Microsoft Kills Xbox One Phone-Home DRM 547
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.
Whoosh (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Whoosh (Score:4, Insightful)
Whew, that chair was clos.....
That they even thought of such a concept and it was approved, which it must have been, at the highest level, Mr. Ballmer should be wary of himself wielding chairs and he may be his most worthy target.
Does anyone reading about this Phone-Home DRM hold out much hope of a re-org which will position Microsoft as a viable and large player in the business (and consumer) markets in time to come?
Re:Whoosh (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Whoosh (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah exactly. How could they not see this coming?? Another scenario of people creating a product that they don't use..
Easy. Cynical ploy to get us to all think about the not-so-much-suck parts now and think Microsoft's not so bad. They were never going to go through with those crazy ideas in the first place. Now we're all going to be talking about them again and putting them right in the public consciousness again. Thanks for falling right into their marketing trap.
This has been a free lesson in psychology that the internet wishes it could ignore: Hatred is so easy to exploit and control. How's it feel to be a tool? Does it make you want to RAAAAAAGE all over the internet? Good, good, you'll be useful to them later. They'll find you when they need you.
Re:Whoosh (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not impossible that this is the case, but I can't help thinking it might have been better for them to pull back the sheet at E3 instead of doing Sony's job for them.
That said, fuck 'em. Still ain't buying any of them.
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While you are, of course, completely welcome to buy or not buy as you wish... we (the potential customers, and also the people who were pissed off by the announced situation) need to applaud this move. Microsoft (and the industry as a whole) needs to see that giving people what they want has benefits. If everybody says "Wow, took you long enough to figure that out... fuck you anyhow", then the message that the industry will take away is "The Xbox One was a flop anyhow; nobody actually gave a damn about the
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Whoosh (Score:5, Informative)
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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Re:Whoosh (Score:5, Insightful)
Hmm... interesting, but no, it almost certainly didn't happen that way.
For one thing, the retraction will never make as much news as the initial announcement. For another, there is enormous risk that, whatever they say, people will suspect that these schemes still exist (even if they are, for the time being, disabled) and avoid the system out of fear that they will be implemented later.
If this manages to work out in their favor, which is almost certainly not going to happen, it will be a miracle. Far more likely is that they are hoping to win back those customers who were fleeing toward the PS4 due entirely to the DRM issues but honestly prefer the XBox experience and crossing their fingers that by the time the consoles actually drop people have either largely forgotten (which is certainly possible) or, even better, that Sony screws something up even more (which is also certainly possible, Sony did think it was a good idea to deploy pirated rootkits). Expect them to walk on eggshells for the next few months, just to make sure they don't reignite the matter.
Re:Whoosh (Score:5, Insightful)
For one thing, the retraction will never make as much news as the initial announcement. For another, there is enormous risk that, whatever they say, people will suspect that these schemes still exist (even if they are, for the time being, disabled) and avoid the system out of fear that they will be implemented later.
Frog... Boiling...
Wait until people become financially and emotionally invested in the XBone and then spring it on them. The system is already in place, it just needs to be activated. Because people are too emotionally attached to their favourite console and dont understand the fallacy of sunk costs they'll keep spending money on it.
You have to admire Microsoft for this in a diabolical kind of way.
1. Generate huge amounts of publicity with a bad idea(TM).
2. Claim to revoke bad idea(TM) and generate even more publicity.
3. People buy product.
4. Bring back bad idea(TM), muhahahahahahahaha, fools.
5. Fail to make a profit for years as the product is sold as a loss leader.
It's almost Bond level of villainry. Bravo Microsoft.
Re:Whoosh (Score:5, Insightful)
For one thing, the retraction will never make as much news as the initial announcement. For another, there is enormous risk that, whatever they say, people will suspect that these schemes still exist (even if they are, for the time being, disabled) and avoid the system out of fear that they will be implemented later.
Frog... Boiling...
Wait until people become financially and emotionally invested in the XBone and then spring it on them. The system is already in place, it just needs to be activated. Because people are too emotionally attached to their favourite console and dont understand the fallacy of sunk costs they'll keep spending money on it.
You have to admire Microsoft for this in a diabolical kind of way.
1. Generate huge amounts of publicity with a bad idea(TM).
2. Claim to revoke bad idea(TM) and generate even more publicity.
3. People buy product.
4. Bring back bad idea(TM), muhahahahahahahaha, fools.
5. Fail to make a profit for years as the product is sold as a loss leader.
It's almost Bond level of villainry. Bravo Microsoft.
