Viewpoint: Microsoft Xbox One U-Turn - They listened too much to one set of users

[Nimrod]

While I know the public view on Digiex is more in favour of the recent announced changes to the Xbox One's DRM system (News Article here: https://digiex.net/content/472-microsoft-removing-xbox-one-drm.html ) I'm going to provide a different view point as someone who was excited about the new DRM system.

The benefits of new changes are clear:

• No matter if you buy Games in Shops or Online, you do not have to have internet connectivity to play them.
• You can now swap discs, re-sell or give them away as you see fit if its a disc-based game as that is your license key
• Bonus: Region Locks Removed - However this was not due to the DRM system change, but an additional benefit announced.

However, it's important to realise some of the neat features you will be losing entirely:

• Sharing your game library with up to 10 friends
• Roaming Profiles that could unlock / download its entire game library at a friends house
• Disc-less Play
• Equal Rights for Retail vs Online Purchasers
• Ability to trade / re-sell or transfer licenses of Downloaded Games
• Multi-tasking two games and hot swap between them, as it requires disc changing.

Full Article on the Polygon about the Features lost: Xbox One loses some disc-free play, family game-sharing plan with revised policies | Polygon

Now I know it goes against popular opinion on Digiex, however reading other news sites like Polygon / Verge, Neowin etc shows a totally different view. It appears quite large number of people are really pissed off that for the next 8 years we will be stuck with the same old disc based system in the age of Broadband. While it's true, Xbox One did alienate people with poor broadband (or no broadband) connections, for those who did have it if offered a glimpse of the future.

Who buy's CD's anymore? iTunes and various other Digital stores dominate music sales now. Do you buy boxsets on DVD as much as you use to? Netflix, Hulu, iPlayer, Amazon Video/Lovefilm are in progress of changing the TV and Movie industry. This Xbox One system was the future of gaming, Steam proved it on PC and Microsoft was about to do the same on console's. The cost of these new features? Always on connection, well at least once every 24 hours.

For those of us who live digital lifestyles with mobile phones, tablets, laptops and games console we have internet around us 24/7. Yes, once or twice every year your internet may go down for a few hours, maybe once in a while for a long period of time. But the reality is the check-in scenario wasn't a big a deal as most people made it. A really small number of people with no broadband would lose, but getting an Xbox 360 (or Playstation) as put by the Microsoft guy was actually a very valid statement. The number of gamers without internet was so few that it wasn't worth worrying about them vs everyone else.

Sadly I'm annoyed about this mess, I accept different view points but what Microsoft proposed to me, seemed like the logical next step for Gaming. They may have been a year or two ahead of public opionon however console generations last 8 years. Due to this un-doing we're now stuck in a disc based world for another 8 years.

Here's a few comments from Polygons news article to see how some people really did wish it wasn't removed:

With an Xbox One, I didn’t have to have a disc, I didn’t even have to buy a disc to share it. Now… if I want to share a game I have to buy the disc version.. which makes the digital version weaker.

Before I could share a digital game… in fact 10 family members could have access to all of my games, regardless if I’m awake, home, visiting, or the method I bought it. etc.

Now if they want to play just one of my games, first it can only happen with disc games and I have to actually send it to them somehow; if they don’t live close (which none of them do) then that is just completely impractical. And if I want to play that game… now I have to get the game disc back and hope that it wasn’t damaged while it was out of my “ownership”.

And again... now I can’t do that with any game I get digitally, which is nearly 100% of the games I get today.

With how it was before the “ownership” wasn’t tied to a plastic disc that could be damaged, lost, or destroyed… it was tied to me. It wouldn’t matter if my entire house burned down, the games would still be tied to me and my account, so I could just redownload them and play them anywhere.

In the end, I still have to install the game, but to play it I have to main a stack of game discs and insert them… just to be able to play a game. If that was how it was with my PC, I’d go insane. That’s just a stupid way to play games… unless it’s a decade ago.

Imagine for every app on your computer that you had to keep a disc for it just to run it… then you had to put that disc in just to use whatever program it was… wanted to change to a different program? Find that disc and put it in. Sound pretty ridiculous right? Well that’s how it feels requiring discs for the Xbox One.

