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Posted June 19, 2013 by Zeth in News
 
 

Xbox One – Used Games, DRM, Always On and more Dropped!

Xbox One site screen
Xbox One site screen

Microsoft must really be hurting after last weeks E3 outing.    With the Xbox One getting a very public bashing since its announcement last month it appears that the people have been heard.

In a freshly minted statement over on the Xbox website Don Mattrick , President of Interactive Entertainment at Microsoft lays out their revised usage policy for Xbox One.  It goes a little something like this:

  • An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games – After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.
  • Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.
  • In addition to buying a disc from a retailer, you can also download games from Xbox Live on day of release. If you choose to download your games, you will be able to play them offline just like you do today. Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console — there will be no regional restrictions.
  • These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray.

Mattrick then went on to explain the companies adjustments:

“Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.  For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come. As is our heritage with Xbox, we designed a system that could take full advantage of advances in technology in order to deliver a breakthrough in game play and entertainment. We imagined a new set of benefits such as easier roaming, family sharing, and new ways to try and buy games. We believe in the benefits of a connected, digital future.

Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One.

You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.

So, today I am announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360. We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.

Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you later this year.”

Rumours of poor pre-orders, developer backlashes and a massive down spike in product confidence has caused massive amounts of damage over these pas weeks.  Terrible statements from Microsoft along the lines of  “Don’t want always one, well we have a 360 for you instead!” and general poor communication has taken its toll on the giants big reveal of the Xbox One console.  It appears that Microsoft are pulling back hard on the controls and trying to stop this airplane crashing.  This seems like a massive step in the right direction… Now just drop the stupid camera and forced motion controls and bring the price down to £349/$399 and we’ll call it square!

As of this moment the term “Xbox One-Eighty is trending on Twitter and appears to be catching on fast.  Maybe that’s a good thing, maybe not.  One thing is for sure this pre-launch period is going anything but smooth for Microsoft.

The Xbox One console is due for launch in November 2013 Worldwide.


Zeth

 
Zeth is our EU ninja and Editor in Chief. He's been writing about video games since 2008 when he started on BrutalGamer. He's pretty old and has been a gamer since he played Space Invaders as a young boy in the 80's. His genre tastes lean towards platformers, point-and-click adventure, action-adventure and shooters but he'll turn his hand to anything.