Microsoft to Pull Complete Reversal on Xbox One DRM Policies

Either MIcrosoft is the biggest bunch of idiots in the industry, or the numbers they were getting were far worse than the most vocal doom-criers were saying.

Either way, this is bananas.

Y'know what? Eat many dicks, Microsoft. I don't trust you. Consumer backlash my ass. If you guys couldn't have seen this coming, what are you able to predict?

Some may see this as doom and gloom, going into a new gen without solving the used games problem. But I really don't think publishers need help from Microsoft in making more money from bad games.

What they need is help working more efficiently in the infrastructure to make good games, and I see positive efforts towards that both in Sony's easier path to publication for indies, and Microsoft's cloud server plans, and in the free advertising that integrated streaming will bring for both. Competition has resulted in a better situation for all involved.

And you know what, I actually liked Mass Effect 3 multiplayer more than the single player. I thought the Assassin's Creed Brotherhood multi was really creative. Titanfall is doing some different stuff that looks interesting with the extraction idea. Skyrim sold like mad with no multiplayer whatsoever, and with a single player formula that took since the early 1990s to catch on with the general audience. I love Demon's Souls and Journey for changing what multiplayer EVEN MEANS. So the next generation doesn't have to be about shitty customer traps and nickel and diming. It could be about craftsmanship instead.

It could be about developers who don't have any new ideas, and publishers who don't work with any innovative developers, closing up shop. Plenty of new teams would be happy to step into the spotlight.

It's ironic that today's post-mortem interviews are the first time Microsoft has talked intelligibly about the benefits of family sharing and having your entire game library travel with your account regardless of source.

¨ there will be no regional restrictions¨

http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/update

Well Watch Dogs is up for pre-order on Uplay so I'd say that's a definite. The Division is still a wait and see.

Best post ever

Disappointing.

I have a feeling that one of the next-gen features I was most looking forward to (no disc swapping) just got axed to facilitate this.

Obviously that'll be unchanged with downloaded titles, but I kinda liked having the physical product just for grins.

I knew that this is what they needed to do, I just never in a million years thought they would actually do it. Wow, I'm shocked.

@saga: Haven't Sony sold their HQ already?

Parity is the last thing they wanted - they don't have the perceived moral high ground now and have to invent (rather than reinvent), act (rather than react). As we have seen with the Wii U, success is never guaranteed.

This is not a good long term solution for console gamers. Knee jerk reactions for easy popular opinion gains have a tendency to backfire. Politician promises at election time come to mind. Microsoft wobbled, Sony gloated, Nintendo turtled - these do not engender trust or loyalty.

We are stuck with physical media now meaning prices will stay artificially higher, more pre-order exclusives, DLC on disc, and the crappy used game shops will stay in business.

This is not the way the world is turning and we had a chance to change the status quo back in our favour. Congratulations?

@zombie2011: Publishers should publish better games if they want to make more money. Everybody forgets that Call of Duty became the behemoth of a money-maker that it is in spite of "piracy" and "used games" because the first Modern Warfare was a REALLY GOOD GAME. Make better games.

Considering 2 weeks ago, they said if you want to game offline, we have an xbox 360? Thats kinda like, hey honey! I cheated on you with the local bicycle. But I promise, I won't do it again! But husband-puu, you still cost more than most men require and made an ass out of yourself. I think I'll pass. I believe I'm a lesbian.

It's good that they're doing this, but eh, PS4 is still more powerful and less expensive. Plus I already have it paid off.

Haha I knew they would do it. Can't wait for XBONE!

A nice, but unfortunately rare victory for us consumers.

Its good they listened to the fans. I was okay with the connection, and the used games, but I totally get peoples frustration with it.

Good.

Otherwise, if publishers want digital games to be the future, they need to look at what other mediums are doing. Netflix, YouTube, and video streaming did not become popular by making physical media worse. They became popular by being a more compelling product. By being more convenient. Same goes for eBooks, digital music, online shopping, online news, email, DVR, etc.

I will say this. Things like PS+ is a huge step in the right direction, and XBLM in the last year or so has been much better about doing sales. For example, XBLM has Sonic Generations on sale right now for $10, and that's cheaper than I could buy the physical copy at any store, including Amazon. Do more stuff like this, and digital games will eventually take over in the years to come, but it will happen the way it should: by consumers making the choice, not publishers.

