Microsoft backpedals on DRM and always online

June 19, 2013 Comments 336 notes gaming Xbox Xbox One LOL DRM next-gen gamers win

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I’ve never seen such a backpedal in all my days. This is just… wow. Amazing stuff and awesome for gamers but also puts into question why all of this bullshit was there to begin with. You can find MS’s statement below. 

Here’s the statement in full:

“Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.

For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come. As is our heritage with Xbox, we designed a system that could take full advantage of advances in technology in order to deliver a breakthrough in game play and entertainment. We imagined a new set of benefits such as easier roaming, family sharing, and new ways to try and buy games. We believe in the benefits of a connected, digital future.

Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One.

You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.

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.

These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray.

We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.

Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you later this year.”

June 18, 2013 Comments 97 notes
theredherb: The Price Remains the Same: Xbox One Games Still $60 Bones Plus: The Big M Claims They’re “Over-Delivering Value” at $499 Rejoice, friends, for the gift of not-change has been visited upon us.  According to Microsoft representative earlier today, the company is adhering to the $59.99 pricing standard for Xbox One games. You were just looking for the catch, weren’t you?  Ooh, you’re a savvy one.  Heads up: Microsoft has only confirmed the old, familiar price in regards to first-party titles — which covers your Halo’s and your Forza’s and your Gearses and so on.  Third-party publishers, on the other hand, are given the freedom to set whatever the hell price point their corporate hearts desire.  Trust me when I say a tightly shut wallet will keep publishers from siphoning your hard earned buckaroos through a hose. ________________________________________________________ Here’s a real puzzler for you: You’ve just announced your next-gen system, your company’s ranks having wracked their brains for months over a fair price that’ll put up a fight in the market…But before you can even uncork the champagne, your direct competitor up and announces their own next-gen console at a hundred dollars cheaper than yours.  What do you do? You oversell the fucking thing.  You tell your consumers that you’re giving them too much at that price.  As Mr. Don Mattrick, Microsoft’s head of interactive ‘tainment, puts it, “We’re over-delivering value against other choices I think consumers can get” and “We’re delivering thousands of dollars of value to people…” Mattrick backed up his bold, likely italicized words by illustrating the Xbox One’s advantage in devices like the Kinect and services such as Skype.  He also stressed a one-two combo in the form of both the Halo TV series alongside Halo 5’s launch (up until now, the next installment of Halo had no name — a lot of leg work and sacrifice has led most academics and related experts to believe “Halo 5” was a potential moniker). Before you anoint sainthood to Sony for refraining from shouting “We’re not charging you enough!”, I present to you the time Sony shouted “We’re not charging you enough!”  Ahh, I love classic PR misfires.

theredherb:

The Price Remains the Same: Xbox One Games Still $60 Bones

Plus: The Big M Claims They’re “Over-Delivering Value” at $499

Rejoice, friends, for the gift of not-change has been visited upon us.  According to Microsoft representative earlier today, the company is adhering to the $59.99 pricing standard for Xbox One games.

You were just looking for the catch, weren’t you?  Ooh, you’re a savvy one.  Heads up: Microsoft has only confirmed the old, familiar price in regards to first-party titles — which covers your Halo’s and your Forza’s and your Gearses and so on.  Third-party publishers, on the other hand, are given the freedom to set whatever the hell price point their corporate hearts desire.  Trust me when I say a tightly shut wallet will keep publishers from siphoning your hard earned buckaroos through a hose.

________________________________________________________

Here’s a real puzzler for you: You’ve just announced your next-gen system, your company’s ranks having wracked their brains for months over a fair price that’ll put up a fight in the market…But before you can even uncork the champagne, your direct competitor up and announces their own next-gen console at a hundred dollars cheaper than yours.  What do you do?

You oversell the fucking thing.  You tell your consumers that you’re giving them too much at that price.  As Mr. Don Mattrick, Microsoft’s head of interactive ‘tainment, puts it, “We’re over-delivering value against other choices I think consumers can get” and “We’re delivering thousands of dollars of value to people…”

Mattrick backed up his bold, likely italicized words by illustrating the Xbox One’s advantage in devices like the Kinect and services such as Skype.  He also stressed a one-two combo in the form of both the Halo TV series alongside Halo 5’s launch (up until now, the next installment of Halo had no name — a lot of leg work and sacrifice has led most academics and related experts to believe “Halo 5” was a potential moniker).

Before you anoint sainthood to Sony for refraining from shouting “We’re not charging you enough!”, I present to you the time Sony shouted “We’re not charging you enough!”  Ahh, I love classic PR misfires.

June 16, 2013 Comments 9 notes

superstunfisk asked: I don't think the power of the cloud is bad, but Microsoft is forcing relatively new technology into the wild blindly and it's going to have bad results. It's just a repeat of Windows 8.

I agree. 

June 16, 2013 Comments 19 notes

Anonymous asked: Do people seriously believe that the XBone will be able to render better graphics because of "the power of the cloud"? It's like saying I can download more RAM.

You’d be surprised at the PR speak many people believe in. 

June 16, 2013 Comments 63 notes gaming community Destiny
With Bungie showing off Destiny to be a mix of Halo, Borderlands, and Phantasy Star Online in a massive expansive online world; what did you think of it? Do you think Destiny could be the next big shooter franchise?

With Bungie showing off Destiny to be a mix of Halo, Borderlands, and Phantasy Star Online in a massive expansive online world; what did you think of it? Do you think Destiny could be the next big shooter franchise?