Microsoft Just Posted New Xbox One Details Re Privacy, Used and Always Connected

[cholkavich]

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I feel like this can't be true. I just don't know how to comprehend it. Are all relevant parties suffering from chronic amnesia? Do the people who require their consumers have an Internet connection lack one themselves? People flipped their shit over the likes of Spore and The Sims. I just don't see how it could be unexpected. I think it's more along the lines of knowing but not caring. Figuring that if they stay the course and steamroll their way forward then eventually they'll instill a new normal through sheer tenacity. But they have to be aware, at least.

Hell, PSN was taken down for a month, likely stemming from the outrage over Linux of all things. The removal of a fringe feature was enough to spur a unified attack on the console's security, the results of which managed to compromise a hell of a lot more than DRM. Imagine how much worse an extended outage would be for the One. The United States government doesn't even have flawless security. I can't fathom Microsoft is ignorant to the point that the people who concocted this measure are not aware of what's been happening nor expecting similar assaults. Successful assaults. No matter how secure they think their systems are, they have to know that at some point the servers will go down, sometimes by force. They just probably figure the long term benefits of the "new normal" they want to instill outweigh the costs that will come when the inevitable does happen.

This is also why I can't see GameStop fully embracing it. They'd be putting their own well being in the hands of an infrastructure they don't control or maintain. Kid buys a copy of Halo and upon attempting to play it realizes the thing straight up doesn't function. Not "I can't play online" but literally "this disc seems broken." Who's likely to receive the brunt of that displeasure whereupon people wind up buying what appears on its surface to be an expensive coaster? Who will have to maintain shelves of Xbox One discs that, absent a warning, can't be sold in good faith until the servers come back on? It's confusing even for those of us who actually pay attention.

What do you think the over/under is on the industry professionals at E3 actually booing/heckling during any presentation that bullet-points/confirms restrictive DRM/non-consumer-friendly practices?

[TonyTheTiger]

Considering "industry professional" is practically an oxymoron, I wouldn't be surprised. I don't know if they'd outright boo (the threat of being fired and all) but I do expect stone silence at any mention of the console's restrictions. Which is funny because I actually don't expect those restrictions to be brought up at all during E3. I happen to think Microsoft played this beautifully. They probably expected the console's functionality would cause a problem so they used the entirety of their pre-E3 press to get that out of the way which leaves E3 for nothing but software talk, probably hoping that the audience has the attention span of a goldfish and will be easily won over by all the pretty games and wind up walking away thinking "I can't even remember what we were fighting about!"

However, I think the One is now set up as a whipping boy. It'll be the console that the press can get away with beating on, fairly or otherwise, because it's just that much of an acceptable target. We haven't had one of those in the mainstream since the Jaguar. The kind of console that the public and press take active pleasure in subjecting to point and laugh ridicule but isn't so obscure that nobody gives a shit. I'm wondering if the current gaming press will get a free pass to abandon all pretense and return to the mudslinging and "wit" of 90s gaming magazines.

[Rob2600]

PSN was taken down for a month, likely stemming from the outrage over Linux of all things. The removal of a fringe feature was enough to spur a unified attack on the console's security, the results of which managed to compromise a hell of a lot more than DRM. Imagine how much worse an extended outage would be for the One. The United States government doesn't even have flawless security. I can't fathom Microsoft is ignorant to the point that the people who concocted this measure are not aware of what's been happening nor expecting similar assaults. Successful assaults. No matter how secure they think their systems are, they have to know that at some point the servers will go down, sometimes by force. They just probably figure the long term benefits of the "new normal" they want to instill outweigh the costs that will come when the inevitable does happen.

This is also why I can't see GameStop fully embracing it. They'd be putting their own well being in the hands of an infrastructure they don't control or maintain. Kid buys a copy of Halo and upon attempting to play it realizes the thing straight up doesn't function. Not "I can't play online" but literally "this disc seems broken." Who's likely to receive the brunt of that displeasure whereupon people wind up buying what appears on its surface to be an expensive coaster? Who will have to maintain shelves of Xbox One discs that, absent a warning, can't be sold in good faith until the servers come back on? It's confusing even for those of us who actually pay attention.

