Invasive DRM is BAD for customers and therefore BAD for companies

I argue that DRM is BAD for companies and BAD for customers, and it is only good for pirates and for DRM companies.

Let's assume you can afford buying the game, and you are willing to pay for it being a conscious gamer knowing how important it is to support the developers. What would you do in the following scenarios?

1st Scenario:
Game does not have DRM for single-player, or LAN multiplayer. For Internet multiplayer, you need to register your key. You can install it as many times as you want, whenever and wherever. Pirated version is the same, except that you will not be able to install the patches as they come out and you will not be able to play online (at least with legit users, which is likely going to be the majority of online players).

2nd Scenario:
Game has non-intrusive DRM, such as a one-time activation within a couple of days of installing it, or a key or a disk-check. The pirated version does not require typing a key, or keeping a disk in the drive, but you will not be able to install the patches as they come out and you will not be able to play online (at least with legit users, which is likely going to be the majority of online players).

3rd Scenario:
Game publisher treats you as a thief, keeping the leash short and tight. You cannot install the game that you paid for more than a certain number of times. You need to activate each copy you installed before you can launch it. They keep your game-saves hostage on their own servers, which are also required to even play the game, and these servers are likely to go down for hours, let it be scheduled maintenance or unexpected down time. You are more likely to end up not being able to install and play the game that you paid for, whenever and wherever you want. A few years after your purchase, the company may close its doors, together with its activation/savegame servers, and you will loose your game and all your savegames. The pirated version can be installed anytime, anywhere. It does not require an online connection, so you can play offline (e.g., during a long flight), and it saves the games to your local disk, therefore you can back up your savegames, and if you reinstall the game to a new computer that you purchase in the future, you can restore your savegames and continue playing. The pirated game is always yours to keep and install and play whenever and wherever, even if the company is no more. However, you may need to wait for a bit when a patch is released, until someone releases a cracked version, and you will need to look for non-official servers that support this copy to play online, which may be a bit painful.

I don't think you need to be a genius to be able to tell in which case you'd say "enough is enough, f this", and go for an illegitimate copy, even if you want to get the original copy and support the developers. Everything in moderation! I know that there are game developers that sell their games without ANY DRM (Scenario 1), and they still DO sell enough to make a living. I also understand that a company would like to use a non-intrusive DRM, at least to keep the "casual" pirates straight (Scenario 2). As long as I can install and play the game wherever and whenever I want, it's ok with me. But intrusive-DRMs (Scenario 3) that TRY to prevent hardcore pirates from doing what they do, DO fail anyway, and this leaves them as being only a PITA for the people who actually paid for the game. Frankly, pirated versions of games with such intrusive DRMs tend to be relatively more hassle-free than the original game!!! So, would you like to pay to be harassed by an invasive-DRM and potentially loose your game and savegames in the future, or would you rather go for a smoother free ride instead, even though you know that you will not be supporting the company that brought you that game. Then again, do you really WANT to support such a company? A-ha!

And if you do not have the funds to pay for the game, you will not buy the game no matter what, so the developers are indeed will NOT be loosing money if you played a pirated copy. Yes, ethically you should not be playing a game that you cannot afford, but I think in this case letting such a person play a pirated copy is a future investment for the company, since the gamer would get to like this company's games and therefore the company, and when s/he has the money in the future, will be willing to spend it to support them. Because the alternative is that, not being able to play games, they may not become gamers and therefore will not buy games when they have the money to be able to do so. Yes, I know this sounds unbelievably unrealistic and idealistic, but believe me, it is real! Only if the idiotic company-heads could see it, too, instead of listening to the unrealistic and made-up stories told to them by DRM representatives!

The funny thing is, this is nothing but history repeating itself. This already happened in music industry. They said pirates were pirating music so they used DRM. It did NOT work (actually failed miserably). They do not use DRM anymore, and somehow they still make money. Hmmm; interesting. So, what happened to all those pirates that were stealing their music and preventing them from making money?

The fact is that, MOST of the people are nice people, who are aware of importance of supporting the source of their entertainment, let it be music, or movies, or games. This means, majority of the people who are willing to pay for an entertainment medium will do so, whether it has DRM or not, and more likely if NOT!