This isn't any different than the RIAA, business lobbies, etc. Just look at copyright legislation in the Canadian Parliament or how banks became deregulated. Legislation is announced, people complain, a new watered down bill is passed instead. Cycle this through a few dozen times and all of the provisions in the original legislation is eventually enacted with lees than a whimper.
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Checking Amazon, a working used SNES goes for about $40.
This [thinkgeek.com], for one. Or this. [amazon.com] Or this. [amazon.com] Or, if you have transferred the ROM contents to a PC-readable file, a PC running an emulator.
Re:Whoosh (Score:5, Interesting)
Well it would be kind of interesting to see what the legal case would be in Europe etc, if you buy one without having internet connection now.
If they every re introduced that requirement I would thing you would a case under consumer law.
Probably only aimed at the North American Market - the EU courts probably glare in Redmond's general direction enough they know better than to try any of that there.
Re:Whoosh (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Whoosh (Score:5, Insightful)
"Yeah exactly. How could they not see this coming?? Another scenario of people creating a product that they don't use."
Despite some of the other replies, I definitely agree with "How could they not see it coming?"
I don't think it's a matter of a product they don't use. I think it's a lot more about just being completely disconnected from their actual customers. They really don't have a f*cking clue what people want, despite years of people screaming at them that they DON'T want DRM or "phoning home". When I say years, I mean like 15 years.
I think the only reasonable conclusion is that they literally don't listen to their customers. And that's Not A Good Thing.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
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How about you try listing a few actual issues with Windows 8. I'm still waiting to hear any from the complainers, who seem to exclusively fall into one of two camps: 1) bitches who can't get over the start menu and 2) bitches who haven't fucking used it.
If you're going to claim Windows 7 is fine but Windows 8 is not you're an idiot who doesn't know what they're talking about. They're practically the same thing when it comes down to actually using them.
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Comment removed (Score:4, Interesting)
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Nope, thanks to the whiners, they've killed the ability to play without the disc in the drive, to access your games library from anywhere and to share with your family.
buy your games from the online shop then.
Re:Whoosh (Score:5, Interesting)
They killed the "Family" sharing plan entirely, whether you bought the game from the online shop or on disc.
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.
Personally, I think they should have kept the digital sharing plan - it was the one thing that was significantly better than what the PS4 or WiiU offers, and I think would have done a lot to bring back the people they alienated last week. Oh, well.
Declining share price? (Score:3)
MSFT is up almost 30% YTD.
Re: (Score:3)
"Declining share price"? Have you looked at the stock chart lately?
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.
Re:Whoosh (Score:4, Informative)
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: (Score:3, Interesting)
If it wasn't for the PS4, MS would have never dropped those requirements.
As it was, PS4 was vastly superior (atleast on paper) to the XBone offering.
Now, the XBone is on par on some key consumer issues and may just be able to offset expense, inferior hardware and lack of indy gaming with their Kinect.
Big TV and multiple controllers (Score:4, Insightful)
As it is, I still see no reason at all to buy a dedicated game box when my desktop is more than equal to the task
One reason is the ability to play a game on a big TV without having to carry your desktop PC back and forth between your desk and the living room TV. Another is the ability to play a video game with house guests who happen to be visiting you but aren't carrying their own gaming laptops.
Re:Whoosh (Score:4, Interesting)
Same(ish) CPU
More modern GPU of same brand with more cores
Same amount of RAM, more bandwidth from GDDR5, but no SRAM on-die
In other words, PS4=more graphical power, less effective memory management overall. So PS4 is at best slightly superior to XB1, not "vastly."
And of course, one other thing to consider is that the power and heat management of the XB1 is better than the PS4 - which no one will care about until they remember RRoD and YLoD issues stemming directly from heat in almost all cases.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6972/xbox-one-hardware-compared-to-playstation-4 [anandtech.com]
Now if by "vastly" better you meant in terms of the original DRM scheme implementations, then no disagreement here.
Re:Whoosh (Score:4, Insightful)
Meh - I smell a trial balloon that fell with a thud.
I can see them floating it out there to get reactions, that they can then show the bigger and more assholish game studios (*cough*EA*cough*) and say "See? We told you this is a bad idea." ...that or Ballmer really is that frickin' stupid...
