Dear Microsoft, Your Cancelled Cloud Streaming Features Should Not Require System-Wide DRM

GenGAME writes: Microsoft pulled a 180 earlier today when they announced that, due to negative feedback from fans, they were getting rid of all DRM on Xbox One. This decision was welcome news for most Xbox fans, but it came with a price. Without an authentication system in place, Microsoft says they will have to remove digital sharing features such as roaming and the family library sharing plan. Microsoft says that you can’t have cloud-sharing without required daily check-ins and authentication codes, but I disagree.

[NameRemoved0017]

The DRM will be back, disagree with me now and I will be back later to laugh at you.

They are not going to throw years of research away they will just delay it long enough to meet their desired sales then lock everyone in and throw away the key.

http://i.imgur.com/QlwzbP2....

[BadboyCivic]

I think MS was too sudden. Too much all at once and they sounded a little confused themselves

[Tegrogg]

Cloud computing will not change, when they mention the "cloud" by itself it's a different thing , google the cloud vs cloud computing

[Erimgard]

Perhaps it will, perhaps it won't. Either way, lack of DRM is not a good excuse to completely cancel all cloud sharing/streaming features.

[NameRemoved0017]

So since all the cloud services are cancelled whats the point of 300000 servers or did they axe that too?

[Erimgard]

@hdshatter

The servers will still be used to provide a more reliable online experience, and Microsoft says they can use 'cloud computing' to get more out of Xbox One's hardware.

The services being cancelled are streaming services. It was originally planned that you'd be able to log into your account on a friend's Xbox and you could play all of your games, because they'd be saved digitally in the cloud. Additionally, you could add ten family members to a "family library" and they would all be able to play your games via the cloud. These features have been axed.

[wishingW3L]

so the Cloud was like MS's version of Gaikai? Because that makes no sense. Ms never announced that they were going to offer any streaming services like Gaikai. All they said was that you could access your games from any Xbox but to be able to play them you still had to download them the old way just like with the PS3. You created your account on the new Xbox and voala... Nothing revolutionary or new.

And the 300,000 was bulcrap. Like half of them were virtual...

[Relientk77]

If they do bring it back in the future it will be the dumbest thing and the last thing they do

They will regret it

[solidmic]

Completely agree! Notice no change to their terms of service! We reserve the right to change anything, anytime at our discretion (not an exact quote, but that is the gist of it).

[GameCents]

Is your PS3 bricked? I'm seeing alot more of you than I care to.

[Hicken]

Is your 360 bricked?

[Roper316]

they will put that right in the TOS that noone reads. And it will state that you won't be able to do a thing about it after agreeing to the TOS.

I will never ever buy anything Xbox related again because MS told us what they want the future of gaming to be and they will continually try to get it through just in smaller steps now.

[denawayne]

The cloud will still be used. There will be plenty if games that use it. Plus, you'll be able to access any of your digital games from any Xbox. This will be an incentive to download digitally.

[ThatCanadianGuy514]

I've been saying it from the start.The cloud BS was just the scapegoat to justify the DRM.

No DRM, no need to shout about the cloud anymore.

[MariaHelFutura]

Cloud computing in any remarkable way, is a fallacy at this point w/ our internet. Microsoft this gen could barely get their console and camera to work as advertised, they faked the Kinect 2 TV demo, they ran games off Nvidia cards and they couldn't even get their policies to work. Cloud computing to power up the Xbox One is a dream, a fallacy an illusion, they also would never get to work as advertised.

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

[GameCents]

Your campaign rages on huh? How much do they pay you?

[creatchee]

Yeah seriously. I think Maria has a hotkey assigned for that Eurogamer link with as many times as she/he has posted it.

[Utalkin2me]

Well come back with some good points. I mean he makes great points, so lets see what you got? Or are you going to just make 1 sentenced pokes?

[MWong]

That was a good read from EuroGamer.net. It explained a lot of about "cloud computing." M$ will have to do a lot more than just some new servers to get it to really work how they are claiming.

[GameCents]

So easily misguided. Cloud remains. DRM and Cloud had no correlation.

Games that require cloud processing remain online only. Games that benefit from cloud computing still do. This changes nothing.

Learn to read and comprehend.

[denawayne]

Why the disagrees? I think people are retarded on this site.

[cyguration]

Wait, what is this...? An article from gaming media that makes sense and uses logic?

Why, I never...

[the_bebop]

yeah how dare someone explain something that I have been scratching my head over for a while now.