Copying someone is the best form of flattering.

Just remember micro soft controls the terms of use and conditions . If its that easy to turn it off who is to say in six month to a year they wont re-implement its after they have everyone's money

This suddenly makes things interesting, but doesn't solve the problem that at launch their console feature outside the games themselves are very US-centric. Of course, we all know a console at launch doesn't resemble what the service is like at the end of a life cycle.

I still feel dirty about them, knowing that they wanted to fuck us this hard. And I'm still not getting one until the always on/plugged in Kinect policy is dropped. Stop forcing that down our throats.

Glad to hear Microsoft caved.

Are you saying anyone that still hates Xbone in this fashion are just being silly Bart Simpsons, scared of their Dad offering them brownies before they to bed or showing them their new chainsaws and hockey masks?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_YfuIRT7vX0#t=9s

Well, good them them if that is what really happens. Sadly, I think everyone will still be looking over their shoulder with this generation. I think Microsoft needs to just do three other small things:

1) Take Netflix and other video and music services outside the paywall. Make PS+ and XBL have parity of just a few things behind the pay wall. This won't hurts their bottom line and it would be just better for the customer.

2) Put a few game that have online multiplayer outside the paywall. Sony said they would do that and I think that si more customer friendly...at the very least put small downloadable games that have online multiplayer outside the paywall.

3) Lower the cost of XBL, raising the price a few years ago was a di_k move. Make it right by reducing the cost.

I think we can all agree those are small changes that won't affect MS bottomline too much, but each one would just be customer friendly.

Good to see the crazy constraints disappear, it is a shame its a give-take situation though.

Some of the 'benefits' Microsoft advertised disappear, I was interested to see how the family share system would work. Also not needing to have disk based games in the xbox to play after install was good to see, that and not needing to carry disk based games around friends to play them.

While there were interesting concepts i am glad to see the back of DRM that cuts into consumer rights.

Good for them on changing this but honestly I think the damage is already done. While some people will switch now, the mass confusion and uncertainty from Microsoft has already put a lot of favor on Sony. Not saying this wont help change things but Sony will still reap some benifits. Especially cause of that attractive price tag.

That kind of bums me out for some reason. Of course, I was one of the people who wasn't really going to be effected by the old restrictions. But if the console will be 100% playable offline, that means that crazy cloud stuff won't be capable of doing anything crazy enough that it can't be done on a PS4, and that missed potential means that future games might not be everything they could have been... If that makes any sense...

NOOOOOOOO YOU LINKED THE REMAKE ONE! :(

I'll believe it when I see it, but if true then there is a real good competition between platform holders this generation.

This goes to show when consumers take a stand, even the most stubborn giant companies can be moved. Bravo for standing up for consumer rights. As for the people (game media included) who were not outraged and were ready to cow down and minimize the problem with their glossing over under the digital future banner, thanks for nothing. I hope those sheep fade into obscurity. Your digital rights, privacy rights, and your expectations for an entertainment experience without extraneous hoops to jump through is not impeding the digital future. There is nothing to stop Microsoft or Sony from having a huge digital distribution system with a flexible pricing structure.

Thanks again to everyone who kept shouting at the top of their lungs to let them know we won't stand for this. I can now buy both consoles as I have since my youth. I can also rest easy knowing game publishers will think twice before implementing needless draconian DRM for fear we will shout them down as well. I can play the MP3s I bought on the computer I bought it on, or the MP3 player in my car. I can play Pacman DX or Street fighter 3rd strike on my connected PS3 or on the one I left at my girlfriends house that has not been connected in months. The digital future is already here. And the people that are doing it right don't treat me like some kind of criminal, and I will continue to give them my money.

Just can't believe that Patrick is leaving after this. What happened today is the ultimate proof that this guy is one of the (if not the best) best editor covering the game industry.

The Xbox 180 joke makes this whole debacle worthwhile.

Boo

Great to see other game sites are quoting Giantbomb as its source reporting the turnabout in MS' Xbox One DRM policy. Patrick has obtained and relayed what could be the 'scoop' of the year and was obviously on top of all the relevant sources to follow up on Microsoft's internal moves right after the E3. Great job all around.

That said, MS should have left the policy talk under wraps and start next generation with the continuation of policies on X360, then gradually introduce their copyright management schemes as adoption of their platform grew. The shock would have been less following this model and gamers would not have had to deal with such drastic change, but rather in incremental doses.

