Forum Overview :: Gamerasutra :: Re: Forbes hits the highlights of why this was terrible

[quote name="Jerry Whorebach"][quote name="<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/05/27/the-five-biggest-problems-with-the-xbox-one/">Erik Kain</a>"]In the long-run, I still think that a move to digital distribution will benefit consumers. As a consumer of other types of media (and digital distribution on PC) I believe I have benefited from this, whether it’s streaming music services like Rhapsody or the rise of eBooks.[/quote] While I agree it's true that digital distribution is a benefit to society, I'm still not convinced commercial digital distribution is the ideal format. To my mind, the most truly consumer-friendly system is and will likely remain a combination of physical ownership with virtual lending. I've never paid to download an e-book, but I've bought plenty of printed works I was introduced to through community-run sharing networks (and, according to <a href="http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2013/05/pirates-spend-300-more-on-content-than-the-rest-of-us-do/">this</a> recent Ofcom study, apparently that pattern of behaviour is more the norm than the exception). The future I want to see isn't one of virtual bookstores, it's one of physical bookstores (small businesses employing unskilled labour) combined with virtual lending libraries (cheap, accessible public education). That sounds totally realistic and doable, right?[/quote]