DRM

Perhaps it's appropriate, given that fans first expressed their desire for Dark Souls PC with a petition, that another has already appeared imploring Namco Bandai to ditch GFWL and instead use Valve's Steamworks. More >

Microsoft's Xbox 360 successor will require a constant connection to the internet in a bid to combat piracy, according to reports. VG247 sources claim that Microsoft has "fully detailed" its new console to select thirdparties, with a view to launching in time for Christmas 2013. As previous reports have claimed, the console will use Blu-ray discs. More >

The upcoming SimCity reboot will require a constant internet connection to play, developer Maxis has confirmed. Lead designer Stone Librande confirmed to Joystiq that, while the game will be available to purchase from a number of digital distribution platforms, players will need to be constantly connected to Origin to play the game. More >

Ubisoft has confirmed that Michel Ancel platformer Rayman Origins will be released for PC on March 30. Even better news for PC owners: the digital download will only require a single activation, while the retail version will not feature Ubisoft's dreaded DRM at all More >

Like most PC games, Ubisoft titles carry a limit on the number of machines on which they can be installed. However, Guru3D has found that the limit also applies to hardware components. The site set out to perform one of its regular VGA and graphics performance analyses on the recently released Anno 2070, testing the game on two graphics cards in three different PCs. That proved impossible when, after activating the game on each rig, he switched graphics cards only to be met with an activation prompt and subsequent message that he had used his entire allocation. More >

Croteam, the Croation developer of Serious Sam 3: BFE, has a novel take on PC DRM: a super-fast, immortal pink scorpion. More >

Digital rights advocacy group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is seeking to make the "jailbreaking" of smartphones, tablets and consoles legal in the US. The group has filed exemption requests with the US Copyright Office, asking that jailbreaking - the act of bypassing a device's system security to install unsigned software - be exempt from the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA), the US law protecting copyrights online. More >

PC RPG The Witcher 2 has been illegally downloaded 4.5 million times, according to Polish developer CD Projekt. Speaking in an interview with PC Gamer, CEO and co-founder Marcin Iwinski explained that he had calculated the figure by monitoring stats on torrent sites. More >

Ubisoft says Ghost Recon Online represents a shift in thinking in its strategy to combat piracy on PC after its use of DRM was roundly criticised. The publisher's upcoming Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, due next March, will only be released on consoles. Ghost Recon Online, a free-to-play shooter that is currently in closed beta, will be exclusive to PC. More >

Bethesda Softworks has admitted that developing for the PC is a "headache" compared to consoles due to differing hardware configurations and the threat of piracy hampering sales. The PC version of the recently released Rage, developed by Id Software and published by Bethesda, was beset with issues at launch, requiring a post-launch patch to fix driver-related bugs and add advanced graphics options. At the time, Id co-founder John Carmack admitted: "Half our PC customers got a product that basically didn't work." More >

Capcom has admitted that the controversial always-on DRM it has used in recent PlayStation Network releases has had little impact, with the publisher saying it had proven "as much a hindrance as a help." More >

Rock Paper Shotgun reports that Ubisoft has fulfilled its promise to remove From Dust's always-on DRM in a patch; update the game through Steam now and play offline to your heart's content. Meanwhile, Ubisoft confirmed yesterday that the Eric Chahi god sim will finally be released for PlayStation 3 on September 14 in Europe, and September 27 in North America.