Kotaku: MS and Sony should be worried about the Steambox. Very worried.

[DankPanties]

That won't last.  Eventually, you won't "own" anything.  You'll simply rent what you want to play when you want to play it.

Oh yes, I agree with you completely.  Thus far the video game industry is going exactly as I outlined it here in 2008.  Back then people thought I was being ridiculous in my assertions.  I'd go back and and link to that thread, but it is long lost to the ether.

I have mixed feelings about digital downloads, but ultimately they aren't necessarily future proof and I have a big problem with that.  I say this because sometimes it takes 10-20 years before I get around to playing a game.  For example, the game I'm playing right now Skies Of Arcadia Legends is ten years old.  Will I still be able to go onto Xbox Live Arcade in ten years and play Shadow Complex?  Who's to say?  No one yet unfortunately.  And couple that with games that require internet verification before they will play, and things get even murkier.  Will those verification servers still be online in ten years?  Howabout twenty years from now?  Oh I do doubt it.

[Garoth Moulinoski]

What I find disturbing about e-books is that they're often just as expensive as print copies.  Really?  Really?  Come on, guys.

But yeah, the licensing stuff gets really sketchy.

The only reason I've spent money on Comixology was because they were the only ones offering the Ishinomori comics. I actually tried to find them in physical form only to realize that all I'll ever get are the Japanese versions (which is fine, practice!). The other stuff? Any comic is the same price as its physical counterpart. What's up with that? Even for $0.99, it still feels weird when you can buy games for $0.99 (they may not be worth anything sometimes, but still).

It really is an odd pricing system...

Will I still be able to go onto Xbox Live Arcade in ten years and play Shadow Complex?  Who's to say?  No one yet unfortunately.

Most likely not unless the creators release on whatever download platform exists in ten years from now.