Xbox One’s software in China will contain a single-use activation code, therefore preventing its games from being resold, according to photos posted on the ali213 gaming forums.
You don't argue with the Chinese government. Do you think if Microsoft pushed hard enough it would reform something over there? No. They'd just go about banning consoles again.
Its Disagree not Dislike... I disagree because it is well known that Microsoft has long spoken out against China due to piracy. Microsoft was quoted saying that as much as 95% of revenue was lost due to piracy in China. So, I could DEFINITELY see them doing this if they really believe what they themselves have said on the subject.
This is all MS. What better time to test DRM on console. China piracy is an excuse to test their DRM on consoles. China is a test market for MS's original plans for Xbox One.
Darth, You know well if PS4 has the same, in a country that likes to control everything, it will be seen as a smart move by Sony, not DRM. I see this as the government.... they even dictate what google and others can do in China. This is nothing new... oh MS.... drm!!!
Well since the ps4 is being destributed by the same company now expect it on Chinese ps4's as well. Amazing how us western types care so much about how a console in China is going to do. Those folks will be putting legit consoles out one end of the factory while pumping out rip offs on the other. I wonder if they will get a really cool ping pong game.
I don't know why you're getting disagrees. It's most likely so the Chinese government can keep tabs on who is reading, watching, hearing, etc which game.
You know, now that I think about it. The original DRM vision for the Xbox One was probably a plot hatched between Microsoft and the US Government for World Domination.
I don't think we can blame that one on Microsoft either, they probably didn't have a say.
The original plan was to allow gamers to rip their store bought games to the HDD and access them like digital downloads. You also had the ability to share these ripped games with friends online. DRM is used in all game consoles, it isn't unique to the Xbox One. The reason we can't play games that install on the HDD without the disc is due to the disc based DRM they use. What was unique about the DRM Microsoft planned was it made game sharing possible with out passing around physical media.
Games could still be traded, but they needed to be unlocked from Microsofts online database. This was only possible at authorized retailers.
This is all on Microsoft the Chinese Government IMO had nothing to do with this little gem. Microsoft is use the Chinese games as a beta DMR run. See how it goes before they make it the norm for the rest of their gamers.
Wonder if all these dislikes will happen if Sony has to do the same thing... Nope. Then there will be a bunch of people saying $ony has to do it.
The very fact X1 is also region locked makes me think it's Chinese Govt policies. Because, the Chinese Govt. has to approve every game launched in the Country that is why it's region locked, otherwise Chinese could simply import games effectively evading the Govt oversight of games sold in its Country. The X1 is not region locked any where else where it has launched.
We will see the policies of the PS4 when it launches in China. I suspect a lot of people on this forum will look stupid.
I will say, I don't know why you are getting dislikes. Obviously MS had to implement it but it's highly possible the Chinese government requested this. Not that MS would fight it, but it's likely MS wasn't going to say... oh hey China btw you are the only country that can't trade in or sell your games you beat...
I don't know why you're getting so many disagrees. That's exactly what the plan was.
People didn't like the fact that they couldn't then trade their games and so MS dropped it.
For me, at least, it would have been much more convenient to be able to find a disc copy of a game at a competitive price from a retailer and then install it on the Xbox and play without the need for the constant disc swapping. As far as lending is concerned it would have been great because a friend could download the game from the store and play it with your permission. Much better than the convoluted share play on PS4.
"The news of the Xbox One launch price last week was met with a surprising level of positivity from China’s gamer community. The reason, in part, was that although Microsoft hadn’t announced anything, some e-commerce sites were advertising the system would not be region locked.
But those ads have since been revised, and Microsoft China VP Xie Enwei made it very clear that the console and its games will be totally region locked.
Specifically, according to Sina Games, Xie said that Chinese Xbox One games will not be playable on other Xbox One consoles. Similarly, Xbox One games and apps from other regions cannot be downloaded or run on the official Chinese Xbox One.
In other words, Chinese gamers who’ve already purchased an imported Xbox One will need to buy a new console if they want to play any of console’s official China titles. Similarly, Chinese gamers who were hoping to import foreign Xbox titles to play on their official Chinese Xbox Ones are out of luck."
why would the chinese goverment want a single use activation code it would have no gain for them, it would only benifit MS or the game companies who make the games you complete idiot! lol
We'll certainly see if Sony has to do it as well. If so, it's a good thing they patented that anti-used game tech back in 2012 for the PS4. That's some good forward thinking Sony.
China embraces piracy, it's one of the worst nations out there when it comes to piracy. Most of their products are shameless knockoffs of other more popular products, and you can find pirated movies and such being sold on a massive scale over there. To say this was done at the request of the Chinese government is ridiculous.
They tried this everywhere else. It just didn't work anywhere else. It's what they wanted to do all along.
Perhaps they wanted to go into China all along and this was the reason for their DRM in the beginning, because of Chinese piracy. But this is Microsoft's doing, not the Chinese government.
@jerjef: It doesn't matter that Sony put out a patient in regards to DRM. What does is that they saw the heat that MS was getting for it months ahead of the official announcement and backed down from any plans to introduce it.
Whereas MS ignored months of internet chatter and went ahead anyway.
What you and others need to be concerned about is when BS like this happens again. Because it will happen again.
You're right, Sony changed their policy after seeing how bad things got for MS. So that leaves the question, what would Sony have done if they revealed their DRM policy first instead of MS? Even if they did drop it after the fact, the public would've torn them a new one instead for going ahead with it, then MS would've stripped theirs and they would be the hero and be leading in sales today.