So, the bottom line is, assuming conscientious gamers are present in our society (which they DO)
No DRM = Good for gamers = Good for developers/publishers, BAD for pirates and BAD for DRM companies
Mild DRM = OK for gamers in most cases = OK for developers/publishers, OK for pirates and still good for DRM companies
Intrusive DRM = Horrible for gamers = BAD for developers/publishers! = GOOD for pirates, good for DRM companies

Novint Falcon Review - Episode 4: First hands-on experience and first impressions

Obviously, the first thing you're going to do is comparing your Falcon to your mouse. While you're going to do that keep one thing in your mind: You most probably have been using your mouse for a considerably long time, and by now it is more like an extension of your hand rather than a computer input device. Your brain is already wired for using a mouse, which means that while you are using a mouse, you don't need to think about what motor action you need to do with your hand to do what you want to do on the computer screen. In other words, using a mouse has essentially become a motor reflex, and you have perfect hand-eye coordination while using a mouse. Before you can use your Falcon as well as your mouse, you'll need to go through motor-learning once again. This may indeed be harder than learning how to use a mouse for the first time, not because a Falcon is harder to use, but because there is going to be some level of negative interference coming from knowing how to use a mouse. Therefore, give your Falcon, and yourself, a chance by using it for a (long?) while before setting it aside to collect dust (or throwing it away, or selling it on eBay, or converting it to a plant pot, or whatever else you choose to do to it); it’s only fair.

It is easy to see that the size of Falcon is huge compared to a mouse. Yet, you should remember that when you're using a mouse, you're probably using it on a mouse pad which takes up considerable space on your desktop, particularly if you are using it in a landscape position (I use mine in portrait, so it takes a little less than that). When you compare the footprint of a standard-sized mouse pad (used in landscape) to the footprint of Falcon, you'll see that the latter is only slightly larger than the former. Therefore, you shouldn't have much trouble finding space for your Falcon, unless your desk space is severely cramped.

When you place your Falcon onto your desk, it will not take you long before you realize the ergonomics nightmare that you're about to go through. All computer desks are designed for a keyboard and mouse combo, which are used on the same plane, whereas the default center position of the ball-handle of a Falcon is raised. I tried raising my chair to level my arm with the handle of the Falcon, but as you can guess, this was uncomfortable for using the keyboard, or resting your feet comfortably on the floor. If you try only raising the right armrest of the chair (assuming that you're using your Falcon with your right hand), then your right shoulder will end up in an awkward and uncomfortable position. It seems like the only possible solution is to design and build a keyboard/Falcon tray as seen in the picture below.



However, think twice before converting your desk space, since it is unlikely that you will be replacing your Falcon with your mouse for good. Considering this, a convertible solution (i.e., the height of the right side of your keyboard/mouse tray can be adjusted to be moved down to place the Falcon on, or kept level with the keyboard to place your mouse on) would be a much better choice. And if you're such a crafty person who can design and produce such a desk tray, please contact me, so that, I can place an order :). I don't know if it would be viable to do so, but I suggest that Novint should design and sell such a solution, just like the companies which make force feedback wheels also sell mounts for them (see this link for an example).

The other problem with Falcon’s ergonomics is the size and shape of its default handle: A small sphere. Seems like there simply isn't a comfortable holding position for this grip. Extended use does not look promising, but it may also just be an issue of adapting to this new way of keeping/using my hand. Moreover, the placement of the buttons isn't the best. All the buttons are placed on top of the ball. Unlike a mouse where you can use two of your fingers to trigger two different buttons, on the default ball grip of Falcon, you can only use one of your fingers (most likely your thumb) to trigger all four buttons. Besides the speed concerns (in this way, it's slower to use a Falcon, compared to a mouse), current placement of the buttons poses another problem: What are you going to do when you need to press two of the buttons at the same time (as in the Arcade roller game provided in NMB)? If you have fat fingers like I do, you may be able to press the center button and tilt your finger left or right to do a double press, assuming that one of the buttons that you need to press is the center button. But if your fingers are small and slim (like my wife’s), or the center button is not one of the two buttons that you need to press simultaneously, then there is no way you can press two buttons at the same time. I think it would have been better if they placed one of the buttons at the bottom left, where the tip of your index finger would be while you're holding this small sphere.

Having a handle that fits the shape of your hand better and hangs lower than the center position of the Falcon, I'm hoping that the recently released pistol grip will provide a much more ergonomic solution (which is going to set you an additional $20+SH back), circumventing all of the problems associated with the default ball grip.

