In the end it's, unfortunately very likely.
Truth be told the new generation of consoles introduced something new about data protection: users are actually unable to save/store (some of) their data to not lose it.
While PS3 users (but the scenery is probably more or less the same for XBOX360 users) CAN save SOME of their game data and perform full backups etc. the truth is NOT all data is saved.
All the data linked to your own console can at one time only be in one place: your console.
What does it mean? Basically that if your console dies you just LOSE that data, that's plain and simple.
What data is that? Well copyrighted material, such as movies, some account data and some game saves that developers/publishers decided to not make back-upable.
And unfortunately it's not just a couple of games that do this, just to mention a few big names: Killzone 2, Resident Evil 5, Assassin's Creed II, Heavy Rain.
While some developers decide to ALLOW us (thanks!) to put OUR gamesaves (the time WE spent playing a game) in a safe place to make sure we'll have access to them should anything happen to your console; other decide not to.
Why it is so I don't really know, after all game saves are linked to 1 account (with a few exceptions) and I honestly believe every game developers can have programmers so smart to not allow for gamesaves to be transferred between accounts and thus exploited by users other than the one that actually played the game.
Let's face it, both XBOX360 and Playstation 3 can fail, can broke down and die unexpectedly. And whenever this happens it means for you that your console-bound data is lost for good.
Is that really so? Yes and this is why:
1- First of all SONY will not repair your broken console.
However some shops DO offer PS3 repairs but you have to be lucky that:
A- you actually live in a place where this service is offered (which isn't everywhere) ,
B- that your broken PS3 CAN actually be repaired which leads to
C- that is not either the motherboard or the HD that fails, in fact if either of the two broke you've just lost your data (obviously you lose your data if your HD fails but you also lose your data if your motherboard fails because the PS3 data is actually connected to your PS3 motherboard, should you replace your motherboard it's just like if you have a brand new PS3 and you'll be required to format your (probably perfectly functional) HD with all your data inside).
2- Because PS3 are not very likely to live forever. The fail ratio of the first XBOX360 was outstanding, however PS3 has shown is not as rock solid as many thought in the beginning.
Of course it's a brilliant piece of technology but still has its own issues and ring of death and can easily die without any "advance notice".
3- Even though update 3.15 introduced the (long overdue) ability to simply move your data from one console to another you actually need 2 working consoles to do so!
But of course you can be lucky and:
A- have a PS3 that lives forever or at least as long as you
B- switch to a new system and move your data there (and then keep being lucky with your new console).
Personally I really think this system is not going to work both Microsoft and SONY are presenting their machines as entertainment system but how many people are really going to invest their time in something that can fail them and lose their data?
XBOX360 and PS3 are not reliable as complete entertainment systems.
Are you going to make purchases of things such as songs/movies etc. on a machine that can fail you anytime rather than use other methods that are fail proof (and with fail proof I mean that they allow you to back up ALL your data into other storage media).
Unfortunately some things MUST be accepted by players... you're not going to play Killzone 2 or Heavy Rain into anything that is not a PS3 and you're not going to be able to save your data (remember this kind if data simply exist in 1 only copy at a time) but honestly this really detracts from an experience that should be just fun... having a subtle anxiety of losing all your game progress.
On the other hand this is not a smart move for developers. If they bound their games data to one console, how are people that lose their data to purchase additional content, for example?
Certainly this is makes for just a percentage of their potential buyers (those that wanted to purchase content and lost their data and don't want to just restart from the beginning) but still it's there and it's probably going to be pissed off by the fact.
On the other hand again (which makes for 3 freaky hands) I don't feel this is really very respectful on the part of developers (and maybe sooner or later it will end up not being lawful either, just wait for an attorney that want some floodlight on his/herself).
In the end being able to back-up our own progress, the time we spent playing a game, preserving the chance to going back and play that chapter again or maybe completing our trophies and thing like that should simply be a fundamental right granted to any player!
