the thing I would fear, is that others will simply follow, well in this case ... Sony. Not now, but give it time, I mean Microsoft is taking the shit for it now, and Sony will be succesfull with it in the future.
Happend many times like that. At least on the PC. Someone is doing the "DRM" or what ever other garbage, takes the flack, and the others simply follow.
I find it rather worrysome how easily and how much has already changed on the PC and the consoles. All in the name of "fighting piracy". What about consumer rights though? Or userfriendlyness? I remember a time when those things have been very important as well. I would not be surprised if Microsoft is doing it really on purpose with the intention to piss of people now, but already with the next generation of hardware in mind since no one will care about it anymore at that point, they will just buy the crap. I mean imagine someone would have told you 15 years ago what games would all require today. Always online requirements, forced DRM and other crap systems. And the sadest part? The consumers goble it down, all of it. I am not saying gamers have been that different in the 80s or 90s. Consumers are sheep. They always have been. But I think the people on the top have been a bit different, feeling rather like "gamers" then "buisness" men. I guess thats why quite a few companies stoped to exist. Great game makers, bad salesman.
I am really curious where all of this will end. I mean I really see my self as "gamer" but I lost a lot of interest in many of those modern and new titles. Not because they would be bad. Many of them are quite decent. But its this DRM and forced account registration for a service I dont want nor need that really pisses me off. And in some cases if their servers stop to work, for some reason the singleplayer game you bought as well. Nice new gaming world isnt it?