A new report advocates that Apple and three of the “Big Four” record labels are in talks to bring DRM-free tracks to iTunes, and once and for all do away with copy protection on the world’s largest music store.

I applaud the companies for finally coming together and trying to remove draconian policies while adapting to our changing times, but this news even surprises me a bit.

To me, the larger news here’s not that Apple is trying to bring DRM-free tracks to iTunes–it needs to, thanks to Amazon.com’s DRM-free store–but rather that iTunes is an unbridled success, although DRM abounds on the service.

Any tech lover will tell you that buying songs from Amazon is preferred. After all, why would anyone want to support DRM? And even though demographic data isn’t readily available, I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say Amazon’s customers have a heavy population of individuals that are knowledgeable about tech and realize that buying copy-protected tracks only hurts us over the long term.

iTunes customers are entirely different, though. Unlike Amazon customers, I think the majority of iTunes customers are mainstream consumers that don’t possess strong tech knowledge, and they’re more concerned about convenience and impulse than doing what’s best for consumers. After all, if they really cared about what the Recording Industry Association of America is doing to us (and the artists, by the way), they wouldn’t purchase songs from iTunes, would they?

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source The Digital Home

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Rare is a developer that I desperately want to see flourish again. I know they’ve it in them to make great games, but these days, they always seem to get something wrong. When they announced that they were changing the new Banjo-Kazooie’s formula to car creation, I figured that would be the wrench thrown into the works of this particular game.

As a big fan of the original Banjo-Kazooie, I remained hopeful and was excited enough to download and play the demo right away. I found myself entranced by the game’s visuals and audio, but frustrated by the shoddy controls of the cars and the game’s apparent dependence on them. I tried very hard to enjoy the game in its entirety, but I just couldn’t. But this was not the end of the story for Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts and I. Regardless of everything that had happened in the past, I soon found myself at a checkout, exchanging my money for the full version.

Now that I’ve clocked in around ten hours with Nuts & Bolts, have my feelings changed? Are the cars as bad as everyone thought they would be? Are there still a zillion tiny doodads lying around that you have to find? I’ll tell you the answers you’re looking for, but it’ll cost you a hundred Musical Notes.

Via Destructoid

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Microsoft has come under fire before, especially from indie developers like Jonathan Blow, for the amount of restrictions and inflexibility one finds when making games for the Xbox 360. Joining the ranks of the frustrated is Weapon of Choice creator Nathan Fouts, finding himself between a rock and hard place when naming a price for his game.

“… an 800 point game ‘must’ be a great game,” explains Fouts. “Is our game long enough to warrant a 800 point price tag? … Will gamers compare Community Games to XBLA and not pay as much because there are no leaderboards or Accomplishments available? … At what price is it an impulse-buy versus a thought-out buy? … Do we price our game for our target market or focus on building a more massive fan-base? … And on and on.

“I think the most frustrating part in pricing has been the quantized price points. Microsoft does not grant for user-defined price points like 799 points or even 100 point increments like 500, 600, 700, etc. For a bigger game like Weapon of Choice, only having two options, one of which is double the first option, makes the decision difficult. I felt like we could have priced the game at 600 points and received no backlash from consumers as they compare our game to other downloadables.”

Really, any developer who considers getting into bed with Microsoft, as with any whore, needs to be aware of what diseases might be picked up. Microsoft’s rigidity has caused problems in the past and even contributed to the detriment of a game (Unreal Tournament III being a fine example). It’s a shame that MS won’t be more flexible … especially since most of the Community Games aren’t even worth 200 points.

Via Destructoid

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It’s a Quick Review Hope u like it Guys! Comment, Rate, and Subscribe FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER! http://twitter.com/drummerdudelol NOTE: i dont own this songs,The songs used on this video are for entertainment purposes only.. respecting the copyright of each song. Songs: Viva La Vida – Coldplay You Found Me – The Fray Thanks! Peace

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