Technology used to be a tool for society to find ways to create exciting things, or to make older discoveries more efficient. Technology used to enhance people’s lives.
However, with companies growing and becoming engorged on the patron’s dollar, slowly the name of the game has been transformed. In this new age of technology it’s all about capitalization and monopolization.
The latest example of this lack of interest in the customer’s needs is the newest Playstation system, Orbis, rumored to come out for the next Christmas season.
This addition to the gaming world is said to be a system that will change the gaming industry. However, not all of these changes will benefit the gamers themselves.
Many of the things about the system directly benefit Sony. While there will naturally be an economic benefit for the creators of systems, there should still be a counter-balance of benefits as patrons.
The new system, like its predecessor, will not be backwards compatible. In other words, all the games that you’ve purchased at ridiculous prices and enjoyed are not playable on the system.
Sony is aware of the $300-400 you spent on the last system, as well as the $30-60 you spent on each game for the old systems. It seems to be more in their interest to make you pay for your old favorites in order to play them on the system.
Another action Sony is taking that ends up indirectly hurting their customers is their plan to gun after the used – game industry.
For all you hardcore gamers out there who sell back old games to buy updated ones, those days may be numbered.
Because, for the system each game you buy, it comes with bonus downloadable content when you buy it new. This content will not be available if you buy used games. You can get some, not all, of the content you would have gotten if you bought new; however, not without another fee, of course.
There are certain actions being taken by Sony that can be beneficial when it comes to an offensive approach.
Competitiveness in any industry guarantees better products. Striving to make Playstations more appealing than, for example, Xbox is a good move.
Competition between brands is a way to guarantee a better experience for customers. Sony plans on expanding online playing options in attempt to rival the cult fan base on Xbox live with games such as Call of Duty and Halo.
However, other features of the system seem more aimed at snatching up gamers by the short hairs and monopolizing on them.
With the rapid proliferation of technology, the abuse of patrons has all but depleted. Corporations know that they have us sucked up into their system and caught us in cycles.
You buy a product, the product forces you into buying other things from the same company – as with Sony – as well as limiting the amount of product that will operate with their systems.
They hook you with one product and make it obsolete just as quickly as they promoted and sold it.
Then, they make it impossible not to upgrade by creating systems, software, and games that no longer work with what you have. The worst part of it all is that they already have you.
Once you sign for one thing, you’re in bed with them. This attack on their own customers only hurts the following they are trying to accumulate. Technology should be reoriented to serve the people once more. Companies should be thinking of how they can help us now, not how they can make us pay later.
