150°

Albert Penello on Xbox One's DRM: "We're not going back on that"

The Xbox One's DRM debacle and the backlash it caused will always be remembered as a big event in gaming history. Not only it damaged the brand and reputation of Xbox, it also forced Microsoft to hastily change their DRM policies. Microsoft's Albert Penello assures that they will never implement this DRM again.

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gearnuke.com
GarrusVakarian3855d ago (Edited 3855d ago )

Thank god for that, wise choice. Maybe in the future (after next gen) their DRM vision will be more relevant, but not now. Let this be a lesson learned to MS or any other gaming company that you can not force something onto the gamer, they will speak with their wallets.

Good to have some reassurance, now i can start saving for my X1 without worrying if those stupid policies will ever come back. Bravo MS, gotta give credit where its due.

KrisButtar3855d ago

I agree DRM is the major reason I stay away from PC Gaming and Steam.

With this reassurance, it puts many of my friends at ease and myself.

dedicatedtogamers3855d ago

I guess I can leave my doors unlocked at night. That burglar who tried to break in 5 nights in a row last week told me we was sorry and he wouldn't do it again.

He seemed really sincere.

KrisButtar3855d ago

@dedicatedtogamers

Who locks their doors?

I think this DRM backlash will haunt them this whole gen and if they bring it back, don't you think the backlash would be even bigger than it was? Think of the impact that would have on their future sales. They would have no credibility on the rest of the gen or the gen afterwards and if the other console makers don't put in DRM in their next machines Microsoft would have next to no sales. Which is what companies cares about.

fenome3854d ago

After they have a big enough install base I wouldn't put it past them to try to implement it again. They patched it out, they can patch it in.

rainslacker3854d ago

They certainly won't bring it back in the same form, and it's likely they'll leave physical games alone for this gen.

I see a bigger push from them in connectivity though, by requiring the user to connect to gain features that should be quite possible on the hardware itself. It seems EA and Ubisoft are going to be doing this as well.

MS has to know by now that in order to push their agenda they have to make the option of DD more appealing than physical media, or make physical media so bogged down with the requirement to connect that one would just go digital because it's about the same.

How it plays out is going to be interesting, but at no point do I see them just saying they threw the switch back to on.

Of course I could be wrong too.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3854d ago
JustPlay43855d ago

Why would they that would stupidest thing ever

jackanderson19853855d ago

once google do their fibre rollout it could be fully relevant... PC moved to around 95% digital and it's doing well enough... i also assume steam box will be 100% digital?

MrCastle3855d ago

@lukas
As if you're getting an xb1. You troll every ms article hardcore. Or are you just a malcontent?

GarrusVakarian3855d ago (Edited 3855d ago )

Lol, think whatever you want. I have 103k gamerscore on the 360 and i am buying an X1 early next year hopefully. I don't troll MS articles, i comment giving my opinion, i don't think you understand the meaning of trolling, people throw that word around so easily...what if i just generally don't like MS? Im automatically a troll if i say anything negatively about them?. The idea of me praising MS is so alien to you so you think there has to be some hidden agenda? Sad. Read the last sentence of my original comment.

I don't have to like MS to buy their console and play their games, i may lean more towards Sony but im a gamer first and foremost.

I'll tell you what, i will keep track of you on N4G and then when i have an X1 ill post you photographic proof, that work for you?Lol.

johndoe112113855d ago

Lukas, you are a very very brave guy. I salute you. I'm sorry, but I don't trust microsoft as far as I can spit.

They have proven to be the most deceitful, sneaky, untrustworthy, scheming, moneywhoring company I have had the displeasure of purchasing products from.

I will be getting an xbox one for sure but It'll be in about four years or so. I will not give them my money anytime soon. They don't deserve it.

Microsoft has to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have learned from their mistakes and right now I don't get that.

Everything they've done has been to move consoles not because they see the errors of their ways. They still tried to force DRM even though they knew everyone hated it and was complaining.

