We're all still reeling a bit from Microsoft's announcement yesterday of their policies on Always On and Used Games for the XBOne, and the internet seems justifiably concerned about this latest round in the DRM fight. Personally, I can see Microsoft's point of view in trying to make users less able to just lend out their licenses to play games, but it seems they've taken it a step further than people are prepared to follow them. Yes, PC gamers have been dealing with required installs and CD key activation for years, but not daily internet check ins to keep your computer running or byzantine rules regarding trade ins or retailer re-selling.

Which brings us to Sony, Microsoft's only real competitor in the console space (sorry Nintendo, Wii don't like U at the moment)*. While Sony has been heralded as the gamer's console this generation, we know from the previous one they have the ability to make colossal errors in judgement too**. With E3 now days away, they have not given out details of their internet requirements, if any such things exist. The decision to have the 24 hour check in requirement didn't seem to come from Microsoft, but rather pressure from publishers. Is Sony under the same pressure? If so, will the PS4 require daily check ins too?

And If that's the case, what will happen to people's opinion of the console space? Will we grin and bear it? Will we accept that online gaming is just the norm from two of the biggest brutes in this battle***? What do you guys think? After all, Microsoft has gone from being the first company to put an ethernet cable port on their console to requiring it to be online in just two generations (granted, one was among the shortest generations while the second has been the absolute longest), so what if this is the way of the future? Just a thought I needed to get out and see what people think.

*See what I did there? Huh? Huh?

**See PS3, initial prices of...

***Aliteration is amusing.