Quote Originally Posted by FunkyDexter View Post
Aaaargh. I hate the way the world is moving towards selling a licence rather than the product. Maybe it's a generational thing (because most young 'uns I speak to seem perfectly happy with it) but when I buy something I like to own it, not just have the right to use it for a bit. Still, I can whinge as much as I like, if that's the way the world's going to move (and it increasingly seems like it is) then I'll be forced to follow along.

One side effect you didn't mention, what happens if my XBox breaks and I buy a replacement? Will they have some sort of channel that would allow me to transfer my licences to the new machine or will I have to buy them all over again?
I'm inclined to think that the games you buy will be tied to your xbox live account and not tied to a particular machine, meaning if your xbox 720 breaks and you buy a new one, you'll log into the new one using your ID and just have to download the games again. That's how Steam works and has been very successful for 8 years now (ever since they started getting it right). The whole no-need for the physical disc(s) anymore is one of the things I like about steam, discs tend to get scratched (or lost), plus when I do a format & clean install of my Win7 system I don't mind downloading the games each time. Most games today have patches that are so big it's like downloading the whole game anyways, the digital copy ensures when you do download it, it's already up to date.

That being said, I'm a fan of the PS3 (I originally bought it for the bluray player as well as the games) and I might get a PS4 if my PS3 dies before they make a PS5 (though my PS2 slim still runs strong.)

Long story short, other than the xbox720 not having an offline mode for single player and non-internet multiplayer games, I don't think there'll be much of an issue with it tying games to your xbox account, Steam & the Playstation Network already do that and are quite successful.