After its catastrophic showing at E3 and humiliating drubbing at the hands of Sony, Microsoft has finally caved in and conceded gamers the right to share games and buy them second-hand on the Xbox One, freed them of the need to be continuously online to use the console, and allow removed all regional restrictions on where the console can be played.
A complicated activation system for sharing games and the requirement to be continuously connected to the Internet even when playing single player titles combined with inferior hardware and a higher price practically delivered leadership in the next generation to Sony, though it is hard to see such a belated about-face doing much to change this.
Less conspicuous, though perhaps even more important, than the DRM fiasco is a climbdown on regional restrictions – some had noted that the combination of online activation and limited regional service may have meant the console would have been unable to play any games at all outside of launch territories:
However, Microsoft now claim there “will be no regional restrictions” – not that this will be much consolation to those stuck in the majority of the planet without warranties on their hardware or any prospect of localised releases of their favourite EA Sports titles.
Microsoft’s sweetly scented PR patter on the subject – “Your Feedback Matters” (just not at any point prior to Sony appearing to be winning it would seem):
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.
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And now I'm supposed to forget that they tried to screw me and buy that piece of crap? Forget it, M$! Wii U and PS4 it is for this generation. And nothing you'll do will reverse that decision!
A pissed Xbox & Xbox 360 owner.
I have to agree. This is just the "please buy our product. It's not -that- bad" sympathy card in use
"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."
He said, as he dodged a tomato from the forest of pitchforks and torches.
"Now, let me say all this in a way that makes it sound like you should be thankful for all this.
"No no. No apologies necessary."
The crowd hissed.
Xbox 180
Prediction: in six months to one year, if new XBox games sell well, Microsoft will release a firmware update.
* The update removes the any title/any region/online-not-required feature;
* *New* games will be programmed to refuse to run unless that firmware update is installed.
MS is going to buy off publishers and delay PS4 games and DLCs back a full year anyway, they just have to much money. They take these restrictions away as a ruse to get people to consider and buy an Xbox, and then after they see enough sales, and make sure that the people who bought one are stuck with it, then they will put the restrictions back on, they probably already have a program imbedded into the Xbox One just for that. We're not to far from release, which means they have them already built, which means the only way to remove the restrictions was to enable a blocker of the restrictions, they are still there, just being covered up
If.
How's that OtherOS treating you?
/fanboys are dumb
The only people who will buy the xbone 180 are dumb FPS meat heads.
Nice strawman. Anon is saying Microsoft are fucktards, not that Sony aren't.
As if everyone needs it.
you don't need to tell everyone that you're dumb.
Dumping Other/OS on the PS3 was a dick move by Sony and it hurt them.
The fallout from it it contributed to the lessons learned on the PS4.
Don't dick over your user base.
As for not using it well with Linux the PS3 gained a real web browser,a media player that actually supported common codecs and the ability to be used like a computer.
Hopefully the PS4 will support some sort of Linux.
What about Nintendo?
@12:05
Why did Sony try to screw the consumer?
They brought the idea of backwards compatibility with PS1 to PS2.
They brought customizable music on PS1 with CD play after game is loaded, only later to be stole and patented by MS so they can't do it anymore.
They brought the pressure sensitive analog buttons even back on PS1 that nobody else have even til this day.
They brought the all in one console that is the PS3 which MS is trying to sale their XBone now as.
They invest in tons of developers and in turn created so many amazing ones, why all MS did was trying to buy out timed exclusive and dlc's that pretty much just slowed down the advancing of gaming; look at the PS3 games now it is so much ahead of 360 games, this could've been years ago if MS didn't force people developers to end up having to use middelware and everybody just developed for the more powerful console.
All Sony does is trying to push the technology and give us the best possible at a affordable price, while MS just steals ideas, buy up companies to hult development to dry up the competition, try to screw consumers every chance they get, only to sell cheaply built crap with their marketing. MS is anti consumer and anti advance of technology because they will try to sell you as much crap for as long as they can, where as Sony will just try to keep come out with better and better technology.
Sony's stuff might cost a little more and might not always succeed because of that, but they are contributing to mankind by always trying to advance the technology.
It's really sad that many retards in US will fall for MS's BS marketing ploy because MS is just so good at tricking the dumb
OtherOS is the weakest argument you could make. I've never yet seen someone run Linux on a PS3, and they removed it because it was being used to experiment with breaking out of its sandbox. It was warranted, but too late, as we saw with the dumping of keys from the system.
It seems MS pulled a 180, figure after launch they'll go the other 180 and have done *puts on sunglasses* a full 360.
bloody funny man Lol.
That's a good one I admit. I give credit where its due.
i guess this news makes you sad taylor since you supported those old policies so strongly
Well fuck you too, asshole.
I dont need to put up with DRM shit that puts extra burden on playing games I paid for, when pirates will just bypass it anyway.
i also dont want to keep a shitty game that was falsely advertised to me, so i would like to be able to sell it back.
@Idiot Taylor
Policy that hurts the majority of players to get the small minority of pirates is always a bad move.
Game sharing like letting a friend borrow your game which has nothing to do with piracy. Also just like always none of this drm crap even affects piracy anyways.
"on the platform where we have control—which is PC—we’ll release on GOG day one and DRM-free."
-CD Projekt Red
When console makers require DRM, devs have no choice but to include DRM.
Did I miss something big recently? Why is anyone even looking at 'Taylor''s posts?
Who gives a shit?
Unless this is Major Nelson or the head of M$, no one should care what he says.
TAYLOR STFU YOUR ICON MAKES ME RAGE, LMFAO.
