In Hungary, most banks offer this. I've had this for at least 6 years now. Not only with visa, but with all cards. Danm convenient and good thing.
I must say though, most cards here are direct debit, not credit cards.
So yeah, nothing new. Just one step higher in the supply chain.
The only thing that can void this is that in some countries - like the UK - POS terminals don't actually charge the card if it is only a very small ammount. They are faster this way, plus "you probably have more than enough to spend that much" if you have a card. So slower card processing for the quick buyers.
Remember the case of the shift-key-DRM-"hack"? When the DRM was only a program that was in the CD's autorun.inf and if you disabled autorun feature, DRM was circumvented?
Following the ambiguous second meaning, this would illegalize any and all keyboards as well as changing that registry value in windows, etc etc....
This is ... well, I wanted to say hilarious, but since I was planning to buy it, I'd say sad indeed.
First, I have a number of old games (like one mentioned Deus Ex) that I like to just dig up and play with. Hell, I can't count the times I installed, played, then uninstalled Albion, Fallout 1-2, Max Payne 1-2, Starcraft, Broken Sword 1-2, Dungeon Keeper, Imperium Galactica 1-2... just to name a few in my sight. I have them all in original, and thankfully not limited to only 5 PCs and 5 reinstalls. Mind you, I changed mine more than that from the time I first opened any of these.
Second, a single player game with a rootkit and mandatory internet activation. Again, when the crack comes out -because as with all before it, it is not the question of if, but when - the very same thing happens: those who bought are suckered, those who download and crack it laugh.
So... before this misery, this copy protection started, I knew I paid because the studio earned it, by making a great game and not kicking me in the pants. Now? There are some companies that caught up with this, and patched their game to be non-CP (eg: X3) or didn't even use it to begin with (Oblivion).
All in all, we are _NOT_ delivered from DRM hell, just tossed a tiny bit further from the center of it.
It's weak and so far, needs quite some work to be more than a research project. As far as I know, it can pump out only miniscule ammount of charge. Without actual stronger amperage, it is of no use, especially for things like a laptop.
10 posts • joined Wednesday 22nd August 2007 14:46 GMT
Been there, done that
In Hungary, most banks offer this. I've had this for at least 6 years now. Not only with visa, but with all cards. Danm convenient and good thing.
I must say though, most cards here are direct debit, not credit cards.
So yeah, nothing new. Just one step higher in the supply chain.
The only thing that can void this is that in some countries - like the UK - POS terminals don't actually charge the card if it is only a very small ammount. They are faster this way, plus "you probably have more than enough to spend that much" if you have a card. So slower card processing for the quick buyers.
Hey guys
Let's begin a religion that holds the following doctrine:
1. Anything that any other religion finds blaspheming is OK.
2. Everything else is grossly blaspheming for us.
re: Pro?
Please, every VGA card group (for the last oh-so-many-years) had their "pro" members, why no for a console?
in other news
If you ever catch even a glimpse of a kid naked - be it your own, or even your own photo - you must be pedo!
re: wash their own [culture] away?
Well, in Hungary, we have millia'rd, (for 10^9), billio' (10^12), etc... nice start to mix up zeroes in every translated thing...
RIP
Even the greatest have to leave sometime....
for any and all DRM?
Remember the case of the shift-key-DRM-"hack"? When the DRM was only a program that was in the CD's autorun.inf and if you disabled autorun feature, DRM was circumvented?
Following the ambiguous second meaning, this would illegalize any and all keyboards as well as changing that registry value in windows, etc etc....
Re: Nothing new here
Maybe, but there is a couple of magnitudes difference between the number of people buying a VGA and an add-on processor board.
5-by-5?
This is ... well, I wanted to say hilarious, but since I was planning to buy it, I'd say sad indeed.
First, I have a number of old games (like one mentioned Deus Ex) that I like to just dig up and play with. Hell, I can't count the times I installed, played, then uninstalled Albion, Fallout 1-2, Max Payne 1-2, Starcraft, Broken Sword 1-2, Dungeon Keeper, Imperium Galactica 1-2... just to name a few in my sight. I have them all in original, and thankfully not limited to only 5 PCs and 5 reinstalls. Mind you, I changed mine more than that from the time I first opened any of these.
Second, a single player game with a rootkit and mandatory internet activation. Again, when the crack comes out -because as with all before it, it is not the question of if, but when - the very same thing happens: those who bought are suckered, those who download and crack it laugh.
So... before this misery, this copy protection started, I knew I paid because the studio earned it, by making a great game and not kicking me in the pants. Now? There are some companies that caught up with this, and patched their game to be non-CP (eg: X3) or didn't even use it to begin with (Oblivion).
All in all, we are _NOT_ delivered from DRM hell, just tossed a tiny bit further from the center of it.
on Paper battery
It's weak and so far, needs quite some work to be more than a research project. As far as I know, it can pump out only miniscule ammount of charge. Without actual stronger amperage, it is of no use, especially for things like a laptop.