[Software_Lover]

"the cloud" and "cloud computing" are two different things. I have a "cloud" at home, can't do $h!t with it but read and write information, mainly pics and videos. Setting up servers and infrastructure for actually IP cloud computing is a little bit different.

[ziggurcat]

dear gaming "journalists" at gengame,

quit complaining, you were probably one of the many sites crying about the horrible, draconian policies to begin with.

just be happy that they made the right decision by reversing them.

[LeCreuset]

Did you read the article? They bring up a good point.

[Erimgard]

No 'complaints' were made in this article. Instead, a new solution that sticks with Microsoft's current plans while keeping the best parts of their old plan in tact was put forth.

[DEEBO]

cloud thing should have no affect to the new policy.but family game sharing is not what people think it is.you can only play those games for an hour-long demo then you have to buy them.right from the horses mouth.some drunk MS employee let it out.so it's not some revolution in gaming MS fans thought it was, just a demo of you're family's games.

[LeCreuset]

I'm not going to buy the "hour-long demo" claim based off of the supposed words of some supposedly drunk employee, but I don't believe the family sharing plan was going to work the way MS was willing to allow people to believe it would work. It was another instance of them being sketchy on specifics. I think the truth would have been a disappointment, but now they get to hide that truth by claiming they got rid of it as a result of the 180 on DRM, which as this article points out shouldn't have had much bearing on the family sharing plan.

[sAVAge_bEaST]

Microsoft is a cancer.. We need to cut them from the video game industry.. They didn't drop DRM because of our voice.. If this was truly the reason.. they would have done it before E3.,, -no , they saw pre-orders getting killed by ps4, and switched because of MONEY... all they do is Lie.. and shit on their customers.. WE DON'T NEED THEM.

[Khimarhi]

I am almost certain that the reason PS4 doesn't have the always on DRM is because they saw the backlash that fans were giving Microsoft and switched because of MONEY. Sony has made patents about blocking used games in the past couple years, the only reason they didn't follow Microsoft is because they saw a great chance to sell consoles, to believe that they did it for the fans is naive. If Microsoft is a cancer then it is no more a cancer then Sony. Sony was just smart and didn't announce any of their DRM plans until Microsoft hung itself.

[Roper316]

there is a difference between getting a patent for something and actually trying to put something out to market and force it down peoples throats.

[sAVAge_bEaST]

"Microsoft uses proprietary connectors wherever it can. The only reason for this is to FORCE you to buy THEIR OWN PRODUCTS at INFLATED PRICES.
Sony uses industry standard connectors for everything, you can use ANY headset, peripherals etc EVEN THOSE OF A RIVAL COMPANY!

Anybody who thinks the two companies are comparable is fooling themselves, everything Microsoft ever does is designed to maximise profit, every tiny detail. They want every single penny they can possibly get from you and produce an environment where there is no competition to their products.

You can't compare the morality of the two, ms are a cancer on the world." -Angeljuice-

[baodeus]

@savage_beast

So what happen to the PS Vita memory card, can you use any 3rd party product? What about the price on that thing? So Sony didn't force you to buy their own product at inflated prices here? Can you explain?

Same with PSP back then using the UMD. The things cost more than movies DVD so that you could watch movie on a freaking small screen. No inflated prices here either?

Many Sony products also tend to be more expansive than others like TV, laptop, music player, etc... for example when there are plenty higher quality products offering at lower prices out there? Do you think Sony is still the hardware leader like back then when they have no competition?

Only fools who don't understand why business exist think their preferred companies doesn't want to maximized their profit. Do you ever read the business 1st commandment that they shall try to reduce cost(development/time/etc..) while maximizing profit?

[superkidcupid13]

buying a digital copy of a game and not being able to sell it and just to share it in your library is the one reason why the drm was needed..it was so you can also sell the game...the drm policy said you could sell the game but it would b different from selling a physical copy....the 24 hr check in was to make sure that only one digital copy of the game was being played by either you...or if not you, a friend you let borrow the digital copy to...it was not going to let you and 5 other friends at the same time off of one digital copy because you only own 1 copy not 6...

yes having a phyical copy is easy to share but the digital seemed more convienent...explamle would be like ebooks i dnt think u can re-šell a ebook after u download it..i dnt think u can share it...but the drm was going goin to make it somewhat possible for buying selling and sharing games in digital form..

btw if the drm was still around i couldve just bought games on the box on its midnightrelease date instead of driving to gamestop and waiting in a long ass line.....

[Grimhammer00]

Still a spybox though isn't it.

[Erimgard]

According to Microsoft's most recent policy statements, Kinect can be 100% turned off when the console is turned off. Most services will require it though.