@Taylor 09:58
If you think people who buy used games are pirates, you have a bizarre definition of the word. Unique, even.
Unless your argument is that by buying used games, publishers lose any significant amounts of money. To which I say, "Bull." Also, "You have no idea how retail works."
Those games on retail shelves? Bought and paid for, in full, by the retailer. That's right, retail stores BUY their stock, then resell it (with a mark-up) for a profit. A publisher has already gotten paid, often long before the game is placed on a shelf.
If I'm not misremembering, new games sales drop dramatically after 60 days, but there isn't a corresponding spike in used game sales (of those specific games). That spike doesn't occur for until the price of the used game has dropped significantly.
How does it feel to be a living pile of fail?
Just be quit already Taylor your stupid is starting to show and spill out unto the rest of the comments.
00:53
11:16 made a perfectly good point and you never did shit to get back at him. LOL dumb fuck
Since no is able to make any accurate points (surprise surprise this is sankaku) as usual I'll just assume my opinion is the correct one. The policy is changed anyway so get the fuck over it and find something else to whine over.
I never made any comments about the always online thing. So I'm not sure how I could have supported it strongly...never having made any comments about it.
Their previous game sharing policy really only negatively affects pirates and people trying to scam and get free shit. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Didn't I say correct me if I'm wrong? Calling me an idiot and asshole doesn't explain the policy and why its bad, it just shows you're a dumbass ranting monkey with poor vocabulary and internet rage.
If you're angry at your own stupidity in picking out bad games...oh why do I bother.
Such anger is unsightly especially when coupled with attempted logic. Just call me a name vote down what I say vote up what anyone says to counter me and be on your way like everyone else. Ty.
:)
It's time to go back to class Taylor. Don't forget to tell your mom you're going to be back home by 9.
Taylor. All your credits are belong to us.
You can not give what you don't have.
taylor's avatar once got struck by...... probably something "what is this terribly love song" and warrior of love.... maybe that...... actually......... maybe............. i mean..... its not like............ i belive it.... but... i mean..... errrororoererklösjaflökjflöakf.....ah just forget it.
The fuck asked for you? Scram.
11:22
Or you are just emotionally compromised to begin with that it just doesn't matter to anyone what they say.
LOL
As always, you continue to be your own biggest (and likely only) fan.
"Compromise" "Ability"...?...? Heh, you are a funny guy...
Making people mad on the internet can be done by ANYONE with a brain, functional or not. Hell, there are even solid psychological studies about the subject... You really think yourself a big deal for accomplishing so little...? And on a site where most people you interact with may be underages, no less...? Dude... go look for the term "keyboard warrior" on Google. Also, it is not even "on the internet": it is just this site and whatever other similar sites you may lurk about. Do that on a site with actually intelligent people, like a social interest forum or the comment section of a serious site, and see how it works when there are no kids which you can easily troll with like here, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and the like.
Ultimately, even if we were to create an alternate reality where what you said is true, you know how the saying goes: "Winning an argument on the internet is like winning at the Special's Olympics: even if you win, you are still retarded". And that alternate reality would probably keep this principle untouched.
Reality check: being "someone important" on the Internet, be it for being too good or too bad at something, is as good as being no one if you have no influence on real life (like what you consider to be "impressive"). So... if I were you, I would be seriously asking myself where my life went so wrong to the point of believing that I can be someone relevant on the Internet without even showing my face or telling my name. No, I am not kidding or anything, I really mean it, so dedicate some time to think about it. For your own good.
Being an internet troll can actually be quite a fun hobby, I have known some really good ones that do the work well, but you, my friend, took the concept way too serious now to be considered part of that people... Have you checked how much time you spend on that...? I hope you never told anyone they "need a life", because, right now, you are not precisely on the position to tell that to anyone... except, maybe, a WoW player (whose are also usually kids, so there is no merit on that, either).
...anyway, anon off. If you are half as smart as you pose to be, my message will not fall on blind eyes and you will do something about it. Life is too short to spend it all on the internet. Always remember that.
As a personal tip: if you really want to get good at trolling, get out of this site FIRST, then aim at anyone but kids. It will be hard, but who knows... with enough practice, anything is possible. An try to make your intentional logical fallacies a little less obvious, as well... I have read some of your posts here and... less than half are actually well crafted for the purpose of trolling. It seems like more simply because people here are gullible.
OK, now anon off for real. Peace.
People have always been easy to anger. Being good at it is nothing special. Hence why young teenagers love the internet, because they can so easily get negative attention for so little effort. One comment or picture can make thousands of viewers fume with rage.
So beta, so weak. Taylor showcasing his lack of balls online...
Even if its usually rage and anger, my ability to emotionally compromise so many people over the internet is quite impressive.
Ah mai gahd My little two line comment sparked such a long and detailed bitchfest.
You mentioned somewhere in that essay being familiar with popular internet terms, I actually do know a few, here's a good one.
tl;dr
Xbone ==> Xbox 180
Evolution!
Xbone = Xbone-head after MS back peddling
XB180 because they offer the consumer less.
indeed.
Haha, hilarious!
I laugh at all those fanboys who justified and supported all that drm crap and are now rejoicing, which is it? lol
They've been practicing mental gymnastics. It's a new Olympic sport.
Simple. They were fine with the policy as-is, but a bit more freedom is fine too. No gymnastics required.
I'm a Stalwart PC gamer and I wasn't even considering a console purchase this generation.
With this about face on MS's part I may actually consider getting an Xbox.
Of course I'll wait on getting it for about 4 or 5 years after launch for a price drop.
I would rather wait 5 years and pay 100 or 200 less then buy the at launch premium crap they always pull.