I wouldn’t ever buy a game for a computer today if that’s what it required…

Again 10 years ago that made sense… but now in 2013… we don’t need that outdated DRM, we have much easier/simpler methods using the internet.

Okay, so don’t get discs then? Well great… that’s what I could’ve done before… but… I would’ve been able to share all my games instantly. Now I can’t do that. I’ve lost out both ways.

As for an internal system glitch? Like what? Xbox Live suddenly saying that you magically don’t own a game that you have played before? It’s far more likely you’ll scratch/lose that plastic disc you call “ownership” then massive computer archive with backup systems would “lose” your game.

The people who were “upset” about DRM didn’t understand what they actually want nor what the advantages were. They just fell in line like sheep that “DRM is evil! Xbox One is bad!”.

So because of their whining we lost the ability to share digital games, let family/friends play our game catalog anywhere, and now we have to use discs if we want to share any game… and we have to carry the discs with us always.

I understand there is a small minority of people without internet, but FFS it’s 2013... why does the mass majority of people who actually wanted all these benefits have to lose out because a very tiny group of people are living in a world from a decade ago??

If anything just make an offline mode that forfeits all the online benefits for the few people who actually need it.

This is exactly what’s pissed me off. All the cool advantages of the cloud connectedness, that family sharing, all that stuff gone because of the short sightedness of some people. If I wanted a system that was just the exact same thing bit just more powerful I would’ve reserved a PS4. This is stupid a hell, and is solely the so called “gamers” fault.

Couldn’t agree more. Thanks to the vocal minority, and sony pandering to their fans, the rest of us suffer. Microsoft has been an innovator in this industry and it makes me sad that they caved. Many of us had absolutely no problem with the xb one as it was. I was extremely excited for an always online console, and all the benefits that came along with it. Thank you Sony, and all your extremely loud fans for holding the industry back. And screw you Microsoft for listening to them.

You won’t buy an Xbox because there’s the off chance that the internet goes down and it ‘bricks’. But you’re willing to pay, every single month, for the internet service that, apparently, goes down?

Where’s the ire with your ISP that you’re paying every month — likely FAR more money than you do for a game console over time — that fails and likely kills a multitude of devices in your home? Why is it the Xbox’s fault that your ISP sucks? I don’t blame Amazon if I can’t stream my Prime videos when my internet goes down.

I don’t avoid buying a TV or cable package because every once in a while cable goes down.

I don’t avoid buying a refrigerator because once in a while I’m without power. And you want to talk about a “pain in the ass” — not being able to play a game is NOT a “pain in the ass”, a refrigerator of spoiled food IS.

Besides, MS has given you alternative that would work 99% of the time in that 0.0001% of the time that you couldn’t get online — you can tether it to your phone for the very small amount of time verification took. If you get to a situation where both your home is without internet service and your cellphone is dead too, you’ve got far bigger things to worry about than playing a video game.

Just for those who say you can still buy Digital Games via Xbox Live and live this Digital World, there's a few things to remember:

Now you don't need to check in every 24-hours digital games are unlocked all the time without no connection. Because of this licenses cant be de-validated in shops which is why there is no trade-in anymore. You can't share them like you use to as again, no requirement to check in. You can't buy a retail game and convert it to digital and vice versa. Digital users have lost a lot here to support people who insist on disc-based DRM.

My final view point is: It's great Microsoft listened to 'some' people who kicked off a fuss and wanted the old disc-based drm system back. But in 3-5 years when internet is even MORE widespread and disc's for Movies / TV / Music are all but old-school, Console's will be stuck in the past with physical disc's... And due to the way the system is now Microsoft cannot simple un-do this move and suddenly re-enable the old internet based DRM system as disc's with no internet requirements will already be everywhere, as will consoles with digital downloaded games no longer connection to the internet. The only way this system could work and stop you giving your entire town a copy of the game was to require a check-in, which in my view was a small price to pay for the features it unlocks. This system is now in place for 8 years, and we all have to live with it. Seems to be like Xbox 360 with better graphics is all we got now :/

 

[seanpr92]

i dont see major fuss about online as long as its done well but i own a pc so im used to online only because if i take trip down to my local game 9/10 chances all the games are orgin/steam codes

 

[xzKinGzxBuRnzx]

Agreed. I was quite disappointed to hear about this. Although it is a bit impressive to see the Xbox One go region free. I'd much rather have digital over disc any day. Even with Microsofts massive u-turn, why did they decide to remove some of the digital aspects? This could of made digital copies more appealing as there going to cost more when it comes to retail older/used games anyways.