Re:Whoosh (Score:5, Funny)
Unexpected. Maybe next we'll hear that the government is listening to us too. Oh wait...
I just had this conversation with a coworker: (Score:3)
"Microsoft has--"
"Yeah, I saw."
"Well...they didn't have a choice. They're halfway there."
Re:I just had this conversation with a coworker: (Score:5, Funny)
For convenience, I've added the missing part of that conversation.
I just had this conversation with a coworker:
"Microsoft has me sexually arroused"
"Yeah, I saw."
"Well...they didn't have a choice. They're halfway there."
Re:I just had this conversation with a coworker: (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I just had this conversation with a coworker: (Score:5, Funny)
If you've followed the Xbox One conversation at all (there, I used the real word, now I can call it Xbone), you know that there's only one thing Microsoft could possibly do as damage control at this point, and they just did it. Everyone has expected them to tone down the phoning home and used games policies. The "halfway" is, as many commenters below have pointed out, that they've yet to remove the built-in Kinect.
So they've only shot themselves in one foot so far and are reloading for the other one ... still a chance to save that sock a holey demise.
Re: (Score:2)
Electrician's tape.
So few games actually require or are enhanced by a video connection that most people will just close the slider
or tape it closed. The mic is still a problem.
Re:I just had this conversation with a coworker: (Score:5, Funny)
to 'fix' the mic problem, do the following:
1) find an old wall-wart power supply
2) open it and remove the filter capacitors (yank them out or unsolder them)
3) feed the low voltage output to the mic wires
what you've done is created a NICE 60hz hum that will be so strong, nothing the mic will pick up will ever come thru.
(you're welcome)
Re:I just had this conversation with a coworker: (Score:4, Insightful)
Why not just clip off the mic?
Re:I just had this conversation with a coworker: (Score:4, Funny)
Yet, it's called Autotune.
Re: (Score:3)
Yes, the tape solution has occurred to me...I've so far avoided buying a computer with a built-in webcam, but that's the solution I'd use. I fully expect there to be DIY microphone disconnection demos online within a week of the console releasing (who knows what functionality it would gimp, though).
How awesome would it be if there was a line-in instead of an actual microphone? You could hook it up to something that would play pre-recorded taunts over Live (like that great robot-voiced "I am the alpha an
Re:I just had this conversation with a coworker: (Score:4, Funny)
I just don't worry about someone turning on my webcam. If they turn it on, and manage to get an image, they will be easy to find. They will be the person curler up in the foetal position, yelling "My eyes, my eyes."
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Not one that the mic can be remotely turned on.
Re:I just had this conversation with a coworker: (Score:5, Insightful)
It's a trap. They will just make more games online only, no disc and thus no lending or resale or offline play.
Re:I just had this conversation with a coworker: (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I just had this conversation with a coworker: (Score:5, Informative)
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.
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Why would they remove the kinect? They want to make sure devs know it is a universal resource so they program for it.
Because a lot of us do not want Kinect, or go further and hate or fear Kinect. First, because Kinect games are widely regarded as having poorer control systems than controller-based games, and second paranoia over webcams/microphones watching you in your living room. (I'm in the former camp).
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every webcam on every laptop i have seen has a tiny led next to it. if the camera is turned on, the light turns on. if your laptop were watching you all the time, the led would be on all the time. and it isn't. all this crap is just paranoid delusions.
GUYS~ GUYS~ (Score:5, Insightful)
So, even though they took it off for the Xbone, I fear that they simply paved the way for draconian restrictions by the next gen (if that happens someday).
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Re:GUYS~ GUYS~ (Score:5, Insightful)
1) I wouldn't be so quick to forgive Microsoft. Be one of the first to buy an Xbox One and you may be repaid by a system update in the not-to-distant future slowly re-implementing, bit by bit, this DRM scheme that they have claimed to be discarding.
2) I do agree with you on Sony. Neither company can be trusted, really.
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Xbox 180 Confirmed (Score:5, Funny)
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The new Xbox One Eighty?
Re:Xbox 180 Confirmed (Score:4, Funny)
Herp, meet Derp (Score:4, Insightful)
We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds."
Actually, we just want one world: The one we had before. And thank you kindly to get your creepy kinect out of our living rooms, thanks. We're already giving the paranoid, who thrive quite well in an anarobic environment, a veritable algae bloom of justified looking over their shoulder. You stepped in dog shit like you were laser guided, Microsoft.
