need to change oil and wiper fluid in your consoles, consoles are essentially no maintenance and that's another good thing about them. And in fact, the most likely maintenance operation you may have to do on the Switch is changing the battery, and it is a relatively easy operation. I don't know how long my Switch will last, but consoles tend to last a really long time for consumer electronics.
Game consoles may be computers under the hood, and with hacks, you may turn them into a general purpose machines (and I have done it, it is fun). But really, they are accessories to the games. You are not "darn ignorant" because you buy a console for its intended purpose. Yes it is a toy, literally, you find it it toy stores, but why should you buy a different toy just because it may not do more than advertised?