All the lies, the non stop lies "The xbox one can do 4k gaming", "Our memory bandwidth is much higher than the ps4", " We can't remove the kinect, It's built into the system. The kinect is xbox one, xbox one is the kinect". How, how can I trust these people?

Why, why in the name of all that is holy will I give these people my money? What have they done to deserve it?

I have no issues with your decision, It's just not the decision I would have made. God speed though. Let us know how it pans out for you and how you like the games. You could probably do some mini reviews in your comments for those of us who are considering buying one eventually.

GarrusVakarian3855d ago

I knew i was going to get mass disagrees, its no biggie though. Im going to give MS the benefit of the doubt here, i don't think we will see a return of DRM in next gens life cycle, it hurt them too badly this year for them to try it again in my opinion.

"Why, why in the name of all that is holy will I give these people my money? What have they done to deserve it?"

I get that sentence so much, but i just can't miss out on exclusives. As a gamer, i just can't miss out. im prepared to look past my hatred for MS in order to play games that are only on their system.

johndoe112113855d ago

" i just can't miss out on exclusives. As a gamer, i just can't miss out."

I fully understand this statement, I really do. In some ways I feel the same way. But for me I think it goes a little further than just hatred. It's more like disgust at being treated like an abused wife.

It's like being abused for years and after finally getting the courage to leave, having the husband coming back and begging for another chance. A smart woman would not be so quick to jump back into bed with him again.

I'm not saying in any way that you aren't smart, I'm just saying that I choose to ignore my desire to play those exclusives, at least for now, in order to stand firm on my decision to not support microsoft out of the gate.

I still believe they don't give a rat's a$$ about us. Granted, neither may sony but at least they treated us with a little more respect.

At the end of the day I understand and respect your decision. I personally would like to get some feedback from you on your opinions of the games and the system.

GarrusVakarian3855d ago

Great to have a mature discussion on this website for once, thanks. Ill be sure to give my opinions on X1 games, im a very opinionated person so keep a look out lol. Ill drop you a friends request so i don't forget who you are lol.

BlueShirt77493855d ago

Damn I feel so bad for some of you. Step away from the electronics for a bit and take a walk outside - there are more important things to worry about.

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stuna13855d ago

The question I ask is if they hadn't bungled so much in trying to launch the Xbox1, does anyone actually believe Penello would be making this statement at this point!? Microsoft is trying to save face! Nothing more nothing less.

Blaze9293855d ago

the fact that some people really believed they would implement DRM again AFTER removing it and consumers buying a product that shouldn't have it - just shows the level of intelligence some of you all have.

That would be class action lawsuits waiting to happen.

No, the original DRM plan is never coming back on Xbox One. Give it up already.

Hicken3855d ago

The fact that Microsoft was adamant in their attempt to bring the DRM to market- even after months of gamers railing against the idea- before finally relenting just shows how determined they were to implement the restriction.

It would be great if it never came back. But I think it's reasonable to take such words with a grain of salt after how hard they pushed for it in the first place.

If anything, the people who AREN'T skeptical show a level of naivete that should be concerning for the rest of us.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 3854d ago
MightyNoX3855d ago

Yeeeeeah....please excuse my lack of faith in you, Mr flip flops.

NegativeCreep4273855d ago

I wouldn't even trust that face to get my order right at Jack In The Box.

MasterCornholio3855d ago

They better not pull another 180 otherwise they will get destroyed by enraged consumers.

Nexus 7 2013

Baka-akaB3855d ago

Quite frankly he wouldnt know till after the decision was taken .. in such scenarios

-Foxtrot3855d ago

True...his job is a PR spokesman, to talk about things and defend them if you need to after they've been announced by MS.

tommy-cronin3855d ago

Got this page bookmarked, there'll come a time when i'll need to read it again, wink fucking wink.

Mikelarry3855d ago (Edited 3855d ago )

you mean like when they said kinect would not record you, then changed the fact and said below.

http://n4g.com/news/1384807...

