Xbox One Digital Vision Simply Reordered, Could Return After Launch

The digital future that the Xbox One was originally a big part of could return soon after launch.

[abc1233]

Anyone surprised?

EDIT: Actually, looking at the interview, it seems he's talking more about things like family sharing rather than bringing back their DRM policies as such:

So the console you’re launching this Christmas is a temporary thing, essentially. It’ll eventually evolve to be the console you announced in May?

I’m happy to re-state this – all that we have changed is our DRM policy on disc-based games. We include disc-based games as part of our system whereas previously it was a cloud-based licensing system. But all the benefits of being able to download a game digitally, then go to your friends’ house and log in as you, that content goes with you. That’s there.

[GarrusVakarian]

As long as they don't try and dictate to us when we can and can't play physical media we have paid for then whatever.

Oh man, if they even try and pull that BS with us again they will get torn apart just like they did earlier this year. Digital vision is one thing, but having our money AND control over our products is not ok!

Ill buy an X1, but the slightest wiff of this crap returning and im trading it straight in. If i want to play offline then i should be able to, i don't want to be checked on every 24 hours like some mischievous child who needs supervision.

@Lalanana

I hope you're right, this returning would be a seriously stupid decision on MS part. Do they think people have just forgotten about their original policies and are just going to be ok with them because a year or so has passed?

[Lalanana]

Lol submitted by MariaHelFutura.

Enough said.

On the side note.." But as soon as we get past launch then there are some really exciting things that are on the way.”

Where does this say everything could return?

Explain.

Very misleading title indeed.

@Lukas_Japonicus .I never said people will forget easily.. I am saying the title of the article is misleading. "I’m happy to re-state this – all that we have changed is our DRM policy on disc-based games. " We include disc-based games as part of our system whereas previously it was a cloud-based licensing system. But all the benefits of being able to download a game digitally, then go to your friends’ house and log in as you, that content goes with you. That’s there. " How does it say it will return again?

Edit2: @Lukas_Japonicus I'll PM u later boss is bugging me. Later.

[lifeisgamesok]

@Lukas I'm with you brother. I love the games the Xbox One has been showing and I have my preorder but the minute MS tries to make me play my games online I'm going right to the store to sell it

[harrisk954]

@Lukas_Japonicus

"Ill buy an X1, but the slightest wiff of this crap returning and im trading it straight in."

I smell a whiff.

Why wouldn't Phil Harrison straight up answer the question?

"When asked more directly about the return of DRM and 24-hour check-ins, Harrison remarked that “it’s all there,” insinuating that nothing has truly been removed from the console."

If they pull a bait and switch, the class action lawsuits are gonna fly.

[Oner]

@Lukas_Japonicus & harrisk954 ~ I got my first "whiff" of MS' bull before with the failures* (plural) of my 360. Sorry, but I learned my lesson early on and absolutely don't feel the need to bother with the XB1 as it's not worth it nor the possible aggravation. I just don't understand how people still put up with MS' tactics in good conscience. I really don't.

[4Sh0w]

Awesome this is why I said previously alot of X1 owners are going digital. Everyone that I tell micro is going to allow some type of family sharing between 2 or more friends or family for the same game loves the idea and say when they buy an X1 they will go digital too. Especially since they are also working on letting you buy, trade, and sell your used game.

[2cents]

There is no way that disc based gaming will ever be removed now. Digital is where there is potential for a form of DRM to be reintroduced to enable digital reselling of user owned content.

Best of both worlds. For anyone showing any type of resentment towards the digital platform needs their head checked as to be a part of the digital format and download digital titles then one will have to have Internet anyway. So trying the bullshit argument of "not everyone has Internet" isn't gonna fly.

@abc1233

exactly. that's what im saying. Now the only thing left to implement is the sharing and selling of digitally distributed content, in order to do this there will need to be a form of DRM which will need to check the licence validity. Be it a 24hr checkin or whatever, WHEN this gets reimplemented then there should be no complaints as the people who play in the traditional way by buying discs and only playing the game when the disc is loaded and not using any online functionality will not be affected. Only the peolpe who use the network will need to have the DRM checks so it makes sense and it is fair.

"not everyone has internet" argument will always be a fanboy favorite to counter any type of online DRM, that's what I am highlighting.

[abc1233]

The whole "not everyone has internet" argument was more geared towards the 24hr checks impacting an offline console rather than the downloading of digital content itself.

[rainslacker]

If they had left this as a choice from the beginning they would never have received the backlash they did. All they did was bring the down sides of current DD models to the forefront.

BTW...an argument can always be made based off some hypothetical. For instance. Once a digital purchase is registered, why would you have to check in every 24 hours? What if your internet goes out for a month for whatever reason, say you can't pay the bill, are you not able to play your digital purchases for that month? It's an extreme hypothetical, but never underestimate the lengths some people will go to to discredit something.:)

Otherwise, I agree, in order to buy, sell, or trade digital content it's obvious you would need a internet connection. MS retail solution to this problem just screwed those that preferred buying retail games as they are now, which is why everyone hated it.