Let's see if the list of concessions would grow to include possible price cuts or lower price on contracts, and other perks related to Live that MS will have in store to combat the overwhelming negative tide in its PR fiasco. This ain't over yet, nor should it be.

Still not buying one. The PS4 is still the more powerful and less expensive console and this is coming from someone who never owned a PS3.

This is insane. I am sure the main-stream consumer will not care, but now it totally looks like: Hey we tried to screw you over for no reason, except our personal gain, but damn you caught us.

Is this a dream? This is insane!

Awesome. If Sony and Microsoft keep going at it like this the winner is already decided: us consumers. Imagine Sony coming out somewhere in the next couple of months saying 'we decided to take online multiplayer out of the PS+ package and make it available with no additional charges because we love you so much'. And then MS can be all like 'yo, check out this XBOne model without a Kinect for $349,-'. And then Sony bundles 2 free games with their machine. And then MS adds a free game and 12 months XBLive Gold to their package. And then and then and then.

Most of the above probably isn't going to happen for various reasons, I know. But this kind of competition isn't something you get to see on a daily basis anymore. I'm expecting to see a couple of cool surprises before november rolls around, and I think it's really exciting.

@toowalrus: ps4 has gaikai, don't count them out on cloud stuff if thats what your thinking.

Besides jeff has said all that cloud stuff is just more for server side tech than anything else.

I can't even imagine what this would have looked like had Microsoft not cancelled those E3 interviews. It feels like they might have already started to backpedal behind closed doors but wanted to gauge reactions first.

It's a shame they couldn't just allow each account to chose the DRM system they prefer. I was and would still be all in on the original plan. Disappointed I won't be able to easily share games with "family."

Live quote from me, Andrew Scott, heard only seconds ago:

"Hah!"

Thank god for healthy competition. At least Microsoft does listen. Now where's my Windows 8 start button?

I think it's a shame overall. Sure the 24 hour check was shitty, and aspects of the DRM were probably too restrictive, but overall I thought there was a great deal to admire about the fact they were trying to do something different and move things in a direction, rather than just going with the flow ala the PS4 (and that isn't me slagging Sony, either, I think it is hugely impressive as a successor to the PS3).

One wonders what would have happened if Microsoft had a competent face for this thing instead of Don Mattrick making the situation far, far worse every time he opened his mouth.

Anyway, as with the Kinect, I admired the fact they were trying to revolutionise rather than just evolve, but (as it also is with the Kinect), revolution can sometimes be GARBAGE. Regardless, it would have been more interesting as a new system than what has occurred now.

PS: anyone that thinks a few days of pre-order figures and angry comments on forums did this are kidding themselves. The publishers and the retailers saw the reaction Sony was getting and the negative reaction this DRM was getting and blinked, I would bet money on it.

Well, that sucks.

I guess people will forget their arrogance and still buy the shitbox, then.

I really wished for MS to tank and Sony & Nintendo be the only two console manufacturers out there.

I'm saying this as someone who was (is!) heavily invested into the Microsoft ecosystem, this doesn't mend my view of them at this point. It's like hearing about your sister's boyfriend and how he physically abuses her. After the fact, you might find out that aspect of it was blown way out of proportion, but all those other dickish behaviors and actions still feel like a good enough reason to intensely dislike the guy. I'm still reminded that Microsoft is completely cutting off access to the stuff I paid for on 360. Sony at least is offering their back catalog via streaming services, they're making an effort. Microsoft still feels more calculated and user-hostile.

I feel the damage is done. This will mitigate it, sure, but a lot of people were motivated to preorder a PS4 after the E3 press conferences that otherwise would have gotten an Xbox One, and a lot of people warned friends away who hadn't seen or kept up with the latest. Now the onus is on them to go back and retract those statements and there's really no reason to do so. It's human inertia. A large enough force will get them moving, but removing that force won't necessarily stop that momentum, and it definitely won't reverse it.

The best part is that Sony learned their lesson with the way the public completely ignored the update to the Walkman that was completely riddled with DRM. Shockingly, while people will put up with DRM if they have to, if there's a path of least resistance, they're going to go with that every single time. It was a lesson lost on Microsoft.

Guess all that stuff about the cloud was bullshit, huh?