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150°

10 Biggest Xbox Mistakes of All Time (So Far)

The Xbox brand has done a lot of good over the years, but their various blunders are pretty wild to look back on in their magnitude.

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culturedvultures.com
piroh5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

Ironically number 9 can save them at this point (releasing games on multiple platforms)

ChasterMies3d ago

By “save them” you mean make more profit for Microsoft. Xbox will still be a dying hardware platform.

OtterX4d ago

You could add the naming scheme for the consoles, it just confuses customers. I know they wanted to avoid traditional numbering bc it would always be lower than their competitor, but this whole 360 then One then Series thing is confusing af. Imagine a Soccer Mom trying to figure this stuff out. I still mistakenly call the Series X the One from time to time on accident.

RNTody4d ago

Don't forget about the Xbox One, Xbox One X and Xbox Series X! Good luck to Soccer moms around the world.

S2Killinit3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

They did that on purpose to confuse and direct attention away from the generational numbering.

MS doesn’t like reminding people that they joined the industry after others had already been involved in gaming.

For instance, they called the xbox “360” to combat PlayStation “3” because they wanted to seem like “more” than “3”, so instead of xbox 2, they opted for xbox 360. Also this had the additional benefit of selling consoles to uninformed parents who might purchase a “360” instead of a “3” by mistake, or because they thought 360 was more than 3. Kind of a disingenuous move.

They have been continuing with their confusing naming patterns for pretty much the same reasons. Frankly, it fits with who and what they are as a brand.

FinalFantasyFanatic3d ago

I can understand their reasoning, but whoever came up with that naming scheme should be fired, bad naming schemes have killed consoles (I'm pretty sure it was the major reason for the downfall of the WiiU). They should have had unqiue names like Nintendo and Sega have had for their consoles, far less confusing for the consumer.

rob-GP2h ago

@FinalFantasyFanatic "They should have had unqiue names like Nintendo..."

lol, you mean:

NES, SNES
GameBoy, GameBoy Advanced, GameBoy Colour, GameBoy SP
DS, DSi, DSXL
3DS, 3DS XL, New 3DS, New 3DS XL
Wii, Wii U
Switch, Switch OLED

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Cacabunga4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

Phil Spencer is the worst that has happened to Xbox.
They built a respectable brand up to Xbox one. Then this guy took over and things became a joke

Reaper22_4d ago

He still has his job. Something you can't say about Jim Ryan.

Cacabunga4d ago

Both bad execs. One is on job and one thankfully retired.

FinalFantasyFanatic3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

I didn't like either person, both people damaged their respective brands and produced worse outcomes, but Phil did save the Xbox brand from being retired by Microsoft. Although in hindsight, he should have just let it die, rather than languish in limbo like it is now.

Rainbowcookie2d ago

Yeah but the one that was "bad" didn't even affect sales.

bunt-custardly4d ago

Phil Spencer was also on the team back when 360 was around, alongside Shane Kim, Peter Moore etc. I think the damage that did the most harm was the Don Mattrick "Always Online" console (ahead of its time basically). They handed Sony and Nintendo a free-pass when that was revealed. It went downhill from there. Then the corporate machine went into full swing to try and recover. They have to a degree as a games company for the masses, and less so for the core gamer. Outside USA, the Xbox brand does not sell as well as Japanese based consoles (citation needed).

Cacabunga3d ago

Want a decision maker. The always online and TV plans was a disaster yes, but they caught up by announcing 1st party games that gamers actually kept the hype going.. until this moron took over and introduced the PC day one release.. e all know where that ended..

S2Killinit3d ago

I dont think they were ever a respectable brand, not since the beginning, when their goal was never to be involved and share in the gaming space. I think the OG xbox was an exception because MS as a brand was still getting its foot in and so the people behind that were people of the gaming industry.