I don't think your reputation can be salvaged at this point... most people have already decided on the PS4, and will be leary of signing up since you're just a firmware update away from returning to putting 'em over a barrel. And yes, we do think you'd do just that, once the furvor dies down. We saw your memo. We know how you think. You won't give up this easily on your DRM locked down to hell shitty ass XBone.
Re:Herp, meet Derp (Score:5, Insightful)
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I win most: I ain't gonna get either :)
Re:Herp, meet Derp (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't think your reputation can be salvaged at this point
We've heard that before when Sony...
I could go on. And now of course people are talking about how great Sony is.
The point is, yes, their rep can be salvaged, because people really dont care that much for very long.
Re:Herp, meet Derp (Score:4, Insightful)
Face it, "reputation" is only significant with a very small portion of society, and unfortunately those people don't amount to much compared to the vast quantities of people that either can't be troubled enough to care about it, or people that just want their fuckin' toys and don't give two shits what it costs (speaking financially as well as privacy-wise). They have enough money to float for a few months, by which point we'll be pissed at someone else and will conveniently forget about Microsoft's transgressions.
Re: (Score:3)
The point is, yes, their rep can be salvaged, because people really dont care that much for very long.
Fair point, but Microsoft handed Sony the opportunity to reclaim their lost confidence with the gaming community and then some. Can't really fault Sony for taking full advantage of it.
How comforting... (Score:5, Insightful)
"Hey guys! I used to be for DRM; but when I saw that it would ruin my launch, I became totally against it! Don't worry, though, just because it would be trivial to alter the deal at any future time, either over the internet or through exciting and mandatory system updates baked into new disk releases, you can still trust me!"
Re:How comforting... (Score:5, Funny)
Still no sale for me... (Score:5, Interesting)
Forcing you to buy $100 Kinect with the system? Tracking your gaming habits and selling the data if you are connected? Tracking your movements with Kinect at all times? Putting online features that are on the discs of games behind an XBL Gold paywall? Forcing XBL Gold subscriptions to use other online services through your Xbox? Paying MS money for XBL Gold only to be bombarded by advertisements?
I'll pass still. This is looking like a weak generation for gamers. Both the PS4 and XB1 have online locked behind paywalls (even for peer-to-peer games). The Wii-U is severely lacking in quality games geared towards older gamers. Hopefully the PC gaming developers take charge and win back some of the console players this generation.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:In the Navy *humming to herself* (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:In the Navy *humming to herself* (Score:4, Interesting)
Only a security risk if it has internet access. Without the mandatory internet access, it's easy to keep it off the internet.
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No, there is quite clearly a port on the back of the console where you plug in the Kinect... not unlike newer 360s... and while Microsoft says you the new Kinect with the Xbox One... I still look forward to seeing how aggressive the console is with this requirement. For all we know it just pops a warning message that you click "Ignore" on... or it yells at you until you plug it back in. Only time will tell.
Re:In the Navy *humming to herself* (Score:4, Funny)
Seriously, after what's his face said they had a product for people who couldn't regularly access the internet...the XBox 360, I can only imagine the somewhere in Redmond, WA, a bespeckled Gates looked away from the monitor with some disdain, and then facepalmed harder than he had ever done before in his life.
If I were an investment manager, watching that particular commentary live, the first words out of my mouth, immediately after I managed to pick it up from the limo's floor, would be to 'sell that stock, sell it all, and short it until the kingdom comes!' I'd borrow from my friends to short that stock, and when they ran out of stock to short, I'd go door to door looking for more.
There are simply some things that cannot be said when representing a multi-billion dollar software company unveiling its latest product, and he said a few of them. Frankly I'm amazed he's still alive, as I'd have had the guys in black shirts throw him into the back of a black minivan and driven across town as soon as the cameras turned the first time. I'd cop an excuse about him having recently taken some powerful blood pressure medications, and that the words spilling out of his mouth were in no way reflective of what MS thought or planned. I'd pay a group of security minded people to sit on him at a high-rise apartment, somewhere on the outskirts of town, until damage control could give me an estimate of just how much boot-licking and open bribery it would take to prevent the board from hanging me, let alone keeping everyone else on staff.
