Well, the day has finally arrived, and... I got my OtherOS settlement for my "phat" PS3.
A whopping 10 bux. Lol.
$10.07 to be precise. Yes, there were estimates for "up to $65", but we all know estimates are hogwash.
Now, I understand that the purpose of these settlements is not to reimburse customers for damages, but to punish companies for doing stupid things. I never expected to get much, if anything at all. The amount is not what bugs me. What does bother me is that the total penalties for the issue amounts to less than 4 million, which is peanuts, and that it took a whopping 8+ years for action to be taken. Almost a decade. Wow.
Think about how long Sony kept delaying the settlement, continuously re-investing and earning profit on that money, before they had to pay up. Not only was the settlement a mere slap on the wrist, but it was even less in the end, given that investment and economic shifts means the payout is worth less over time. I wonder if Sony got to claim the settlement as a tax write-off. 8)
For anyone who knows me, you're aware I'm VERY sensitive to the issue of companies taking things away from people after purchase, or otherwise adding some kind of planned obsolescence or expiration date. We're becoming increasingly tolerant of this, consumer protection laws are breaking down, and it's happening more often. Companies think they still own and control property after selling it, and can even downgrade the product after you buy it... like what Tesla has done a few times (oh, don't even get me started about those guys).
In other news, the remastered Spyro Ignited game was also officially released. All three games on a single disc! Well, actually, only the first game is on the disc, and the other two have to be downloaded, ensuring that we have all the disadvantages of physical media and disadvantages of digital media all in one package! Isn't that great? It's nice to know there's yet another wonderful thing I won't be spending my 10 bux on.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I won't be spending my 10 bux on a shiny new upgrade for my PC, because Windows7 still suits my needs just fine, and I hear that if I upgrade enhance my experience to Windows10, my system could get wiped clean due to an "oopsie" and I'd lose all my data and my license would be accidentally deactivated and I couldn't even reinstall my system. Sweet! I suppose I could also just not buy a Mac, and thus avoid dealing with a doubly-expensive machine with that new T2 security chip which makes the system effectively unrepairable, even when using genuine 1st-party parts direct from Apple. Happy days! All this innovation is making me giddy!
I could even not put my 10 bux towards Oxygen Not Included. An offline-only game with online-only DRM and a sleazy EULA where they say they can disable the game any time they want and they don't even have to give you a reason. That includes even if you give the game a bad review or otherwise do anything legally protected under Fair Use. Sign me up!
What is the world coming to?
Call me paranoid, a worrywart, or crazy, but I miss the days when we actually owned the things we bought, and it really hurts me when people say it's "no big deal" when products die when the DRM servers go offline or updates remove features. It's a very big deal, even just on principle alone. I'd rather toss my 10 bux into the trash if it meant I could get OtherOS back.
No wonder I'm getting back into 80's computers, again. You know, back when you actually owned things and they fuckin' worked. I dread to think what's coming over the next 10-20 years.
Fight the good fight, people. Do what you can to stop the digital book burning, 'cause settlements sure as hell won't cut it.
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5 years, 4 months ago
14 Nov 2018 10:47 CET
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