FinalFantasyFanatic3d ago

The 360 was the brand in its prime though, everything went downhill towards the end of that generation. Its staple games like Halo, Forza and Gears are what kept the console relevant and afloat for so long.

MaximusPrime_4d ago

Really good video.

I remember the days with RRoD was big news on here, N4G.

Microsoft had it turbulence number of years.

Looking at the success of Sea of Thieves despite being 6 years old, time to release Halo, Forza horizon 4 & 5 on PS5. It'll help their revenue

shinoff21834d ago (Edited 4d ago )

2 of the 4 games they did already sold really well. So it's definitely going down. Idk about halo or forza but I feel those studios they've bought in the last 5 years, their coming

ChasterMies4d ago

I found this video painful to watch. Can someone list them out?

Top 10 for me from are:
1. 2013 reveal presentation
2. Bundling Kinect 2 with Xbox One
3. RRoD or why rushing to market with hardware is always a bad idea.
4. Buying studios only to close them.
5. Ads on the Home Screen
6. Letting Halo die.
7. Letting Geard of War die.
8. Every console name
9. Charging for Xbox Live on Xbox 360 when Sony let PS3 players play online for free.
10. Cancelling release of OG Xbox games after the Xbox 360 launched.

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150°

Microsoft to Add Copilot AI to Video Games

Microsoft recently revealed its plans to incorporate Copilot directly into video games, with Minecraft being the first showcased example.

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xpgained.co.uk
Fishy Fingers8d ago (Edited 8d ago )

F*** AI

"Hey Copilot, what's a good meme to prove I dislike AI".... https://giphy.com/clips/sou...

Einhander19728d ago

Two trillion dollar company that just can't wait to put as many people possible out of work as fast as possible.

It feels like every single thing they do is making gaming worse and destroying the industry.

8d ago
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darthv728d ago

....you know it takes people to program the AI.... right? It isnt like it is sentient. We haven't reach skynet level of situation or anywhere close to the matrix just yet.

That's next Thursday.

Einhander19727d ago (Edited 7d ago )

It takes a people to program the AI then that AI is used for who knows how many games eliminating countless jobs which only grows as AI is used for more and more game creation functions.

What you're saying is so ridiculously short sighted and truly larking any kind of understanding and foresight.

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CaptainFaisal8d ago

Why all the hate? Im actually excited about this! Always wanted this kind of immersion, and an AI companion with me all the time helping me out knowing the status of my skills/inventory/progress and giving me tips on the best approach or how to craft something specific is game changing for the industry.

Hate all you want about AI, but this is just the start and I can see the potential already. You wont be complaining in the next 5-10 years about this, but rather complain if a game hasn’t implemented it.

MrDead8d ago

Yes we can't wait for the work of others to be used without the need to pay them so that MS can profit even more from the people they fire.

I_am_Batman8d ago (Edited 8d ago )

There is no chance I'd ever use something like this, especially if it's not part of the core game design, but a layer on top of it. It's way too much handholding. Many games already feel like busy work, because they don't let the player figure things out on their own. Having a real-time interactive guide defeats the purpose of playing the game in the first place in my opinion.

If this were to become the standard like you predict, we'll see more and more video games get away with bad design, because people will just be used to ask for help from the AI companion anyway.

Number1TailzFan8d ago

Well Nintendo don't need this with some of their games these days, with invincible characters, items, easy bosses etc.. they do the hand holding built in

helicoptergirl8d ago

Takes "hand holding" in games to a whole new level.

BlackDoomAx7d ago

Because human nature xD Almost every new technology had these kind of comments.

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70°

Activision team is opening a new game studio in Poland 'Elsewhere Entertainment' to build new AAA IP

Microsoft's Activision subsidiary announced today that it is opening a new game development studio to take advantage of the huge talent pool growing in Poland. It'll be the second Activision studio based in the region, joining Infinity Ward Krakow, although this studio is, in fact, not working on Call of Duty.

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windowscentral.com
Psychonaut8512d ago

They’re not working on Call of Duty? Give it time.