Thursday June 6^th, Microsoft posted updated details on how the new Xbox One will function with game licensing, connectivity requirements, and your privacy. Within mere minutes the internet exploded with “Goodbye Microsoft, Hello Sony”, “No Thank You Microsoft”, and the well thought out “@%&# you Microsoft”.

I read several posts across the major gaming news sites and sifted through comments and suffice it to say the majority of feedback is negative. After reading the article myself on Xbox Wire I find myself in the minority. Granted my life is not like every other person out there. I don’t borrow games from friends, I have 24 hour/day connected High Speed internet, and I do not fear big brother. Heck if Microsoft wants to record me on naked Fridays they can be my guest!

Here are my thoughts on each of the posts from Microsoft:

Xbox One: A Modern, Connected Device

Microsoft has been embracing broadband internet since the release of the original Xbox. A device with no modem and only Ethernet? Unheard of at the time. Now, modems are a thing of the past and broadband is the standard. Microsoft recently announced that there are 48 million Xbox Live members. It is probably a safe bet to say that all 48 million of those live members have broadband. With that in mind, let’s discuss how the Xbox One utilizes your internet connection.

• · A new generation of games with power from the cloud: Because every Xbox One owner has a broadband connection, developers can create massive, persistent worlds that evolve even when you’re not playing. I like how Microsoft states that “every Xbox One owner has a broadband connection”. They are talking about the 48 million gamers on Xbox Live, their core customers. And though it was great that the PS3 tried using the cloud to cure cancer with Folding@home, but I am much more excited to see what the cloud can do for my games!
• Your Xbox One is always ready: Xbox One is designed to run in a low-powered, connected state. This means your system, games and apps are always current and ready to play—no more waiting for updates. A million times YES! Nothing is more frustrating that turning on your Xbox and being prompted for a system update, or kicking off your favorite game and waiting for it to patch. I also enjoy using the Xbox dashboard on xbox.com to purchase content and add to my queue. With always on, I will no longer have items in my queue when I get home from work, they will already be installed!
• · Stay connected to your friends: Never miss an opportunity to play games with your friends or to catch up with family on Skype. Use Skype in Snap mode to chat while you play games or watch TV. Or enjoy group video Skype calls with people around the world, all from the comfort of your living room. They don’t mention it, but the party system running while you do other things, like watch TV or a movie is intriguing. You no longer have to tell your friends to call or text you when they are ready and online, just put yourself in the party system and when everyone is ready, switch to playing your game! I can see some uses for Skype in our living room. My extended family could see my baby girl more often. But in games it is probably limited. I could see a good use for personal trainers: Your Shape on the main screen and your trainer in a Skype session to the side. Say goodbye to the virtual trainer and hello to the real trainer that can yell at you for bad form! Now how do I talk my wife’s family on the farm that they need a game console to see their granddaughter more?
• · Access your entire games library from any Xbox One—no discs required: After signing in and installing, you can play any of your games from any Xbox One because a digital copy of your game is stored on your console and in the cloud. So, for example, while you are logged in at your friend’s house, you can play your games. This means I no longer need to bring my disc with me to my second Xbox in the bedroom or over to a friend’s house for a game session. Just login, and start playing. Sounds good to me!
• · Buy the way you want—disc or digital—on the same day: You’ll be able to buy disc-based games at traditional retailers or online through Xbox Live, on day of release. This is great. Now how about a discount for digital vs. physical? I would love to see Xbox One Holiday sales like Steam has!

How Games Licensing Works on Xbox One

Let’s face it, physical media is going away. I am going to say it now, this is the last game generation that includes an optical drive. The release of 4K media is all digital, and the PCs have adopted digital media quickly. I honestly don’t remember the last time I used a CD/DVD at work or at home on my computer. All of my PC games are available to me via digital download and come with the associated DRM or DRM free. I do agree that the US needs to catch up to some of the European countries that are building new DRM ownership/licensing laws to allow consumers to resell their digital purchases. But for now, this is just like my Steam account. What Microsoft has developed is an in between phase: Here is your physical media you are used to, but get ready, cause it is going away.