I guess all we can do is hope that a future update will bring back some of this functionality.

 

[seanpr92]

[video=youtube;hAtc1F0jtzY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAtc1F0jtzY[/video]

 

[lem_is_cool]

While this Xbox One Eighty means they listened to a degree, are you telling me they HAD to cut all those features? Why not make the drm optional or have an offline mode where games lent out are flagged and can't be used offline until returned. Feels more like a punishment for voicing our opinions than a compromise.

 

[Nimrod]

While this Xbox One Eighty means they listened to a degree, are you telling me they HAD to cut all those features? Why not make the drm optional or have an offline mode where games lent out are flagged and can't be used offline until returned. Feels more like a punishment for voicing our opinions than a compromise.

They had to cut them because what you just said is entirely unfeasible. If Consoles can stay offline, how are they to know if certain games are lent out or licensed to another user? Either the Disc is the license or a CD-Key is. But it can't be both otherwise you could buy a game, put the cd key into an online console and put the disc into an offline console and get the game twice.
This is the true cost of supporting the old disc method...

 

[InsaneNutter]

Personally I don’t think the issue is nowhere near as big as your making it out to be.

You now have a choice, you can either be totally digital which you want to be or stick to the classic method of purchasing games on disc and installing them.

What is wrong with choice?

You have lost:

• Equal Rights for Retail vs Online Purchasers, as in you can’t currently sell your digital purchase.
• Sharing your game library with up to 10 friends, that could be brought back in at a later date... would certainly be a good pr stunt.

You have not lost:

• Roaming Profiles that could unlock / download its entire game library at a friend’s house
• Disc-less Play
• Multi-tasking two games and hot swap between them.

You now simply have choice if you wish to go digital and take advantage of the featured you listed, or stick to the current way of buying things on disc.

Going the digital only way give you a roaming profile, disc-less play and Multi-tasking two games (still not really sure the benefit of this? probably match make as watching tv or something).

Microsoft provided very little details regarding the family / game sharing plan. Most took the best case scenario and went with it. Given Microsoft were trying to get more money from 2nd hand sales its very unlikely you would have been able to have 10 different friends, playing 10 of your games at any one time. That has always sounded too good to be true.

My guess you could have probably shared with 10 friends, but only one friend could have been playing at any given time. The latest rumour is that Xbox One family sharing would have been limited to 60 minutes... Given how Microsoft wanted to control the used game market, it seems unlikely to me they would have been so generous.

In reality we know next to nothing about how it would have worked, we can only speculate.

I think a massive plus you have missed is thanks to this we still have a cheap, used games market. Even with Microsoft allowing trade in's with the old DRM system its only in certain big shops, like Game who could have taken advantage of it. Shops like Game sell used games at near full retail pricing.

We now have Ebay, CEX, Amazon Market where old games will be able to be purchased for next to nothing. Personally i would pick cheap games and having to place a disc in the console over be locked in to an expensive, controlling drm system.

Another plus of the new system which is a first for any console is you can digitally import games direct from the Xbox Dashboard, as there is no region coding. You dont have to wait two weeks for a game from Play-Asia to arrive in your letter box if you wish. That's a situation where i would likely choose digital over the disc based system.

As it stands at the moment i think its a major win for consumers at both side of the fence, we have choice, which is always good.

 

[Rockman]

1) They still require Kinect to be plugged to the console.
2) It does not have a physical power on/off button.

Microsoft was too late with this decision and they still didn't got rid off Kinect to make it optional. I'm still going for PS4, there's nothing that makes me want Xbox One.

 

[seanpr92]

i think with online system it would have been harder for piracy and wouldnt be modders like in 360