"We already have a product for them, the Xbox 360" -> No, no, no. When they ask you a hardball question like that, and you know that you don't have the answer, shut the f*ck up. Tell them the honest truth -> "I do not know, but I will look into it, and attempt to get back to you on that as soon as I can." Instead he goes for the smart ass answer "the XBox 360," which was as good as saying "the Navy will take whatever we damn well feel like giving them; yesterday's meet is good enough for the likes of them." Dumb, dumb, dumb, a thousand times dumb.
It would've made a neat Jack Bauer "24" game (Score:5, Funny)
While you are playing your games, the clock ticks down it the upper right hand corner, reminding you that need to play that other game in the background. Your quest is to find an internet connection before the "24" clock runs out.
And you get tortured and hounded by government creeps in the process. Feels real.
Lost downloading sharing (Score:4, Insightful)
MS needs to stop assuming we're stupid (Score:5, Insightful)
The restrictions they put on the system were horrible their justifications for them were insulting.
Above and beyond this could only happen if they thought we were idiots and simply wouldn't understand. They need to appreciate the distinction between lack of interest/awareness and actually being stupid.
Most people are not stupid. They're oblivious. But not stupid. Explain the rules to people and they'll typically see what is going on pretty fast.
MS tried to pull a fast one and was caught in the act. They've done this repeatedly with other product launches. It needs to stop.
Surprising (Score:5, Insightful)
They're reportedly on top of the security issue as well. A little focus on the areas of privacy, ethics, and standards might convince me to become a customer again.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Make no mistake, MS were prepared to make this "generous" move from the word go. They figured they'd give the restrictions a shot first, but they implemented the firmware in a way that these features could easily be turned off if necessary. For the Xbox One to reach shelves in November, production pretty much has to have already started; if MS had indeed just suddenly changed their mind and altered the firmware at the last minute, they'd have to retest the whole thing and delay launch. No, this option has a
What one update giveth another may taketh (Score:2, Insightful)
They turned it off for now. What's to say they won't turn it back on a year or two from now?
Still its amazing given the public's reaction to the roomers about the always on requirements they had an opportunity to "fix it" prior to launch and just say it was always just roomers. Seems they could have easily avoided the embarrassing public back pedal here and loss of trust.
Complained? Not really... (Score:2)
People didn't complain. They simply told Microsoft off and said they'd choose Sony. Calling this complaining is like walking into your boss's office, telling him to go f*** himself, and walking out to another job that is just as good if not better that is waiting with open arms. Microsoft's response is basically like the old boss begging you to come back.
Now can we get the start menu back? (Score:5, Insightful)
Now can we get the start menu back? and maybe even Modern/Metro' apps being able to run in a window. With out needed to use a 3rd party add ons?
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Announce Terminations! (Score:2)
They should have announced some terminations to along with this news... That may have helped their story a little more.
*checks temps in hell* (Score:2)
Wow microsoft actually reacted to customers before it all went boom. The lessons from Windows 8 and Surface must be hitting home hard.
Way too late. (Score:5, Insightful)
Even the mainstream news cycle picked up the "Can you believe this shit" tone that was going around during and after E3. Many, many people have now firmly dismissed the Xbox One (or Xbone) as a choice based on that, and they're not going to be hearing that the restrictions have vanished because this correction isn't going to get nearly the traction the original story (and associated outrage) did. When you have active duty personnel penning columns in newspapers saying that Microsoft's basically decided to shit on all active servicemembers with the call-home and in-country requirement, a little retraction buried on page 29 isn't going to make it into many peoples' minds.
Until MS Changes Course and Re-Enables Later (Score:3)
What guarantee is there that Microsoft won't later re-enable the phone-home drm feature?
(even if the system is never reconnected to the internet again after setup, it's conceivable an update could later be performed via a game disc with little to no notice to the user)
Likewise, what guarantees are there that a game publisher itself won't roll out a game update that includes phone-home drm?
On a related topic, what promises has Microsoft made regarding the always-on camera? Seems to me there's really no guarantee it can't be accessed without the user's knowledge unless there's a hardware way to turn it off (ie. an opaque cover over the camera).
Reminds me of a great quote (Score:3)
Sadly, I don't seem to have it written down anywhere, but the gist of it was that advertisers and politicians have long known that the best way to get people to eat rat-shit sandwiches is to heavily advertise a "rat-shit and garbage" sandwich, then after that media blitz, start another blitz saying "we listened to you! Our sandwiches no longer have garbage in them!"
