Microsoft confirms 'pre-owned fee' for Xbox One

Discussion in 'News and Article Submission' started by seanpr92, May 21, 2013.

  1. seanpr92

    seanpr92 Godlike

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    Mandatory game installation required for all games; second install on separate Live account sits behind paywall
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    Microsoft has confirmed that all Xbox One games will require mandatory installation onto the system's hard drive and, to install the same disc onto another user's drive, a fee must be paid.
    Individual games will be tied to Xbox Live accounts, Microsoft said, meaning that the software giant can detect whether a game has been sold to a retailer and repurchased, or handed from one friend to another. In such instances, the second user must pay a fee.
    "On the new Xbox, all game discs are installed to the HDD to play," a Microsoft representative told Wired.
    The company added that, once discs are installed on the hard drive, games can be played without a disc being in the tray.
    The Wired article then elaborates: "What follows naturally from this is that each disc would have to be tied to a unique Xbox Live account, else you could take a single disc and pass it between everyone you know and copy the game over and over. Since this is clearly not going to happen, each disc must then only install for a single owner."
    It added: "Microsoft did say that if a disc was used with a second account, that owner would be given the option to pay a fee and install the game from the disc, which would then mean that the new account would also own the game and could play it without the disc."
    Microsoft did not disclose what the second-user fee would amount too, and did not clarify further on the matter.
    The article claims that there is no sweeping 'always-online' requirement for future Xbox One games.
     
  2. InsaneNutter

    InsaneNutter Resident Nutter Staff Member

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    So I wonder how that would work if I took a game to a friends house and used it in his Xbox with my profile? I would hope because my profile owns the game i could install / play it on his console (with my profile signed in), without him having to pay a "fee".

    I like how at the moment i can take my XBLA games on a usb stick, sign in on my friends consoles and play the games i own... would be pretty rubbish if this changes.

    Edit - Major Nelson has stated:

    Thats good to here, however it does appear Microsoft have essentially killed the ability to lend your friend a game. If you wish to do this now the friend has to essentially purchase the game...
     
  3. CurlySteve

    CurlySteve Elite Member

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    This to me is defeating the object of a console. One of the great things of a console is you put a disk in an play nothing has to be done, This also is what set consoles apart from PC gaming as you dont have to wait for half an hour for it to be installed. I cant see now that there is much if any difference from the console to the PC. Its using PC hardware with PC architecture and you have to install the games.
     
  4. oO Flowzilla Oo

    oO Flowzilla Oo Addict

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    Way too many restrictions. I think I'll have to pass this generation of gaming consoles.
     
  5. seanpr92

    seanpr92 Godlike

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    this will slowly but surely kill off shops like game cex gamestop ect as there only income would be preowned sales from last gen and ps4 and numerous nintendo consoles there essentialy trying to dominate the pc crowd which works simular with cd keys
     
  6. Rick

    Rick Moderator

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    If you want to share a game without paying i'm thinking you will need to let the person use your account. This is confusing though, if you install a game onto console A using profile A, would the game work on console A if it's being played on console B using profile A. I'm not sure if a game is licensed to the console.
     
  7. Trebor

    Trebor Dolphin Fan

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    It's licensed to your profile from what I have gathered. So as long as you have your profile you can play your game on any console (once installed). I've no idea whether that also means games with Multiplayer as each person may have to own the game to play (unless signed in as a guest user perhaps?) It probably will kill off the used games market but I think I heard somewhere that Xbox will allow people to trade their games online somehow. Maybe they'll allow you to sell licenses back to the store you bought a game from and so used game sales can still occur but if that's the case it'll just confuse people and kind of defeat the whole purpose of licensing games to a profile. Unless they're suggesting publishers/developers are really losing out on consumers lending games to their friends.... Hopefully things will clear up at E3 or near the release of the console.
     

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