[famoussasjohn]

Family sharing sounded amazing and wouldn't mind that being available. They didn't have to take it away completely and could have kept it for Digital games only. If it makes an appearance again I just hope it doesn't go back to what was originally planned because that was poorly thoughtout.

[malokevi]

AWESOME. All digital for me. All my multiplats and Xbox exclusives will be consolidated on my Xbox for this very reason. As well as ease of access and general sexiness of UI. My Playstation 4 will be peripheral.

[rainslacker]

You know it's possible to go all digital on the PS4 as well right?

[malokevi]

Yeahhhhh...

[Scholla]

I told ya! back when, I saw this thing possibly coming when they first denounced it:
http://www.consolecontrollu...

[GarrusVakarian]

Oh man........Just when things are looking up for MS lately. I hope they don't implement their old policies, but if they do they need to be more flexible and give the consumer more freedom of property they have bought.

[bigboirock]

there going to.. they are just trying to find ways to integrate the family share plan and all other old police without taking away the disk

[GarrusVakarian]

Sounds good. I still want to be able trade/borrow/give away my physical games.

[Insomnia_84]

Their forced camara on every box is more than enough proof. The Xbox One in a couple of years will be exactly how they announced it months ago. They will make you have that effing camara connected one way or another.

Seriously, this has to be the worst console ever. It's like Microsoft is using gaming just to get into your home for other purposes other than gaming. First they attract the hardcore to make a fanbase, then they forget about them and make spycam Kinect the center of all and flood the system with kinect games, later they try to release a console that forces the spycam on you and are trying to make you believe voice commands and hand gesture the best effing thing ever and requires you to check in to their servers everyday etc you all know the story while all that stuff of MS getting money from NSA surfaces, they try to have control of what you buy and manage it however they want. They "changed" their policies when everyone gave them the middle finger trying to make you fall into their sht to later on f u up again little by little....seriously is no one seeing this????? There is so much more to this than what it seems. This has to be the most fck-the-consumer device EVER!

Even Obama gave MS the middle finger with some free Playstation 4 advertisement to the whole nation! lol

[gamertk421]

Dat babbling.

[bigboirock]

put a damn shirt over the kinect then. were consonantly being spyed on anyway if you got a computer or a phone.

i dont see why Microsoft is geting so much hate for the kinect its pretty much the same thing apple just did with the fingerprint scanner.

i love the xbox one old policy it was bringing something new and exciting yes it was probably to soon but its going to happen anyway. ps4=ps3 with better hardware

all i know the xbox one will be years of fun as will be the ps4,but xbox one day one for me

[Foxhound922]

Your comment made me laugh. So the x1 is what exactly? A 360 with barely better hardware, same bullshit kinect, more restrictive, with apps and features (all behind a paywall) that are completely pointless in a game console and have been around for years on multiple devices. Not to mention that it's more expensive than the competition and inferior in many aspects.

At least the ps4 has about 95% of the features the x1 has, but is doing what every game company should do, focusing on games and exclusives. Believe it or not, some gamers actually like to play games on their video game console.

Let's not get started on the games shall we

Edit

Apple is also getting a lot of flak for the fingerprint thing. The difference with the kinect is that it's forced upon you, or at least it was during its reveal. Now ms says it's not required but we all know that's a load of crap. Put a shirt over it? It's still listening to you after all. Also, I don't get the logic here with MS fanboys. It is well known that the major selling point and "next gen experience" of the X1 revolves around the kinect, but people say just unplug it or cover it up. Without kinect, there's absolutely nothing that sets it apart from other gaming consoles.

[Concertoine]

@foxhound
I dont think its a load of crap. I think if they give you the option ti unplug the device, then that doesnt make the device necessary. Explain how the device IS necessary, please.
And what seperates the ps4? Theyre both game consoles, who cares. When you say "lets not get started on the games" you solidify your stance that you hate the xbox one no matter what.
I dont want an xbox one, but that doesnt mean i wont admit it has good games. Grow up.

[obelix01]

I heard the moon landing was a hoax.

That sounds as ridiculous as the NSA being in anyway shape or form involved in this.

[Foxhound922]

Except for the part where MS have signed media and data contracts with various government agencies and advertisement groups. Not to mention its in the license already for the kinect on 360. Not quite the moon hoax anymore ha?

[Concertoine]

Good grief how to you people sleep at night constantly conjuring up all this BS. Dont use a cell phone, theyre LISTENING. Put some tape over your webcam, its ALWAYS WATCHING.
Lol if microsoft wants to watch me sit on a damn couch and fumble with a controller, they can do it. Eventually they'll realize theyre blowing money on useless surveillance. Or hey, i could unplug or cover the damn thing because, guess what, i can. Big whoop.
You people are manipulating vague info into "MICROSOFTS BRINGING BACK THE DRM!!1'!!" Someone please cite where he said theyd be bringing back the always on kinect, no physical discs, or constant internet connection.

[Concertoine]

, im so glad im not paranoid like some of you people. Theres literally nothing to be gained from watching some gamer drool at his tv, muttering the occasional swear. The NSA wouldnt waste time or money on the kinect.
And Obama mentioned the xbox a few DAYS ago, thats some selective/uninformed memory you got there.

