then I could get with this. Finding the "true" price points for older games is the best way to combat piracy. There's mounds of evidence that confirms that distribution and a reasonable price are the two things needed to drop piracy.

If Microsoft prices and promotes this service like Steam (and not like the 360), then this can be very beneficial for the industry.

And hey, I'll eat crow. This is an application that renders "always on" actually very important. If they can even somewhat replicate a market like Steam, then that service will be well worth having a persistent connection. I didn't think it was possible but the importance of maintaining the integrity of the digital copies (and its previous "owners") legitimizes the need for "always on".