Awesome (Score:3)
So Microsoft decided to listen to users for once (Score:3)
That's great. Can we have the Start Menu back now on Windows? (And no, a button going to the same crappy Metro screen as before doesn't count.)
All part of the plan... (Score:4, Funny)
Make a ridiculous threat that you *know* will invite revolt, then relent and follow through with the slightly less ridiculous (but still ridiculous) plan you had interned all along.
Next time, scheduled phoning home won't seem so ridiculous. Well, maybe not next time, but the time after that, or maybe the time after that ... but it's coming.
Also known as the Anchoring Effect
http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/07/27/anchoring-effect/ [youarenotsosmart.com]
Just look at the shit we put up with MS Office and new Windows installations these days. No, you can't just have a disc, you need to spend a half hour entering all your personal info (mostly re-entering those fucking captchas because their shitty forms don't validate interactively) in an MS account so we can keep tabs on you and send you spam. Even then, you're not getting an installation package file, we'll only give you some brain dead all-in-one downloader that only works on *your* computer, provides absolutely no configuration options and doesn't tell you where the installer files are located (though they probably aren't even usable if you do find them). Sure, you *can* get installation discs if you cough up another $15 and wait a week.
Fuck that, I'll head over to TPB and have a an ISO in 15 minutes.
Do you think we'd have willing to choke down this shit sandwich even a few years ago?
Sony, advocate of freedom? (Score:3)
Sony comes out with a ground-breakingly open game console (as modern mainstream game consoles go) which forces Microsoft to open theirs up, and recently opened one of their smart watches...could they actually be turning over a new leaf, opening up and providing something their customers want? This seems wrong. They were definitely one of the most evil megacorps just a few months ago.
Looks like... (Score:3)
They listened to Sony (Score:4, Insightful)
It wasn't "the people" they listened to, it was the sounds of Sony destroying them at E3.
Re:Sounds like... (Score:5, Insightful)
It's hilarious people are running back to them so fast. There's nothing stopping them from putting DRM in a year from now. It's still 100$ more than PS4, still has worse hardware, it still has Kinect, even though you're the type of person who doesn't care about rights it still makes the system less powerful as a segment of it is reserved for this telescreen
Enjoy your Halo kiddo
Re:Sounds like... (Score:5, Insightful)
There's nothing stopping them from putting DRM in a year from now
To be fair, there's also nothing stopping Sony from changing anything and everything about their PS4 software at any point. And Sony does have a track record to create suspicion that they might.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
Re:Sounds like... (Score:5, Interesting)
Nobody is taking out DRM from XBOX or Playstation. They're only talking about taking away region locking and phoning home for daily authentication. You're still going to have to deal with Ubisoft and their uPlay bullshit and redeemable one-time codes and so on.
People also seem to be constantly conflating DRM with used games. The two have little to do with each other. Sony has said they won't infringe on your right to own your purchases and lend, give, trade, sell them and they won't let others do that, either. That doesn't mean DRM won't still be used.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
After all "It's only software" right?
Yeah, it's only software which you don't control and where updates can be required by specific games. So control of the users can be re-implemented in a future update, once they've got a sufficient market presence (locked-in customer base). Sony did it with the Other OS feature on the PS3, and Microsoft can do it with the call home "feature" and no-sharing "feature" on the XBone. Best if we just skip buying consoles or anything else with proprietary operating systems (RMS is quite right on this one).
Re:Sounds like... (Score:5, Insightful)
The world where triple A titles will be on a system that RMS approves is the same world where communism works.
That is, not this one.
Re:selective listening (Score:5, Interesting)
If they were so quick to listen to the gaming community, why have they been so deaf to the feedback about Windows 8?
Because there's no EULA prohibiting you from selling your 360 to someone else, so those consoles will always be plentiful on the secondary market.
Meanwhile, Windows 7 can be pulled from stores and you are prohibited from transferring your license to any other computer, whether you own it or not.
In short, you don't have to listen to your customers when they're locked in and you control the market scarcity.
Re: (Score:2)
Most likely because they've got an expensive machine to sell with the Xbox One (is it it acceptable to just call it Xboner for short from now on?), while with Windows... for the most part it's just software and their traditional monopoly products that fuels it (MS Office...). Not to mention, I figure they've got more to lose with their video game systems, since that market seems to be continuing to expand and has has had some pretty stiff competition for decades now. But who knows... maybe the guys in the