If you haven't tried Falcon in a retail store before purchasing it, after installation, most likely the first thing you're going to do will be going through the tutorial in N VeNT, and experiencing your first WOW moment. After this, instead of trying the standalone games listed in the main menu of N VeNT, I recommend launching Newton’s Monkey Business (NMB), and trying the games in there. Unfortunately, you can only try six games at a time, and none of the games is a looker, but bear with them, and you’ll have experienced many of the force effects Falcon can simulate. Indeed, NMB games are more of a tech-demo collection for Falcon rather than real games I would say (at least for an adult, kids may be another story). Without spoiling too much, besides the force feedback effects Falcon can pull-off, you will also experience creative and clever uses of these forces, such as forming a springy-controller during racing games.

I will write about the games played with a Falcon in the upcoming episode of my review. But I want to mention three common things that I realized when I was playing FPSs. The first one was that, although I've been playing FPSs with a mouse for a long while, looks like I'm getting a little motion sick when I play them with my Falcon. I'm guessing that the reason is how you turn in the game by using your Falcon, which is more like a joystick rather than a mouse. While you are using your mouse to turn, it is a fast movement (at least that's how I adjust the sensitivity of my mouse when I'm playing). While you're turning with your Falcon, when you reach the end of Falcon’s movement space, if you keep the Falcon at that position, you will keep turning in that direction. The difference compared to a mouse, and the problem, was that, until you get used to pushing the Falcon even further in that direction to speed up your turning, your turn will take some time creating a constant motion on your screen in one direction. I think this was what made me motion sick. I'm hoping that I will get used to turning faster with my Falcon, and this will get rid of my motion sickness problem. The second thing common to all FPSs is that, after some playtime I found out that I was right about the default ball-grip’s uncomfortable position. If you use the default grip, upon extended use (that is several hours), you will most likely end up with a wrist pain; like I did. I'm looking forward to receiving my pistol grip which is on its way to me as I write this. As I wrote above, hopefully, this much more ergonomic grip will circumvent this problem. The third thing is that, so far, my experience is such that the precision of Falcon cannot match a mouse’s. If you're trying to aim a target which is far (i.e., it’s very small), you may have problems acquiring the aim you're seeking. Although I can use my mouse (which, by the way, I use mostly at 800 dpi, despite the fact that it has 2000 dpi maximum resolution) with a deadly accuracy, aiming with a Falcon, even in the absence of any force-feedback, didn't have the pinpoint accuracy of the mouse. Obviously, the problem may not be the Falcon per se, but my lack of experience using it. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing the real answer right now, before many more hours of game play and practice with my Falcon.

After reading so far, you may be thinking that I find Falcon very problematic and I didn't like it at all. Yet, this can't be further than the truth. As I stated at the very beginning, being used to using a mouse for so many years, I don't think that the first time you use your Falcon is expected to be a smooth ride. Therefore, I wrote about my experience as it was, thinking that you’ll probably go through a similar experience, and wanted give you a heads up about what to expect. As I stated above several times, some of the “problems” that I stated above may simply be the results of my inexperience in using a Falcon, and they may go away once I master its use. Also keep in mind that Novint takes user-feedback very seriously, and they improve Falcon every passing day both as hardware (more grips, cosmetic changes, etc.) and software (more supported games, better drivers, etc.), and as a result, one should expect that the Falcon experience will only get better in time. In addition, I don't believe that there is anything perfect in life, and obviously this also applies to gaming peripherals. A Falcon may be slightly larger, less accurate, and more straining to your hand with its default grip than a mouse, but in my opinion, it's force feedback and touch features combined with its ability to move in real three dimensional space easily cancels out these disadvantages, if not overweighs them. Ultimately, all we gamers always look for ways to feel more "there" when we're playing a game, and Falcon is certainly one step ahead of your trusty mouse in making that happen.

Check back for the next episode of my Falcon review: More hands-on time and games with Falcon.

Novint Falcon Review - Episode 3: Installation

The first thing during installation of any hardware should be to get the latest drivers from the manufacturer's web site; so that's what I did. You'll see that, when you click a file download link on a Novint web page, for some reason, their files are not located at Novint's own web site, but at a file-sharing service. Looks like you cannot directly go to these pages by copying and pasting the URL, but you actually need to go to Novint's site first, and follow a link from there (sorry for the camera-shot screenshot). I don't remember seeing this kind of approach in any manufacturer's web site, and, I may be 'a little' paranoiac, but it doesn't feel as secure as getting it directly from the original site.



