Microsoft Kills Xbox One Phone-Home DRM

One of the biggest criticisms of Microsoft's recently-announced Xbox One console was that it would require an internet connection once every 24 hours in order to keep playing games. Enough people complained about the DRM, and Microsoft listened. Today, they announced that they're removing the phone-home requirement. "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." They've also scrapped the game trading and resale system they'd built, which allowed publishers to set their own rules with regard to used game sales. "There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360." Unfortunately, that also means users won't be able to take advantage of the good parts of the original system, such as trading and gifting games without needing the disc, or sharing games with remote family members. "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." Also noteworthy: they've dropped region-locks as well.

Re:I just had this conversation with a coworker:

[Seumas]

Here's what is wrong with it -- and the comparisons to Steam are always off the mark.

On previous consoles, you can play any game you own. You bought it. It is yours. You physically have it somewhere. You can still play your PS2 games on a PS2. You can still play your NES games on an almost 30 year old NES. With digital games on console, you'll be able to play them until they decide to turn the download server off. Or turn the DRM system off. Or turn off XBox Live and move on to the next thing. It also means that there is no more going out and buying a Sega Jaguar from 20 years ago and a bunch of used games somewhere to play it on, because you enjoy it or because you weren't into games at the time the Jaguar came out, but you'd like to experience them.

Then, there's also the issue of generations... A game you buy in September of this year on the 360 won't be playable when you upgrade to the XBOX ONE two months later. On Steam (well, PC in general - let's stop acting like Steam is the entirety of PC gaming) - I can still play games I bought ten years ago on my newest rig, even though it is the tenth machine I've built in ten years. I can still play PC games on my PC that are thirty years old.

And, finally, Microsoft has shown no interest in discounting games. Their "on demand" selection is both pathetic in variety and price, usually charging more for the digital version of a game that is several years old than the actual physical copy would cost to order online and have shipped to your house. On PC - you have a massive collection of indie stuff directly from developers and publishers, a ton on Desura, many sold through Humble Bundles. You have tons of older stuff preserved through GOG, and you have unbelievably steep discounts on newer games, on Steam. Often, during the same year they were released. And all that without paying $60/yr.

Gamestop's business model is irrelevant. Further, what do you or I care? I am not in the business of worrying about the financials of the game industry. I am in the business of watching my own finances and if I can save money, that is important to me. Gamestop is pretty crappy and so is their exploitive business model. Using that as some justification to diminish consumers' rights to own their purchased content and have portability and resale and so on is a bit like using the shit the Westboro Baptist Church says as an excuse for eradicating free speech.

Re:Whoosh

[ZipK]

Collapsing companies are more profitable than growing ones - less to invest in, more of the Gross is Net. A better picture would be looking at Microsoft's Year-on-year revenues.

FY11 $69.94B
FY12 $73.72B +5% Y/Y

1Q13 $16.01B -8% Y/Y
2Q13 $21.46B +3% Y/Y
3Q13 $20.49B +18% Y/Y
4Q13 TBA

4Q12 was $18.06B, so even if revenue is flat Y/Y for 4Q, Microsoft would still show 3% Y/Y annual revenue growth.

Re:Whoosh

[MagusSlurpy]

All three consoles use ATI graphics.

And almost no one in the robotics industry uses Kinect, because it is nowhere near best in class. What you mean is that it's been commandeered by so many people in the robotics hobby, because it is cheap and ubiquitous.

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