When Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One last week at E3 and announced the inability to share video games with friends and the need to be connected to the Internet at, almost, all times fans exploded with anger at policies they believed would inhibit the way they currently played their favorite games. Microsoft has just released a statement addressing the concerns and the changes the company is making as they move forward. Read about what is being changed after the jump.
Don Mattrick, President of Interactive Entertainment Business, has just released a written statement explaining he and his team have listened and read the concerns being expressed over the drastic changes that would be implemented with Microsoft’s next video game console. The major outcry over the announcement has made the Xbox One team reconsider their ideas and will be now making changes based one what they have heard. Mattrick wrote this:
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.
So, it would appear that we could chalk-up another tally in the Internet’s victory column as the voicing of concerns from many of you has forced Microsoft to reconsider and subsequently change their ideas on digital consumption of console video game. While this could lead to current Xbox 360 users sticking with their console of choice, not all the hot topics surrounding the Xbox One were addressed by Mattrick’s statement, i.e. backwards compatibility.
Are these changes enough to change your opinion on the Xbox One? Or, will you still be moving on to another console come release time later this year? Make sure to let your opinions be heard in the comment section below!
11 Comments
I think Microsoft has shot themselves in the foot as well as stuck that foot in their mouth. I think the damage has been done and PS4 will win the console wars.
This is pretty interesting.
If this was a political campaign, everyone would be calling “Flip-flop” and the resulting scandal would be almost as bad.
I’m interested to see how this plays out.
this is going to be the year of the PC all consoles are failing to do well. The only competition will be the PS4. I was a die hard Xbox fan, but this has ruined my faith.
that is called putting out fires they didnt know would go ablaze.
Sony is not to big to fail and they know that, its a lesson that other companies seem to forget. Job one is to make the customer happy.
I think it’s too late for backpedaling Microsoft has done significant damage to their brand and gamers don’t tend to forgive, and they never forget. The two things they recanted are a start but I do not believe its enough, the connect is an unnecessary addition of mandatory hardware and the $100 price difference is still going to kill the X1 in the long run.
Microsoft stormed out of the gate proud and bloated in true ‘Murica’n style and forgot what their job was. And Sony’s answer: Quality, Functionality, and Economy most importantly remembered what they are in business to do. This was music against all of Microsoft’s noise. Microsoft lost the plot somewhere and Sony found its way back.
Of these two next gen consoles I will be getting (when I can) the PS4, the kid in me still loves Sony and Nintendo and so does my wallet. Xbox had its time to shine. I do not think its going to die quietly, but I do think it will head down the road Sega and many others traveled to the back of the gamer’s closet.
In the end Big Brother’s X1 to me reflects the feeling of ‘Murica and all that is wrong with that. Times they are a changing and we who supported Xbox from the start are getting on in age and don’t have the disposable income that we once did.
“Are these changes enough to change your opinion on the Xbox One?”
Nope, they could drop their price by 200, 00 $ and offer free cookies on release, not buying it on principle alone at this point.
I think this really points to the issue that I have with this change. No one in these comments has said “Oh yeah Microsoft changing their policies is going to make me reconsider which system I will buy.”
I understand why they did this but for the most part the people who were complaining are people they have already lost. I was genuinely excited about the digital sharing and the digital future of the Xbox One. I have now lost two features that had me really excited ab out the XBO. I can no longer play games from hard drive if i have bought the physical discs, and I can’t buy digitally if I want the ability to share my games.
Two huge features that I was really excited about are just gone because of this change. I am not angry about Microsoft making the changes, DRM was never an issue to me. I am just disappointed that it came at the cost of these features and I really hope that this change pays off for them because they listened to consumer base and did what they wanted.
I still don’t know which console I will buy but this just made me less excited about the Xbox One.
Well, I know people who said that when they heard about the DRM requirements, Microsoft lost them. Microsoft made mistakes and are going to pay for it in the long run. I think out of 20 people, only 1 person said he was going to still get a XBONE with the DRM. Anyways, people who DO get one, from what I was reading last night, will have to still connect to the internet to download a Day 1 patch to remove the DRM altogether, which makes me worried that if it could be removed just via a patch, what would they be able to add without people knowing it ala NSA requirements.
If you are going to live in a world where you are scared of the government spying on you, then you need to get rid of your cell phone because someone could remotely activate your microphone or your camera. You need to get rid of any built in webcams on your tablets or computers because those could be remotely activated as well. Even some tvs have webcams built into them now.
We now live in a world where we have to trust that companies aren’t abusing the access we give them to our data and our lives. Obviously, that trust was violated with this NSA scandal. But don’t point at the Kinect and say “No no no I don’t want this in my house because someone might use it to spy on me”, when tons of devices you most likely own (I don’t know you personally but I assume you probably have a cell phone) could also be used to gather information on you without you knowing.
If you don’t want the Kinect because you don’t like its features and you don’t think it would add to game play, then that is fine. You should go and look at the PS4, and I genuinely hope that you enjoy it. But to go ahead and assume the NSA would use it to spy on you instead of using your cell phone seems far fetched.
I’d say bravo to Microsoft for listening to people and changing their policies but it just reminds me of having to accept someone’s apology when you know they’re only making it because they want something from you.
That being said, they’re doing the right thing regardless of their reasons. While I still do not intend to get an XB1 any time soon, their change in policy does move them out of the “never gonna happen” category.
I’ll get an XB1 when:
1.) The price drops at least $200,
2.) I’m sure all the hardware issues have been resolved
3.) I find at least a couple of XB1 exclusive games I’m interested in
Out of 7 people I worked with who had 360s back before they released the slim version, I was the only one who did not have to get it replaced due to hardware problems–that’s a horrible track record. There’s no way I’m going to take a chance on Microsoft hardware right out of the gate. And as far as games, the only XB1 exclusive so far that I might be interested in is D4, and I haven’t seen enough info about that to even say that for certain. Most of the 360 Exclusive games I was interested in were eventually released on the PS4, so I’m probably going to take a chance on happening this time around too.
The day the console died…
Unless MS does something crazy like flip-flop again, these decisions might prove that consoles really are an evolutionary dead end in consumer electronics.
MS nerfed nearly all of the forward looking features of the device in responding to the internet whining. Unless they’re implementation of Kinnect proves to really be a huge game changer, they may have conceded the future to Roku like Android style mini-consoles that focus on casual games or internet server based experiences.
And if this version of the Xbox really does sell as poorly as all of its “jilted” fans are promising, this will also certainly be the last MS foray into the market. The barely broke even on the 360, justifying the effort and investment as a “Halo” project for marketing the company. Loosing money for the entire 5-8 life cycle of this devise is indefensible, especially while their core business is under assault by Android.