• · Buy the way you want—disc or digital—on the same day: You’ll be able to buy disc-based games at traditional retailers or online through Xbox Live, on day of release. Discs will continue to be a great way to install your games quickly. No more midnight release parties in the winter outside of GameStop for me. I will just be sitting in my comfy PJs on my couch and click and play.
• · Share access to your games with everyone inside your home: Your friends and family, your guests and acquaintances get unlimited access to all of your games. Anyone can play your games on your console--regardless of whether you are logged in or their relationship to you. Just like it is today with Xbox 360, just don’t need a disc.
• · Give your family access to your entire games library anytime, anywhere: Xbox One will enable new forms of access for families. Up to ten members of your family can log in and play from your shared games library on any Xbox One. Just like today, a family member can play your copy of Forza Motorsport at a friend’s house. Only now, they will see not just Forza, but all of your shared games. You can always play your games, and any one of your family members can be playing from your shared library at a given time. I just upgraded my account to family, so unsure how this will change things. I am frustrated that it cost me twice the cost per year for family than single, so I may be requesting a refund if this has changed. As for the shared games library, this is a huge change for the better. If my daughter is at a friend’s house and they want to play Dance Central 6 together, but the friend has not bought it, my daughter can just choose it from my library and they are off and playing!
• · Trade-in and resell your disc-based games: Today, some gamers choose to sell their old disc-based games back for cash and credit. We designed Xbox One so game publishers can enable you to trade in your games at participating retailers. Microsoft does not charge a platform fee to retailers, publishers, or consumers for enabling transfer of these games. Microsoft is creating an environment where the publishers have control over their used games. I currently use Goozex, so unsure how this will effect that service. But I also see myself adopting digital content more widely so this will most likely not be a bother for me.
• · Give your games to friends: Xbox One is designed so game publishers can enable you to give your disc-based games to your friends. There are no fees charged as part of these transfers. There are two requirements: you can only give them to people who have been on your friends list for at least 30 days and each game can only be given once. Would be nice to see this option for digital media as well. And the days of letting friends borrow games to see if they like them is not really valid as every game releases a demo for that purpose

Privacy by Design: How Xbox One and the New Kinect Sensor Put You in Control

I have enjoyed the use of the Kinect, but it never really met the promises outlined when it was released. But after watching the Xbox One reveal I can say I am excited again. Matter of fact, my wife is more excited about it than I am. The ability to watch TV/movies with full voice commands got her excited. We are excited to see more information though. I would like to know if I can get rid of my old media center PC and use my Xbox One as a DVR. Probably not, but that would be awesome.

• · You are in control of what Kinect can see and hear: By design, you will determine how responsive and personalized your Xbox One is to you and your family during setup. The system will navigate you through key privacy options, like automatic or manual sign in, privacy settings, and clear notifications about how data is used. When Xbox One is on and you’re simply having a conversation in your living room, your conversation is not being recorded or uploaded. Sounds good. Enable everything!
• · You are in control of when Kinect sensing is On, Off or Paused: If you don’t want the Kinect sensor on while playing games or enjoying your entertainment, you can pause Kinect. To turn off your Xbox One, just say “Xbox Off.” When the system is off, it’s only listening for the single voice command -- “Xbox On,” and you can even turn that feature off too. Some apps and games may require Kinect functionality to operate, so you’ll need to turn it back on for these experiences. As long as the Kinect no longer responds to voice commands coming from my TV than I am okay with leaving it on all the time! I must have been kicked out of the Xbox One reveal half a dozen times… E3 will be the same grumble.
• · You are in control of your personal data: You can play games or enjoy applications that use data, such as videos, photos, facial expressions, heart rate and more, but this data will not leave your Xbox One without your explicit permission. Here are a few examples of potential future scenarios: Anyone who knows me, knows I could use some exercise, and I am also a bit of a data tracker. The more data I can track pertaining to my overall health, the more motivated I am to get myself in better shape. I hope I can upload data if approved to the cloud so I can track it on the go.
  • A fitness game could measure heart rate data to provide you with improved feedback on your workout, allow you to track your progress, or even measure calories burned.
  • A card game could allow you to bluff your virtual opponent using your facial expressions.
• · You can use other inputs to control your games, TV and entertainment experiences: While it’s faster to find what you’re looking for using your voice and gesture commands with Kinect, you can use a controller, your remote controls or your smart devices instead. And you can use all of these devices when Kinect is paused. Controls for my Dad and other extended family. I cannot see Grandpa trying to get Sesame Street to play for my daughter with voice commands, though it might be fun to see him try it!

Well, that wraps it up. My gut feeling on everything Microsoft announced. This is obviously my opinion as my situation with internet access and feelings on digital media are my own. But I think the outburst by the gaming community is as always out of control. Everyone who is ready to jump from Microsoft to Sony should wait to hear the full details from Sony. If Microsoft is creating this process for publishers to manage their games, than Sony is being pushed to do the same. And just like Microsoft, this will be the last PlayStation to contain an optical drive.