No. By all count MS was expecting Sony to do the same. They only finally reacted and reversed DRM because of the reaction Sony got for not doing it. That and the sudden dip in XB1 pre-orders.
And if both had, with it being kept secret till the actual E3 announcement, just like with the reaction to the initial rumor, gamers in general would have lost their sh*t. I for one wouldn't be touching a PS4 let alone an Xb1.
Right, it was the public backlash that caused the reversal for both sides. Both sides knew each were going to do it, but when the angry mob wanted MS's blood Sony tossed the DRM in the closest trash bin and proclaimed they would never do such as thing because they're all about the gamers. What's worrisome is that Sony was indeed going to go to market with this just like MS and it was all about timing that saved their hide. Besides, I don't understand the huge backlash that MS got for this when digital sales in the month of November 2013 were over a billion dollars. Why complain about something that you weren't going to use anyway?
Within the *months* between the official reveal and internet chatter regrading DRM backlask, Sony had *months* to reverse themselves. Some as MS, who only reversed themselves *days after* they had stepped into a mess they had had *months* to avoid.
And the backlash was because MS was taking an option and making it mandatory.
@jerjef, You don't have to link me to those old articles. I was here during those days when the media were saying, "Sony Too, Just wait till E3."(damage control) E3 2013 rolled around, no DRM. Then conspiracy articles like the ones you linked started appearing with no hard facts. So please until you can present facts and not conspiracy articles, lets stop with the Sony Too thing. It didn't make sense then and it doesn't make sense now.
you are both wrong sony never had any plans to use drm they merely took out a patent to cover the fact that it could affect them show me one statement where sony actually claimed they were going to do it.
It wont stop piracy at all, they will have knock off xbones with in weeks and the games will all be copied at the same time. If I heard right, they can only sell 5 million xbones in china ever as well per the contract.
PS+, PSNow and the PS Store are all offering games you don't actually own and can't trade. Bravias this fall will offer consoleless gaming that doesn't use physical media. If that isn't DRM, what is it? Not actually owning something is the ultimate DRM and is the direction Sony is heading very quickly. You want to talk tricks? Sony fans are too blinded by their console loyalty to see what Sony is doing.
PSP Go. Explain that. The DRM arguement is futile.
Anyway, reading this Chinese forum, with bad translation and their use of pics is absolutely hilarious.
From what I gather too, they don't seem to care much about the activation code. Also, they are suggesting importing the games without the activation code. I would have thought the Chinese Xbox would be region locked but these guys are already discussing ways around it.
Except you are missing one important fact; if you want to own your games rather than licensing them you still have an option, buying the physical disc. So no, Sony is not heading in that direction as long as you have the option to buy physical media without restrictions. Sony never announced any plans to restrict physical media.
Microsoft on the other hand wanted to restrict physical media, by dictating what you can do with the physical disc purchased. That is what people complained about. I buy a disc, I should own it. If Microsoft had their way people would not own their physical media purchases because they couldn't resell them a their will or lend them out without jumping through hoops.
Its China... still shocked they are allowing outsider gaming consoles to be sold into the country. I have zero doubts there are going to be many quirky weird things about that market. Given how crazy piracy is over there I am also equally sure MS was more than happy with a one time code being ok'd/required (who knows who asked for what) for all games.
Pretty much! This alone will ensure that the Xbox1 doesn't gain much traction. That's not even taking into account what software will actually be approved or playable after the Chinese Government imposes its strict sanctions on content that's considered suitable. I'm not even going to speak as far as Kinects is concerned.
The PS4 is likely to suffer the same restrictions, the only one I forsee doing marginally well is the WII U, and that's only because it's more family oriented.
Lol family oriented, in china? I've seen, read, and heard of several news articles of parents killing/selling/abandoning their children in china just to play video games.
@below
They sure as hell weren't playing family games that's for sure. Unless it was Monopoly video game, then I can understand.
@Mega24 ... and we have seen countless articles about parents / kids hurting/killing others because their game console was taken away or messed with in the U.S. and elsewhere. Its pretty much a crappy world period, doesn't matter where you live these days.
Think again about Sony, the playstation Tv is Sony's entry point into China, and since you need a playstation Vita of some sort to play the physical game carts, that is why with its base price point of $102.00 usd there combined with the majority of games are digital released combined with back catalogue of ps1,ps2 and PS3 games that are local stored and streaming the cost entry along with lower game pricing. Would far better served to the chinese market than even the ps3 or even the PS4 for entry to penetrate the market there.
Which Andrew House even stated in china it is the playstation Tv and not the playstation 4 set to the main driver to market penetration there and with price and restrictions applied to physical disc basrd game's in china, Andrew may in fact be correct.
I think we'll need to see how this plays out. It could be a gov't mandate. I'd like to see how Sony's launch is handled, considering that by the time the ps4 lands, both console makers will be partnering with the same cable company. This will let us know if it's a corporate strategy or a mandate.
Intelligent response. We definitely need to wait and see what happens with the PS4. This could easily be the government's doing. We also need to factor in piracy rates.
I've been saying this from day 1! Let em get their foot in the door, then slam the door shut on that foot! They've done it with practically every popular item from different countries worldwide.
And food for thought! They are limiting Microsoft to only sell 5 million consoles initially.
Ouch.
Lol wow
So, DRM in China.
DOA