I think this is why Denuvo has been successful. Where old DRM solutions got up in your face with onerous installation procedures, installing borderline rootkits, and ridiculous activation limits, Denuvo is essentially invisible to the end-user. It's not ideal, but if developers are going to insist on shipping DRM I'll take this over what we used to deal with any day of the week.
I doubt there’s any reliable data that confirms a significant loss in sales if they launched without Denuvo and its ilk.
There's no publicly available hard data one way or the other. However the fact that publishers continue to use it while abandoning other forms of DRM suggests that there is probably some benefit.
I don't really buy the argument that the only people who pirate content are people who would never pay for it to begin with. I know too many fellow software engineers that make comfy 6-figure salaries and pirate everything they can and spend money when it's the only option.
It already played great on the Deck (Denuvo hasn't been a problem for Wine/Proton for several years), but the removal of DRM is always a win in my book.
I'd like to see this trend of publishers stripping it out of their games after a couple years continue.
Can we add a cheaper non-portable option to the wishlist? I don't like paying for a screen or battery or junky mobile controllers that I will never use.
It stops real thieves "long enough", which is why developers and publishers continue to use it. Lots of AAA games go uncracked for a year or more. The first few months or so are the most critical time for sales.
They've come a long ways since the '00s, when DRM schemes were both far more draconian and rarely effective for more than a few days.
Knowing how to do the work is most of the value here. Yes, it's easy for those of us with the knowhow, but most people do not have that.
Think of an artist who can whip up a cool drawing in about 10 minutes. It was "easy" in the moment, but only because they spent years learning and practicing the skills to make it so. You aren't entitled to that artists labor for free just because it only took them a few minutes.
Sit your average gamer down with a copy of Starfield and nvngx_dlss.dll and they won't be able to do anything useful with it.
It's great that most modders and some artists like to share their work for free with the rest of the world, but the rest of us aren't entitled to any of it.
This year I've been going out more than ever. COVID gave me a new appreciation for out-of-the-house activities and now I can't get enough of them.
Ironically, I met my current IRL social circle on discord during the pandemic. Most people in my old social circle started having kids over the last few years so I don't really spend as much time with them anymore.
Every time I've gone to move to a new place, central air has been my top priority. I refused to consider homes that relied on window units, swamp coolers, or those floor units that are basically a scam.
I live somewhere with cold winters and hot summers though, maybe I would feel different somewhere with more mild seasons.
beefcat @ beefcat @lemmy.world Posts 0Comments 309Joined 2 yr. ago
But it's not a middling game either. I'm having a blast.