Microsoft could try to make games cheaper

Aug 20, 2015 20:20 GMT  ·  By

One of the biggest reasons why companies like gaming consoles so much is that they make piracy for video games much more difficult if not outright impossible, something that the industry has wanted since the early days of its development.

Sure, there are ways to mod hardware in order to play content that was copied and not sold directly for the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4, which means that Sony and Microsoft have a clear interest to make their devices more attractive than the PC and to persuade publishers of the advantages the platforms offer.

Piracy is a smaller concern for the video game space right now, but there are still huge sums of money lost because there are plenty of gamers who are seeking to play major releases and smaller indies without paying.

Earlier in the week, a line in the End User License Agreement for Windows 10 suggested that Microsoft was reserving the right to actually deploy software that would check whether video games installed are genuine and actually block access to them if they are not.

The interpretation is an exaggeration, and the software giant would never launch such a measure because of the huge public outcry that it would generate.

But the simple fact that gamers noticed it means that piracy is still a relevant issue for many and Microsoft could do something to lessen its impact with Windows 10.

Windows 10 should offer cheaper games while delivering tough policing

In many ways, because of piracy and the impact it had, much of the PC gaming market is at the moment linked to digital distribution services, the biggest of which is Valve's Steam.

Microsoft has said that it wants to accommodate the solution and its competitors and is not interested in competing with them directly, which would be hard at the moment given the disastrous legacy of the Games of Windows Live service.

But the company does have a store front and hopes that in the future it will manage to attract a variety of publishers to the platform, although it is unclear exactly what incentives it is planning to deliver, other than the much talked about integration with the Xbox One.

A lot of PC players have long argued that the cost of video games on the platform, especially when they are offered via digital distribution, should be lower than on home consoles, and this is one area where Microsoft could make some interesting moves.

A few dollars here and there

Windows 10 might attract gamers with the improvements in performance that DirectX 12 will introduce or with the links to the Microsoft home console, but offering titles for a lower price would probably be much more effective.

The company could also try to offer more and better deals, especially for those experiences that are also coming to the Xbox One and offer cross-play.

Making gaming more accessible will also have an impact on the importance of piracy and Microsoft could argue that it is giving gamers a way to play more titles while also seeking to make sure that developers and publishers get the compensation they are owed.

It would be a hard sell for a lot of members of the audience, but a lower barrier to entry in terms of cost would be a great way to make gaming even more attractive on the PC.

Gamers don't want a company to scan their hard drive in order to detect pirated games and maybe purge them.

But they might be willing to accept that Microsoft will use Windows 10 to both make games easier to buy and push gamers to get as much original content as possible.