Thu Jun 20, 2013 6:11 am
Update on June 19, 2013: As a result of feedback from the Xbox community, we have changed certain policies for Xbox One reflected in this blog. Some of this information is no longer accurate — please check here for the latest.
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 year.
Sources indicate Microsoft is going to move away from what's caused the company so much headache.
The tug-of-war between Microsoft and Sony just got more interesting. Multiple sources inform me Microsoft will announce what amounts to a complete reversal on its DRM policies for Xbox One today.
What does this mean?
No more always online requirement
The console no longer has to check in every 24 hours
All game discs will work on Xbox One as they do on Xbox 360
An Internet connection is only required when initially setting up the console
All downloaded games will function the same when online or offline
No additional restrictions on trading games or loaning discs
Region locks have been dropped
It is unclear what caused this huge change in policy right after E3, a week where Microsoft executives spent days explaining, justifying, and talking about its policies to the press. I suspect Microsoft’s official announcement will say something to the effect of “we've been closely listening to consumer feedback.”
Based on what I’m being told, that’s definitely true.
I've reached out to Microsoft for comment.
Microsoft has taken an enormous amount of heat regarding DRM policies with its new console. Sony became consumer heroes at E3, announcing PlayStation 4 would not treat used games differently, and the status quo would reign.
Of course, Xbox One is still $499 and PlayStation 4 is still $399. But today moves the needle.
My guess? This isn't set in stone, but it's definitely something Microsoft is discussing internally. They almost have to at this point. But I don't know if I'd hold my breath at this point. On the other hand, Klepek is a hell of a reporter, and I know he wouldn't run a story that he didn't believe in. We'll see. And we'll hope. I'm not even sure if it's technically possible to just remove these requirements if they've been baked thoroughly into the console's three operating systems. This is a unique situation in many different ways.
Thu Jun 20, 2013 6:39 am
Thu Jun 20, 2013 6:41 am
Thu Jun 20, 2013 6:45 am
Thu Jun 20, 2013 7:02 am
Thu Jun 20, 2013 7:44 am
Thu Jun 20, 2013 7:48 am
benji wrote:The cloud is dead, that was an important part of the vision and now they can't do it. You needed the DRM to touch the infinite power of the cloud.
Such a shame.
Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:50 am
Thu Jun 20, 2013 9:22 am
Thu Jun 20, 2013 11:14 am
Andrew wrote:especially on the heels of Sony releasing a firmware update that's causing PS3 users so much grief
Thu Jun 20, 2013 11:51 am
Thu Jun 20, 2013 12:04 pm
Thu Jun 20, 2013 2:16 pm
Thu Jun 20, 2013 4:50 pm
Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console -- there will be no regional restrictions.
Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:52 pm
Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:49 pm
Fri Jun 21, 2013 5:12 am
First is family sharing, this feature is near and dear to me and I truly felt it would have helped the industry grow and make both gamers and developers happy. The premise is simple and elegant, when you buy your games for Xbox One, you can set any of them to be part of your shared library. Anyone who you deem to be family had access to these games regardless of where they are in the world. There was never any catch to that, they didn’t have to share the same billing address or physical address it could be anyone. When your family member accesses any of your games, they’re placed into a special demo mode. This demo mode in most cases would be the full game with a 15-45 minute timer and in some cases an hour. This allowed the person to play the game, get familiar with it then make a purchase if they wanted to. When the time limit was up they would automatically be prompted to the Marketplace so that they may order it if liked the game.
Fri Jun 21, 2013 5:36 am
Fri Jun 21, 2013 11:22 am
Fri Jun 21, 2013 9:28 pm
shadowgrin wrote:If true, so much for one of XBOne's clear advantage over the PS4.
Fri Jun 21, 2013 10:33 pm