The download was quick, and the driver installation proceeded without any problems (as it should be).


The second installation package you need is N VeNT. This is Novint's front-end to their so called "Platform". It comes with tutorials and some low-end games to show what Falcon can do (as an adult, you may also refer to them as tech-demos or concept code. For kids, it may be endless fun; not that I have children and I know by experience). I knew from following their message boards that a new version of N VeNT was also released, and therefore, as I did for the drivers, I did not even look at the disk that came with the Falcon, and instead directly went to their web site to download the "latest version(!)".



40 minutes download? Well, clearly, after waiting for more than a year, I am not going to wait 40 more minutes to play with my new toy :), so I opened the disk that came with Falcon, and proceeded to installation of N VeNT.



After some downloading, now there's 50 minutes to completion of the 'new version'?!? Not waiting is looking like a good decision.
And finally, installation is complete. Still 26 minutes to go for the download. That can continue in the background, while I take my Falcon for a test-flight.



Or, maybe not!




What is funny is that, as you see these messages on the screen, you can control the pointer with your Falcon just fine!
What is NOT funny is that these errors are not uncommon! Looks like Novint coders have some homework to do. Usually, if you quit N VeNT and run it again, it works.


Another bug in N VeNT is that, every so often, it gets stuck while it's "loading your selections". Once again, restarting the application usually solves the problem. Nevertheless, it's very annoying when these happen.



Meanwhile, my download was completed, and I extracted the ISO file to a folder to install 'the new version' of N VeNT. What do you know, the version that took maybe more than an hour to download was the same as the version that came out of the disk!

When you run N VeNT, it gives the option to check for updates (more on this in a later episode). Not being able to download the latest version of N VeNT (or the incremental patch file) directly from Novint's web site, I had to use this built-in update functionality to update N VeNT to its latest version. I personally like downloading patches separately, in case I may need to install them again. This saves me from downloading (and waiting for) the updates multiple times. With N VeNT, you don't have this option. So, here we go, more downloading and waiting...



After finally completing updating N VeNT, I launched and went through the tutorial, playing the, now infamous, touching balls with different textures (no! don't go there! >:>).
Following that, I tried the included free games. Many of them are in a package referred to as Newton's Monkey Business, or NMB for short. For whatever reason, you can choose only six of the NMB games each time you run. The games you choose will show as below. Try not to be confused with confusing bugs as seen in the below screenshot, just enjoy the games. :)



I have to admit, some of NMB games are fun, even for an adult. But only for a short while. After you shoot a dozen arrows/ducks and roll some bowling/arcade balls, you feel like moving on, and quickly.

So, I decided to move to Penumbra games, which are the games I was really looking forward to playing with a Falcon. Currently, there are two episodes available in Penumbra series: Overture and Black Plague. These games are available on the market as two versions: The regular version is played by using a mouse, and the HaptX Editions have Falcon support. You can buy them as a bundled package from Novint's site for a very reasonable price, and download them by following the link which will be sent to you in your order acknowledgment e-mail. The copy protection requires the registration of the game, and it locks the copy that you installed onto the machine that the game is installed by creating a hardware-ID number (probably generated from your system-info that they can get through the browser). First of all, as many people do, I hate being treated as a thief, and second, what if the company bites the dust and takes the registration servers down with them? Luckily, the company is still alive, so you can register your game, and play it. Good luck doing that, by the way!



After a manual registration, which is done by using you brower and going to the company's registration web site directly, I finally ran the game, and yes, playing such a game with Falcon is a brand new experience, and almost well worth the trouble that I needed to go through to get to this point. Almost is the keyword here, as a product should work out of the box as expected, period. After paying more than $100 for a game controller, you shouldn't need to go through so many hoops, getting annoyed little by little with each bug and error towards getting frustrated. You should be able to install your brand-new Falcon without encountering problems at each and every step (ok ok, there wasn't a problem during driver installation step), and enjoy using it. I am sure that Novint is hard at work solving these nagging issues (none of them are deal-breakers), and we'll receive updates on a regular basis, bringing the Falcon experience to the level that a consumer expects (which is not bug-free, but not annoying). Until then, the users like myself who are called 'early adopters' will be going through these bugs, and helping Novint with our feedback in creating the best customer experience. Any early adopter knows that this is the price that you pay for being at the cutting-edge of technology, not matter how much you pay for it (try buying a high-end GPU immediately upon release, and you'll understand what I mean in no time!).



