DRM

Good Old Games is no longer Good Old Games. Whether that's a good or bad thing is something its users are still coming to terms with. GOG, which now just stands for GOG, has opened its doors wide not just to newer titles but to other PC games distribution platforms that don't really mesh well with its philosophy. The latter has mostly come via integration with its Galaxy 2.0 launcher to have one place to see all your games. The latest to join that rather small group is Epic Games and, unsurprisingly, not everyone is gushing over the announcement.

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It has been a while since the class of technologies known as DRM or Digital Rights Management has been the focus on contention but the news surrounding Netflix's sudden withdrawal from some devices could put it back in the spotlight. It's only semi-official, considering Netflix has not yet issued a formal explanation, but it seems that affected devices are unable to keep up with such DRM systems, practically locking them out of the streaming service for good.

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A small but significant change was made to the Play Store this week, and it affects all Android apps. Google is now adding a "small" string of security metadata to all Android APKs, which is designed to ensure the apps are authentic and have come from the Play Store or other approved source. In other words, it's DRM (digital rights management), but Google's intent is to improve the security of the Android platform by making it harder for fraudulent apps or those with malicious code to be installed.

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The recently released adventure-puzzle game Rime has brought light to the subject of DRM and anti-piracy software this last week. Shortly after release, those playing the PC version began complaining about noticeable performance issues with the game as a result of the Denuvo software, which checks to make sure the DRM is still intact. Rime's makers then promised to remove the software if it was cracked. Now, only five days later, they're keeping their word.

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Smurfs 2 might not be a memorable film, but it would probably go down in history in a notorious way. And not through any fault of its own, mind you. Almost comically, the film will be remembered in the piracy scene as the first title to have an Ultra HD, some would (incorrectly) call it 4K, copy ripped from a supposedly tightly protected UHD Blu-Ray Disc. In other words, the age of UHD BR piracy might be at hand.

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As of last week, the Sega Saturn turned 21 years old, at least if you start counting from its EU release. Although it enjoyed an initial surge of popularity, the Saturn was quickly left by the wayside in the console wars that left only three companies standing. Like any old, obsolete console, the Sega Saturn has its own share of loyal fans. Now those fans can take their consoles out of storage. At long last, the Sega Saturn's DRM has finally been cracked and the console can finally load and play games off a USB stick instead of a CD.

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DRM, or Digital Rights Management (some call it Digital Restrictions Management), is a class of technologies and software aimed to protect copyrighted material from unauthorized access, a.k.a. piracy. But what if that DRM itself is guilty of helping pirates do exactly that? That is somewhat the position Google is finding itself in when the DRM technology it uses in its Chrome browser has been found to have a bug that actually makes it easier to lift encrypted videos streamed from the likes of Netflix or Amazon Prime and spread them around illegally.

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Back in May, Oculus adopted the controversial position of implementing DRM for games developed for its Rift virtual reality headset, preventing them from being played on the rival HTC Vive hardware. This was very frustrating for VR enthusiasts and developers alike, as the industry is only beginning to take off, and the fear was that locking down games and platforms this early would hinder consumer adoption. Fortunately Oculus has backtracked, removing the DRM that prevented Vive compatibility.

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One of the nice things about PC gaming is the fact that over time you can upgrade your system piece-by-piece, in order to achieve better performance. This means faster load times, better graphics, and higher resolutions. Unfortunately, it also means heavy-handed DRM that can lock you out of your favorite games.

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Today we're having a peek at a game that we'd love to see come to fruition: X-Wing vs TIE-Fighter (modern). This new game would be one that builds on the excellence that were the first X-Wing and TIE-fighter games, coming correct with not only new graphics, but fully updated gaming models, including multi-screen interaction and the possibility of virtual reality gameplay. Now that you can get the original games after 20 years (now released through GOG, completely DRM-free and offline if you wish), we've got a hankering to get back in the cockpit.

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It's not time to panic just yet, but there could one day be a fundamental change to the JPEG image format that would have a significant impact on the way we view and use images on the web. The committee behind the format, the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), is now holding discussions on the topic of privacy and security, and considering the idea of bringing digital rights management (DRM) to the popular image type.

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Keurig’s K-Cups are a strange phenomenon in tech and coffee. Reviled by their creator, their DRM circumvented by creative coffee lovers, K-Cups stand as a necessary evil for many. Keurig’s reasoning for DRM K-Cups was control; they wanted to control the hardware, content, and output. As consumers grow weary of the games Keurig plays, sales are starting to take a hit (always the surest sign a company will re-position themselves). In their most recent earnings call, Keurig CEO says a fan favorite, refillable K-Cups, are coming back.

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