I wouldn't be surprised if various hacker groups take down Microsoft's authentication servers at launch, so that a million people who just stood in line to buy the One get it home and can't even play it. The outrage will be epic.

Likewise for Christmas day- everyone who is so excited to hook up their newly unwrapped Ones and play the latest games, and all they get are "can't connect to the server" errors because, unbeknownst to them, hackers DDoSed the servers. And nobody can exchange it for a PS4 or Wii U because all the stores are closed Christmas Day. I'm sure parents will appreciate spending $500 on a brick, meanwhile their children are whining and crying all day, asking nonstop "Why won't my Xbox work?".

In either scenario, there will be a ton of returns and livid customers. Or maybe, just maybe, Microsoft will wise up and change its tune before launch.

Q4 2013 will be very interesting.

[The 1 2 P]

I don't know why anyone who considers themself a collector would want it.

To be fair, Microsoft has never made any of their consoles for collectors. They are for gamers or people who like to have multiple options of entertainment on one box. And that will continue to be the majority of their market. I'm sure there will still be collectors of XB1 in the future but I won't be one of them.

If the end result is that new games that were £50 at launch are now £30 because the second hand market and piracy isn't 'damaging sales' then ok, there is a benefit there. If you can get games for around a fiver after 12 - 18 months, fine. As a customer I don't lose out. I even benefit a little bit because brand new games are cheaper. The thing is, that's just not going to happen.

I touched on this in my last comment and it's a biggie for me. Not being able to freely buy and sell my used games at my leisure is a huge letdown. However, the blow could be significantly softened if the price of new games was $30-$40 max. But essencially selling a license to play a game for the usually $60 it cost for games today? I want no part of that.

[Greg2600]

I have to think that PS4 will have DRM, because the XBONE DRM is publisher-driven. The publishers have been whining for years about piracy, but I have to say, I don't see piracy as a major issue like it is to music and movies.

[Rob2600]

I have to think that PS4 will have DRM, because the XBONE DRM is publisher-driven. The publishers have been whining for years about piracy, but I have to say, I don't see piracy as a major issue like it is to music and movies.

They still don't understand that DRM only hurts paying customers and increases piracy.

[WCP]

. But essentially selling a license to play a game for the usually $60 it cost for games today? I want no part of that.

Yeah, it's like me on the PC. I built a gaming PC a couple of years ago, and I normally spend $9.99 or less on every game I buy. I haven't bought a single PC game over $9.99. I try to get most games for 5 bucks if possible.

My main theory behind this is that I'm basically just leasing the games. I can never sell them to anybody, I can't trade them, I can't give them to a nephew. So, to me, it's just a very long rental. I have a hard time paying more than $9.99 for a rental.

[Gamevet]

This will be a great paper weight once they stop supporting it!

It took eight years from the first Xbox was released, until they shut down the Xbox Live for the console. That's only five years after the release of the Xbox 360. Once their next system after the Xbox One is released, will it only take another five years or so before they shut down the Xbox Live service for it?

I was thinking the same thing. Would your XBOXONE library suddenly become useless?

[sloan]

All the stuff I read makes my head spin, so can someone break this down for me?

Why, exactly, do we need a console to require that we login online once every 24 hours? What happens if we fail to do so, the games we own become permanently disabled?

What happens to the ability to sell/trade used games? Can it be done with XB1?

Finally, is it only a matter of when, not if, someone cracks this device and permanently disables the 24 hour and whatever other restrictive methods its employs?

[Gamevet]

All the stuff I read makes my head spin, so can someone break this down for me?

Why, exactly, do we need a console to require that we login online once every 24 hours? What happens if we fail to do so, the games we own become permanently disabled?

You have to login once, in a 24 hour period, to play a game offline. That means that you can login on Friday at 11:50 PM to play game X and don't have to login to play game X until 11:50 PM on Saturday the following day. If your internet connection failed, 5 minutes after you had logged in on Friday, you'd still be able to play your games for 24 hours after that login.

[The 1 2 P]

Why, exactly, do we need a console to require that we login online once every 24 hours?

To authenticate that the games you are playing belong to you, as in they were registered and installed to your console/account. If the system checks in and you are playing a game that isn't registered to you I think your console blows up or just stops playing while a voice over of a dude with a bad French accent constantly repeats "naughty naughty".