[Crazay]

I see a time in the future...not sure how far but within the next 2yrs I would say where they offer you the choice of buying physical media or going digital at a reduced price with a storefront where you can sell the digital license (much like trading in)for those purchases when you no longer want to play them. But also, it's going to usher in the family sharing that everyone decided they wanted after it was removed.

[PsylentKiller]

They theoretically return to the original policies but if they do it will. It bode well for them financially.

1. Many XB1 owners will probably sell their consoles and disc based games. They will have to eat the cost of any digital games. They will most likely buy a PS4 with that money.

2. If original policies are reimplemented, any estimated sales will decrease dramatically.

3. Profit margins will decrease as well due to the lack of XB1 game sales. Digital and physical.

4. MS will face a lawsuit like they have never faced before. In the wake of this lawsuit they will loose many loyal customers. The PS4 will take a bigger lead than they have now.

5. The demise of the Xbox brand will seem like like a reality to the other competitors. Nintendo may surge forward with a powerful PR campaign. Steambox will get more than a foot in the door. Ouya may become an option for people (lol).

6. Apple may even try its hand at the gaming market. Everyone knows they have more cash to throw at the gaming market than MS did when it launched the original Xbox.

MS does not want to compete with Apple & Sony, as well as Nintendo and the other gaming machines. Although, if Apple were to step into the gaming market, they would be a direct competitor with Steambox rather than Sony or MS. If they stepped in, it would most likely create a tiered gaming console market. Low, Mid, and High end market.

[bigboirock]

MS does not want to compete with Apple & Sony, as well as Nintendo

they dont want to. yes

but can they survive. yes,there are plenty of ways to counteract more competitor. the biggest way to survive and succeed not saying they need it is to have a bigger wallet the most of them combined

[PsylentKiller]

Their wallet is what got them into the game and through the first generation. Then they used their wallet again to secure exclusives and timed exclusives with the 360. They continue to use it into this next generation but I wonder how much more can they continue to do this. Especially if they had to fight a war on two fronts.

Edit:
@hazardman

I did not read the article but I didn't have to. No matter what MS says, many people believe that the DRM policies were never off the table.
I, personally, don't think that MS would eliminate offline play. I believe that the family sharing will make a comeback along with the the registration of games. If or when they reimplement these policies, MS will most likely make sure that they will not negatively impact their fan base.

[rainslacker]

That wallet isn't endless though. Even now, there are investors and board members who aren't too keen on the Xbox brand. In their eyes, the Xbox division isn't performing as well as the rest of Microsoft's divisions, and they truly do want to reallocate those resources.

This more than anything is what the Xbox division has to worry about above competition. Even if the Xbox division funding got cut in half, it would have dire results for the Xbox gamer. Casual would become much bigger, because the profit margins are higher and less risky. Less investment in big AAA games due to not having enough money to fund as many. Slowing down of new features and apps coming out later in the product line.

Competition can be dealt with, but at some point those board members and investors are going to say enough is enough. The reality is that the Xbox division is a fairly small part of another division of MS, which is already struggling.

[hazardman]

Reading thru some of the comments it looks like some of y'all didnt bother with the article. Anyway I hope MS does bring back family share thats a great feature.

[strigoi814]

i still think MS will go back to their first vision, they haven't even try to say " oops sorry we thought you like our plan"

[MAULxx]

They may not go back to their full original vision but I think you will see them pull some boners during the coming Xbone generation. I would not put anything past them.
They are not sorry about the screw over they wanted to pull. They don't think anything was wrong with it. They blamed "the message". Xbone owners should be ready for anything down the road. They lost me completely. They lost all the good will I had toward them which was alot in the 360 early years.

[KillrateOmega]

It seems like this is more about Family Share than DRM. Also, Maria submitted this, so yeah...

[DevilishSix]

I read that interview with Phil Harrison and he dodged that question at least twice. I don't like it when straight forward answers are not given.

[mhunterjr]

I think people that try to soon this to mean the return of drm are either dense or have want to stir up additional controversy.

There's simply no logistic way to, or logical reason to reintrofuced drm to disc based purchases mid cycle.

This is very obviously about bringing back the ideas centered around digital distribution ( family sharing, licence trading etc) to digital purchases.

[CynicalKelly]

Just reading the comments, it seems nobody ever reads articles. They have never said about bringing back DRM, it's always been about the Family sharing, gifting, sharing, trading and reselling of digital content.

They said this so many times since the reversal of the original policy and EVERYBODY stands up to start talking about how it's going to come with DRM.

People need to read and think before they start typing and forming opinions because it's not pretty.

[MajorMayhem70]

I hope they bring the family sharing back. There will be 3 day one Xbox One's at my house. This will be a great way to share our games without the worry of scratched or broken disks. As far as the spying conspiracy theory that some of you have taken as fact, do me a favor and drink a warm cup of shut the hell up.

[ElementX]

I have a pretty fast internet connection but there's no way I'm downloading 25GB plus games on a regular basis