content: I'm going to guess that it comes down to the simple fact that if your product is still working, you're not going to buy a new one. if your shoes don't have holes, you're probably not going to replace them just because a newer model is out. If they get holes, you'll probably buy a new pair. If your game is still playable and fun, there's a chance you'll be less likely to buy the sequel. If your game is broken, however.. You'll probably buy a new game. And that's the bottom line that the industry cares about. It sounds manipulative and transparent, but remember - this is the average consumer we're talking about here. They will never learn, never spot trends, and are endlessly manipulable. (Don't believe me? Look at the number of Apple users and console gamers.) Even if they did see through this system of planned obsolescence, they would have neither the motivation to do something about it nor the knowledge of what exactly to do, since in any given industry all the companies are pretty much equally evil. There's no "right" choice except to abstain from supporting the given industry entirely, which may simply not be an option for some. Business decisions made "on principle" and boycotts are ineffective unless done in mass - your vote as an individual, your single wallet doesn't matter in the industry as a whole. Nintendo or Microsoft or Sony can live with one fewer gamer, AT&T or Charter or Comcast can live with one fewer customer, and there you are with no games and no Internet. You're doing the right thing in not supporting shady business practices, but that's OK - they don't need your support. All they need are the support of the manipulable masses. The industry will always follow (and partially lead/control) the lowest common denominator - the average consumer. And unless we can reveal the "man behind the curtain" to a significant majority of them - and get them to follow through with the appropriate action - the system will never change. Welcome to the 21st-century.