What happens if we fail to do so, the games we own become permanently disabled?

Not permanently, just until you can reconnect to the internet. In the meantime you are free to continue watching live tv, dvds and blurays while offline.

What happens to the ability to sell/trade used games? Can it be done with XB1?

That hasn't been fully clarified but heres what we do know: Microsoft said it's basically up to the publishers to allow trade-ins and resells. So while technically it's possible to do both, if a publisher(EA, Activision, Ubisoft, etc) decides they don't want to allow you to resell, trade in or even give away your copy of Madden, COD, Assassins Creed, etc then you are then stuck with a useless disc, case and probably 2 page insert manual.

Essencially this system has been set up to replicate that of PC gaming. The weird thing is that everyone seems to worship Steam but now that Microsoft is taking a similiar route everyone is complaining about it. Not that I blame them since the current model of trading/reselling used games isn't broken but publishers keep complaining about lost profits and that has lead us to this. Beyond that there is still more clarification that will be forthcoming, just not soon enough.

[Griking]

Nevermind. It's already been said.

[PreZZ]

I truly wish that lots of kids will get xbox one for christmas, and then parents would realize it just doesnt work when they open it at grandmas place and cant play it, that their kids have to be online, etc. Lots of parents dont want the console being connected to the internet. Lots of returns following christmas day would be awesome, and a huge message to microsoft that we dont want no bullshit. Consoles are supposed to be simple, just plug and play, thats the point of playing on consoles. I would rather buy my next gen games on steam for less than 10$ if its going to be this complicated and used games having no value. I hope Sony not commenting their policies is because they are replanning everything after seeing the ms Pr nightmare after the unveiling of xbox1.

[WCP]

I truly wish that lots of kids will get xbox one for christmas, and then parents would realize it just doesnt work when they open it at grandmas place and cant play it, that their kids have to be online, etc. Lots of parents dont want the console being connected to the internet. Lots of returns following christmas day would be awesome, and a huge message to microsoft that we dont want no bullshit. Consoles are supposed to be simple, just plug and play, thats the point of playing on consoles. I would rather buy my next gen games on steam for less than 10$ if its going to be this complicated and used games having no value. I hope Sony not commenting their policies is because they are replanning everything after seeing the ms Pr nightmare after the unveiling of xbox1.

You have to imagine that there will be some pretty large warning stickers on the box that says it requires an internet connection at least once per 24 hours for gaming functions to work. It's going to be a somewhat embarrassing sticker for Microsoft, but they are going to have to put something like that on the box, that's relatively easy to notice.

[Malon_Forever]

^Horrible flash backs of getting Majoras Mask on Xmas day!

[Robocop2]

Funnily enough; I was almost 100% sure my next gen console would be the 360's replacement way back when. Hasn't even been a contest between this gen's systems in sheer volume of games I have purchased. Now; unless something changes I won't own one out of sheer principle if not the other ridiculous things.
Not alot can be said about the silliness of the whole 24 hr. login thing or the used games situation on the system that has not already been said.

I could see the eventuality that they might offer to "upgrade" your current game for a small fee to a DRM-free copy similar to what Apple did with iTunes several years back. you had regular song but could upgrade to the better one for a small up charge. Perhaps that will be a possible scenario? Of course that says little about still requiring a check in every 24 hrs (which is my major beef if you haven't already picked up on that)

At least I have a sizeable backlog of things this generation that need playing and stuff far older to enjoy. I never thought I would consider leaving modern gaming in one fell swoop but unless something changes or Sony knocks everyone out with some other easy to use non obtrusive and rather anti consumer practice; I will probably do just that.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I'm thoroughly convinced, 21st century console gaming blows. 1983... 2013... lol

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Based on how they positioned at E3 after weeks of major public backlash over DRM and privacy concerns, I'm thinking that Microsoft is going to go completely radio silent about these things until post-launch.

[GamerTheGreek]

If a flood of returns come back the day after Christmas. And how GameStop in the past says cash payments are faster than credits. Get in out and gaming faster. What is the implications of. 5-10 cash returns when a store opens and they can't give you cash since they don't have it available and your stuck your plastic turd?