Sony patents demos that 'erode'

[Wingman1977]

PlayStation 3 maker files patent for game demos that lose functionality as time goes on--and prompt players to buy the full version.

[cajmoyper]

Uncool.

[Wingman1977]

As a caveman in a Geico commercial would say "NOT COOL"!!!!!

[Kyo28]

Why is it uncool?

Current demos offer a part (usually one level or chapter or a couple of playable fighters) of a game so you can try it out.

Sony has patented a way to allow users access to the full game (all levels, all characters, etc) but it degrades over time, meaning you need to buy the full game if you wish to continue to play.


The way I see it, this new way offers players a chance to try out everything instead of just part of the game. I don't see the harm in that. In fact, say you have a demo of Super Street Fighter IV. With the current demo system, you would get access to two playable characters. With the new system, you can try out all characters but over time you lose access to them gradually. I'd prefer that over a more limited demo, personally, as it will allow me to get a more complete feel of the game before purchasing.

[Excalibur-king]

It is not like i want to keep the demos of games forever anyways, when i try a demo i eaither buy the full game or not simple as that and then delete the demo.

[Gamma_Winstead]

Originally Posted by Kyo28

Why is it uncool?

Current demos offer a part (usually one level or chapter or a couple of playable fighters) of a game so you can try it out.

Sony has patented a way to allow users access to the full game (all levels, all characters, etc) but it degrades over time, meaning you need to buy the full game if you wish to continue to play.


The way I see it, this new way offers players a chance to try out everything instead of just part of the game. I don't see the harm in that. In fact, say you have a demo of Super Street Fighter IV. With the current demo system, you would get access to two playable characters. With the new system, you can try out all characters but over time you lose access to them gradually. I'd prefer that over a more limited demo, personally, as it will allow me to get a more complete feel of the game before purchasing.

If you sit down and beat a game in six hours, just from the demo version, devs lose MILLIONS. How is that good.

Anyway, you read wrong. It's still a demo, but it erodes. It's not the full game.

[jamclaur]

It's lame because sometimes I play a demo but don't buy the game immediately and if I want to replay the demo to see if I still want the game it'll be gone... yet still taking up space on my HDD? #fail

Edit: Nevermind. I'm fine with the choice.

--Apparently Sony wants to change the demo paradigm. In a March 4 US Patent and Trademark Office filing uncovered by Siliconera, the company has patented the technology to make demos that lose functionality over time. The more a player plays the demo, the more features of the demo will cease working--and the more it will ask the player to buy the full version.

[McGarnigal]

No this can be good news, you could get a modern warfare online, oblivion, fallout, type game demo that is too big to confine to one level, just ends/erodes

[foots]

I don't understand why this is uncool either.

If you like the demo so much that you play it over and over and over, then go buy the game.

[Psybits]

now the gloves are off..GO Sony!! get down and dirty
woulda figured this as an M$ move

[gnash]

This won't work retro-actively, will it? I'd hate to lose my Folklore demo...

[Kyo28]

Originally Posted by gamma626

Anyway, you read wrong. It's still a demo, but it erodes. It's not the full game.

No, I don't think so. From the original patent filing:

While a user may initially experience most or all of the full version of the game in a demonstration mode, the mode implements trigger metrics to erode game play characteristics, such as character, object, event and/or environmental features, during video game play in the demonstration mode.

The part I've bolded suggests that we would get full games or at least games that are a lot more complete than current demos.

I also don't think this is a risk for game creators. Let's say a game takes 6 hours to complete. They can let the demo start eroding 2 hours into the game, so you lose enough of the full game so it becomes impossible to finish it.

[SteelPen]

Originally Posted by shaka

It is not like i want to keep the demos of games forever anyways, when i try a demo i either buy the full game or not simple as that and then delete the demo.

That's what I do!

[SoCalTiger]

Originally Posted by gnash

This won't work retro-actively, will it? I'd hate to lose my Folklore demo...

They would have to release a new build which specifically has that implemented. For that matter, the existence of the patent doesn't even mean all or most demos will do it. They are just patenting the idea. Whether they do it or not is another story.

[gnash]

Originally Posted by funsocaltiger

They would have to release a new build which specifically has that implemented. For that matter, the existence of the patent doesn't even mean all or most demos will do it. They are just patenting the idea. Whether they do it or not is another story.

I know, I know. I was being facetious....but seriously, it won't erase it, right?

[SoCalTiger]

Originally Posted by gnash

I know, I know. I was being facetious....but seriously, it won't erase it, right?

[Psybits]

Originally Posted by Kyo28

No, I don't think so. From the original patent filing:

The part I've bolded suggests that we would get full games or at least games that are a lot more complete than current demos.

I also don't think this is a risk for game creators. Let's say a game takes 6 hours to complete. They can let the demo start eroding 2 hours into the game, so you lose enough of the full game so it becomes impossible to finish it.

Think I read something like this before, like they would let you try out the full game but it would lock out an hour after you started irregardless of how far you got through the game

[Toptube]

Originally Posted by foots

I don't understand why this is uncool either.

If you like the demo so much that you play it over and over and over, then go buy the game.

Some demos are complete enough that people may not need to buy the full game to get a great experience.

I played the BF2 demo for 3 months before I finally went and bought the game. with BF1943 having just 3 maps-----people would be just fine playing a single map demo of say----Arica Harbor, forever.

Sports games. Many demos for sports games will let you play an entire hockey match or whatever. That may be enough for someone to casually play several times without needing the full game.


This is why there isn't a demo up right now for BC2. They gave us plenty of time to sample, now they want us to go buy it. These eroding demos are an attempt at finding a way to provide a demo (which some people demand) but not allow the player to stay with the demo indefinitely. It also builds hype for the demos, since they are a "new" type.

[MotionBlurr]

This is good if you want to rent the game for a week or so and then after that it just stops working. Its okay if they sell it at a lower price than the version that you keep forever.

Or after you beat the game once it might trigger a code that will destroy the game code so you can't trade it in.

This might be a way for developers to stop people trading in games because it hurts the developers.

[Shin-Ra]

Especially nice if a demo save can transfer to the full game.

Needs to be super SUPER clear about what's getting locked down for demo reasons and for that reason I can't see them implementing the gameplay changing weapons break, get weaker etc idea. Mostly obvious content lockdowns.