Perhaps approaching gaming as a streamed service in the manner proposed by OnLIVE (http://www.onlive.com/) could be a viable means of reducing piracy. It seems possible for a sizeable games publisher to move to a subscription based business model.
More and more games will be moved to models that require a persistent internet connection though - the article does a good job of pointing out that winning the battle for just two months is nearly "good enough".
How many "nevers" have been obliterated by advancements in technology?
In the computer world, never say never.
Gaikai seems to have pretty good business model to make it happen, too - better than OnLive anyway.