Xbox 180: Microsoft removes DRM from Xbox One and announces new policies

[PK Gaming]

Read all about it: http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/update

Don Mattrick: 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. Here is what that means:

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.

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

I might actually buy one now.

EDIT: Oh, but they still need to 180 on the price too.

 

[mattj]

Honestly, did anyone not expect this? The reaction was just explosive. They had to do something.

 

[Shiruba]

well, with them bending to the demands of the start menu for windows 8, at least microsoft are aware of the fact that the consumer decides their destiny.

i really think they kinda smashed their reputation with this, though.

 

[TUO]

ok i'll play killer instinct now. In 5 years as i don't have much money to buy these consoles

 

[religiousjedi]

Cool story, Microsoft.

I'm not pulling a 180 for you, though.

 

[X5Dragon]

Hmm so MS loyalists who jumped ship will most likely come back swimming. I mean to neutrals and Sony fanboys such as myself with basic understandings of price and specs as well as the dwwindling number of true exclusives on both consoles, you'd still be crazy to buy the one.

But its not gonna be the second coming of the PS2...just a good, actually profitably lead for Sony, and as thier core electronics division is struggling, thats all they need.

 

[Wikey]

This sucks. They got rid of the DRM at the expense of losing the shared games library with friends and family. That was the only good feature I saw between the PS4 and XBone.

 

[Ra1chu]

But its not gonna be the second coming of the PS2...just a good, actually profitably lead for Sony, and as thier core electronics division is struggling, thats all they need.

Agreed. The specs look like its going to be not a jump, but a good sized step up from the ps3 and the price point can't be argued.

I'm getting a Ps4

 

[TheMagicalCake]

The damage has already been done. Xbone will still have terrible sales.

 

[Arch]

I dunno about terrible sales, but the PS4 will almost certainly sell more at launch. They all but secured the hardcore crowd.

 

[Layell]

Now prepare for the lingering rumours long past launch that the xbone does have DRM and some people still being mistaken that they must be online or can't sell used games. The xbone has stopped digging its own grave now it's time to get out of it.

 

[Theorymon]

Excellent. I guess this means I'll get one after a price drop!

 

[TheMagicalCake]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H7nuwM5cos

 

[tehy]

Not sure why this took so long...

Hopefully the ps4 still wins, since i prefer it, but whatever

 

[Shiruba]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H7nuwM5cos

lmao that guy is god.

 

[Shinryu]

So, I guess they really don't want you to buy a Xbox 360 then per that one idiot MS guy's response...

Still, I think the damage has been too far done and ingrained into gamers' heads. And until it launches with those promises intact, I wouldn't go near it with a 20 foot pole. If it keeps those promises, might consider a 10 foot pole instead...

 

[Every1XplodeNOW]

I'm still not buying one, at least not anytime soon. I honestly don't think people should be so forgiving of them since Microsoft has been total assholes from the get go, but whatever, people will do what they want.

 

[Coronis]

As others have said, the damage has been done. Might not even buy a PS4 or XBone. Haven't bought a Wii U but I'll wait for MK8 and SSB.

 

[Focus]

heh

image version

 

[Shiruba]

ehhhh problem with that though is that i believe that you can still play steam games in offline mode, and it doesn't mention things like only being able to give away a game once, that the kinect is necessary, the region locking [though nintendo also does it; not really an excuse], that the internet thing itself is necessary instead of just a great bonus, etc. still has a point.

 

[vonFiedler]

Not all of us wanted a new set of consoles at all. God knows we never got the most out of the last set.

 

[Avatar Korra]

Thanks to the gaming community both consoles are just technical upgrades in every single way (Including the Kinect and Move and controllers) and a couple of new features:

1. Play your friends game if he gets stuck
2. Live stream
3. DVR (Xbox has editor)
4. Xbox has TV features
5. Cloud computing

The family sharing and digital license selling was what separated the Xbox and the "Limitations" were not limitations at all

family sharing is a limitiation?

Installing your game and giving your mate the disk is a limitation?

Selling your digital copy of a game to somebody is a limitation?

You could still trade in your game in a shop. I don't even know why this was complained about

We can't innovate if people refuse to change, considering the age group of many gamers you would think we would be happy for technology to move forwards with phones and tablets having these features.

It's a shame really I was looking forward to the xbox, im still getting it but the worth of it seems to have vanished. I waited almost 10 years for a new gen console and we should expect more from them then just better graphics . To just end up with two consoles with almost the same features as last gen with better graphics is basically having a PS 3.5 AND 360.5.

 

[YTP]

Thanks to the gaming community both consoles are just technical upgrades in every single way (Including the Kinect and Move and controllers) and a couple of new features.

1. Play your friends game if he gets stuck
2. Live stream
3. DVR (Xbox has editor)
4. Xbox has TV features
5. Cloud computing

The family sharing and digital license selling was what separated the Xbox and the "Limitations" were not limitations at all


We can't innovate if people refuse to change, considering the age group of many gamers you would think we would be happy for technology to move forwards with phones and tablets having these features.

It's a shame really I was looking forward to the xbox, im still getting it but the worth of it seems to have vanished. I waited almost 10 years for a new gen console and we should expect more from them then just better graphics . To just end up with two consoles with almost the same features as last gen with better graphics is basically having a PS 3.5 AND 360.5.

After thinking about it for a while, I felt the same. Microsoft had a vision for the XBone and now we'll never get to see it in action :/

 

[Sgt.Moose]

Inb4 they will change all this shit back when people have bought the console.

 

[Layell]

Here if you want to still accomplish the xbone 'vision' for next gen here are a few simple steps

-Don't sell your used games unless you paypal microsoft and the developers some of the cost
-Only give your copy of a game to a friend (who you have known for more than 30 days!!) and then hire a spy to make sure they never again give it to someone else
-Unplug your console if the internet goes out for longer than a day
-Phone Microsoft customer support every 24 hours to let them know you haven't done anything wrong

I think we all should acknowledge the family share plan did sound great however we knew next to nothing about how it would really work and other limitations on how much sharing was possible. I have heard comparisons to Steam and that isn't fair at all because I can buy great games for a dollar on steam and play offline.

The fact is people spoke with their wallets by not pre-ordering the console, if you didn't and actually wanted this backwards DRM you would also be part of the problem. Even now I'm guessing the only additional pre-orderers would be those that would have just waited for a good exclusive but I'm not biting this time. I can only expect more of what they tried to do earlier and I'd rather not bother.