You've seen what happened during software part of a Falcon installation. Now, it's time for a flashback, to see what happened on the hardware side while I was connecting my Falcon to my computer:

Falcon lighting-up for the first time. Falcon has three LEDs inside: Red, Green and Blue. When you connect it to the USB port, all three leds light up, and the following two pictures show you what you see. What a beauty :)

Colorful lights display - A Falcon Closeup

Surprizingly, in the small Falcon booklet, there’s no explanation of which LED color means what (or I am blind, as usual). What I know is that after the 3-color display comes on upon connecting to a USB port, if you launch N VeNT, the LED color becomes green, and you can use the Falcon to control the (mouse? Falcon?) pointer on the screen. But, Falcon is not yet calibrated! At this point, if you launch a game without calibrating your Falcon, you’ll see the next color in Falcon’s palette. Scroll down to the next picture to see what is that about.



When Falcon shows you the red light, it’s trying to tell you that it’s time for calibration! I haven’t had a game peripheral that I need to calibrate since my many-years-old Logitech force feedback joystick! I thought, the technology was always getting better, I guess I was wrong. Like my rumble gamepad, why can’t I just plug Falcon in, and it works without going through a calibration routine? Now, pull to extend your Falcon fully, and then push it back all the way back. Yes, that’s it, your Falcon is now calibrated and ready to be used. Now, was it that hard? See, by the time you were complaining, you could have calibrated it at least three times!



We’ve got the blue-light, and the Falcon is cleared for takeoff! Have a nice flight… Seriously, blue light means your Falcon is calibrated, detected by the Falcon-supporting software you’re running, and is fully operational. Good luck, and have fun!

And now, the real question: Which one will become history?

Novint Falcon Review - Episode 2: Unboxing

Here’s the box that drew quite a number of looks from the people around when I was carrying it through the mall. The obligatory size-reference, a quarter, is provided next to the box ;)

The back of the box, showing Falcon from different angles (which is a good idea), together with some bundled games and Newton (Novint’s mascot?). The words “Feelin’ it” also highlighted in a logo, conveying what Falcon does.

Opening the box, aaand, nothing to see yet? Aaah...

So, what were those grooves originally designed for? They create the impression that some thing(s) missing from the box.



The Falcon is finally out of its box; but not really. The certificate of authenticity for the limited edition is a nice thought (also, printing it on a translucent plastic film is a nice touch). Novint says that they can detect the limited edition version (through its special grip), and are planning to release some features in the games that can only be accessed by the first 5000 people that purchased a Falcon, giving early support to the company. I hope that they’ll keep their promise, and we’ll actually have, even a little bit of, advantage over ‘regular’ users.



The first spotting of the bird of prey! It’s about to come out to wreak havok in the gaming industry (well, or at least my desktop :P ). I can already hear all the mice running away trying to to squeeze themselves into the first crack that they can fit into.



The box is finally open, and the Falcon is visible for the first time, with other box contents.



Here’s what you get for $100. Or $150. Or $190. >:> Power adapter, USB cable, two grips (one white regular, one transparent limited edition), Falcon, documentation booklet, N VeNT games and tutorial disk, and the driver disk.

The Falcon has its limited edition beak attached, and is perching on its box.

Not all was nice and dandy during unpacking. Falcon had scratches on it at three different places:



Interestingly, none of the arms, or other parts in the box seem to be responsible from these scratches (e.g., arms do not touch the surface at the scratched points). Therefore, looks like these scratches were inflicted pre-assembly. Nonetheless, it's not a good feeling to buy something brand new, and open the package only to see that it's factory-scratched. Anyway, obviously it's only a minor cosmetic damage that I can live with (but, but...).

Overall, it was quite an exciting experience opening the package of Falcon. I've seen many pictures of it, and even tried it once at a retailer store very briefly, but still, the feeling of owning such a unique piece of equipment was exciting enough.

Please check back for Episode 3: Installation