Ivy
Truth be told the new generation of consoles introduced something new about data protection: users are actually unable to save/store (some of) their data to not lose it.
While PS3 users (but the scenery is probably more or less the same for XBOX360 users) CAN save SOME of their game data and perform full backups etc. the truth is NOT all data is saved.
All the data linked to your own console can at one time only be in one place: your console.
What does it mean? Basically that if your console dies you just LOSE that data, that's plain and simple.
What data is that? Well copyrighted material, such as movies, some account data and some game saves that developers/publishers decided to not make back-upable.
And unfortunately it's not just a couple of games that do this, just to mention a few big names: Killzone 2, Resident Evil 5, Assassin's Creed II, Heavy Rain.
While some developers decide to ALLOW us (thanks!) to put OUR gamesaves (the time WE spent playing a game) in a safe place to make sure we'll have access to them should anything happen to your console; other decide not to.
Why it is so I don't really know, after all game saves are linked to 1 account (with a few exceptions) and I honestly believe every game developers can have programmers so smart to not allow for gamesaves to be transferred between accounts and thus exploited by users other than the one that actually played the game.
Let's face it, both XBOX360 and Playstation 3 can fail, can broke down and die unexpectedly. And whenever this happens it means for you that your console-bound data is lost for good.
Is that really so? Yes and this is why:
1- First of all SONY will not repair your broken console.
However some shops DO offer PS3 repairs but you have to be lucky that:
A- you actually live in a place where this service is offered (which isn't everywhere) ,
B- that your broken PS3 CAN actually be repaired which leads to
C- that is not either the motherboard or the HD that fails, in fact if either of the two broke you've just lost your data (obviously you lose your data if your HD fails but you also lose your data if your motherboard fails because the PS3 data is actually connected to your PS3 motherboard, should you replace your motherboard it's just like if you have a brand new PS3 and you'll be required to format your (probably perfectly functional) HD with all your data inside).
2- Because PS3 are not very likely to live forever. The fail ratio of the first XBOX360 was outstanding, however PS3 has shown is not as rock solid as many thought in the beginning.
Of course it's a brilliant piece of technology but still has its own issues and ring of death and can easily die without any "advance notice".
3- Even though update 3.15 introduced the (long overdue) ability to simply move your data from one console to another you actually need 2 working consoles to do so!
But of course you can be lucky and:
A- have a PS3 that lives forever or at least as long as you
B- switch to a new system and move your data there (and then keep being lucky with your new console).
Personally I really think this system is not going to work both Microsoft and SONY are presenting their machines as entertainment system but how many people are really going to invest their time in something that can fail them and lose their data?
XBOX360 and PS3 are not reliable as complete entertainment systems.
Are you going to make purchases of things such as songs/movies etc. on a machine that can fail you anytime rather than use other methods that are fail proof (and with fail proof I mean that they allow you to back up ALL your data into other storage media).
Unfortunately some things MUST be accepted by players... you're not going to play Killzone 2 or Heavy Rain into anything that is not a PS3 and you're not going to be able to save your data (remember this kind if data simply exist in 1 only copy at a time) but honestly this really detracts from an experience that should be just fun... having a subtle anxiety of losing all your game progress.
On the other hand this is not a smart move for developers. If they bound their games data to one console, how are people that lose their data to purchase additional content, for example?
Certainly this is makes for just a percentage of their potential buyers (those that wanted to purchase content and lost their data and don't want to just restart from the beginning) but still it's there and it's probably going to be pissed off by the fact.
On the other hand again (which makes for 3 freaky hands) I don't feel this is really very respectful on the part of developers (and maybe sooner or later it will end up not being lawful either, just wait for an attorney that want some floodlight on his/herself).
In the end being able to back-up our own progress, the time we spent playing a game, preserving the chance to going back and play that chapter again or maybe completing our trophies and thing like that should simply be a fundamental right granted to any player!
Ivy
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