Microsoft finally relaxes its DRM for XBLA games...

[heybtbm]

It's official...

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6191467.html

XBLA games will be consolidated to the users current console. No XBL connection required to play the full versions we paid for. Wow...finally some common sense from MS.

[Half Japanese]

Any loosening or removal of DRM is fantastic news, but the most interesting thing in the article to me was the fact that they plan to start pulling underperforming games from Xbox Live. While I think it's a great idea in that it won't overwhelm new Live users with a sea of absolute shit filler, what's wrong with just not greenlighting bullshit in the first place? Do they really think people were going to be lining up to play Novadrome, Wits & Wagers, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Screwjumper, Wing Commander Arena, Street Trace: NYC, Shrek-N-Roll, Boom Boom Rocket, Boogie Bunnies, Totemball, Bliss Island, and I'm guessing you've gotten my point by now?

Don't treat Xbox Live Arcade like a fucking half-assed developer's halfway house and you wouldn't need to yank crap from the service. Say no.

[Nesmaster]

Great news indeed regarding DRM. They should make all the <65, 6 month old games free instead of removing them entirely. Free distractions are fine by me, no matter how terrible.

[Lothars]

Any loosening or removal of DRM is fantastic news, but the most interesting thing in the article to me was the fact that they plan to start pulling underperforming games from Xbox Live. While I think it's a great idea in that it won't overwhelm new Live users with a sea of absolute shit filler, what's wrong with just not greenlighting bullshit in the first place? Do they really think people were going to be lining up to play Novadrome, Wits & Wagers, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Screwjumper, Wing Commander Arena, Street Trace: NYC, Shrek-N-Roll, Boom Boom Rocket, Boogie Bunnies, Totemball, Bliss Island, and I'm guessing you've gotten my point by now?

Don't treat Xbox Live Arcade like a fucking half-assed developer's halfway house and you wouldn't need to yank crap from the service. Say no.

Well I agree that it shouldn't be so many crap games on XBLA but I definitely disagree that they should get rid of the games but just either cut the price or whatever but don't take them off especially for people that haven't bought them.

It's just retarded but such is life - Microsoft is retarded anyway so it makes sense.

[heybtbm]

I'm wondering if other gamertags on the same console will be able to play the full versions after this DRM fix. Right now they can if the game was purchased on that particular console. If you switch 360's, even if you're connected to XBL, other gamertags can't play full versions unless they pay for their own copy.

[ProgrammingAce]

I'm wondering if other gamertags on the same console will be able to play the full versions after this DRM fix. Right now they can if the game was purchased on that particular console. If you switch 360's, even if you're connected to XBL, other gamertags can't play full versions unless they pay for their own copy.

Yes. All the tool will do is change the console of ownership. All your downloads will behave as if they were downloaded on whatever console you run it on.

[meancode]

Hey great timing Microsoft. Impecabble, actually. Why, because I just got my SECOND RRoD... say it with me now... in under a year.

My Premium from launch lasted close to two years, and my Elite only lasted nine months.

So much for the Elite being a better machine, what a load of crap.

[ProgrammingAce]

The first few months of production for the elites, the motherboard was no different then the Premiums at the time. It wasn't until later (i want to say august) that they changed the chip design. If the console ever got warm to the touch, it was the old design.

[meancode]

It was the old design then. I bought it in August but I think the Born On Date was June or July.

[stonecutter]

Geez Meancode, sorry to hear about your elite.

I am glad to hear about the DRM issue, one question, maybe even more important that my XBLA titles, what about content, such as my songs for Rock BAnd, will they be included for coverage with this tool?

[ProgrammingAce]

I'm not 100% sure, so don't quote me (actually... you probably shouldn't ever quote me, i'm just some random hobo off the street) but it should work for DLC. There's no difference in the way the 360 handles DLC then an Arcade title from a DRM point of view.

So if it doesn't work, it's a politics problem and not a technical issue. But I don't see any reason there'd be a problem.

[Leo_A]

If you read the interview this article is summarizing, he states; "I can tell you that the team will be releasing a new digital rights management (DRM) tool next month that will allow you to better consolidate your licenses for downloaded content to a single Xbox and allow you the freedom to be able to play your content both online and offline."

"Yes, this new tool will officially launch next month on Xbox.com and will allow you to be able to consolidate these licenses onto one box so you can access things like Xbox LIVE Arcade games and TV show you have downloaded even if you are not online."

So all downloadable content, not just XBLA titles.

[E Nice]

Finally something is being done about it. Good to hear it's for all content. I have some video clips that I can't watch anymore due to being on a second 360, original RROD. Don't know why free video clips would have licenses but some actually seem to have them. Some were still up so a simple redownload fixed the license/console issue but a few others are no longer available to download from Live.

[meancode]

I just looked, my Elite was born in March of 2007. Figures.

stonecutter has a great point. I have bough a ton (almost all) GH3 and RB tracks. I am going to go out on limb here and say the 360 I get back is not going to be the same hardware, so it is GREAT news that they fixed the DRM across the board.

WHY DID IT TAKE CLOSE TO THREE YEARS?

[JunkTheMagicDragon]

WHY DID IT TAKE CLOSE TO THREE YEARS?

from nextgen.biz: http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?op...1&limitstart=2

NEXT-GEN: There have been some high profile complaints on the web about how difficult it is to transfer things like XBLA game licenses to replacement 360s in the wake of an under warranty hardware failure. Would these changes to DRM policy address these issues, letting people who have experienced such failure re-license their purchases on their new Xbox so they don't have to be connected to Live to play? Are there any other sorts of changes to DRM policy being made here that would affect the end-user experience?

MARC WHITTEN: Yes, this new tool will officially launch next month on Xbox.com and will allow you to be able to consolidate these licenses onto one box so you can access things like Xbox LIVE Arcade games and TV show you have downloaded even if you are not online. Because this involved allowing users to re-download licenses for content that belongs to our partners it has taken some time to work out the agreements with them to allow this, but we have heard the concerns from folks about DRM and are happy to announce that everything is nearly in place to roll this out in June.

[kaedesdisciple]

I had a feeling it was that all along. The software was there, they (MS) just needed to lawyer out the agreements with all of the content providers.

[mailman187666]

so since I have a bunch of games I have paid for and never went through MS to change liscenses when I got the RRoD, will I be able to just redownload the games that pop up as trial version and be able to play them offline? or am I going to have to go through MS to do it all?

[ProgrammingAce]

Right now, it looks like you're going to have to have your xbox registered with microsoft. Then you go to xbox.com and transfer the licenses. This is all still subject to change without reason.

[meancode]

I had a feeling it was that all along. The software was there, they (MS) just needed to lawyer out the agreements with all of the content providers.

Yes it was there all along. It is called "find & Replace."

[meancode]

This is all still subject to change without reason.

HA HA Nice way to put that Ace.