Part 3/10:
The seeds of control over consumer devices trace back to the 1985 Nintendo Entertainment System, which introduced the Checking Integrated Circuit (CIC) to stop unauthorized game cartridges. This trend has evolved, encasing consumers in a landscape where digital access to products exists at the mercy of manufacturers. Video games that require online servers, such as GT Sport, highlight how digital content, once purchased, can become inoperable when an online service is discontinued. Apart from gaming, entire hardware platforms become unusable once support ends, leaving consumers with expensive paperweights.