An Xbox One DRM Breakdown

Very true, and it's pretty much what I eluded to in my first post here =) It all comes down to people accepting that a disc isn't a game, which I'm not quite sure the majority of the consumers will agree with. While the general public have accepted digital media (via things like ITunes) I still think most people would think it's mad to have a normal CD not able to playback the music on it for any reason other than the disc being physically harmed.

@codefire: that gaming pc without Windows... Right? We can't escape!

Honestly I'm on the side of I just don't care. I don't run into all these special cases other posters on other sites to be coming up with. I have my console under my tv always connected to the Internet. If I can't play one might because the Internet is out, that's life. Maybe I'm too Canadian for my own good, but I'm excited to see what MS and Sony have in store.

@santa_8aby: Look lady,

I don't know what video you saw but I don't think that was the case at all. If anything they all seemed somewhat concerned about the changes that are happening to the consoles. Vinny and Patrick especially. But Ryan and Jeff have been around long enough to have seen this coming a mile away.

It's been said over and over DRM is coming to consoles and that it's only a matter of time. I mean, that's just how shit works. You have multiple companies losing money for a certain period of time and change has to happen. I mean we have developers dying out left and right because of people selling their used games directly to Gamestop, and I for one would like to see Gamestop bear the brunt of their own actions and ill-mannered decisions for once.

Lol, I love how the entire converstaion halted cause hey, we gotta chow down on this fruit!

Well, guess I won't be getting an Xbox One. Does anyone know if the PS4 will still allow rentals?

@xerxes8933a: I'd say it's a slim-to-none chance my friend.

@doberman187: Look dog,

You may think their reaction appropriate, but I don't. Not considering what measures M$ is taking.

As for the attitude of "it's going to happen, or has to happen" I disagree there too. I'm just going to leave it at that, since there's no point in debating opinion. You have yours and I have mine. You can buy the console and feel you're being treated fairly. I just won't.

Even with all of this info I still won't buy one. They put themselves into a deeper hole than the one Sony dug in 06 and I'm not sure they will be able to get out.

Damn this is convoluted as fuck. Looks like I better do "XBOX101 : Introduction to Xbox Licensing" next semester. Something tells me this trainwreck will keep on sliding. Grandpa Gandurson or Jay Stonerhead will not be able to comprehend this or be willing to do this kind of "research".

PS. Wait you can only play for 24 hours without an internet connection?! FUCK THAT. What if you have a shitty in house network infrastructure and can't get a connection? What if your network hardware gets fried or is malfunctioning in some way? What if you have too much EM noise where you live? What if you can't get a signal from your living room?

PSS. I don't speak for everyone, but the only way I'll be getting an xbox again is after it is exploited and ALL this garbage is bypassed. I'm so fucking glad I have a PC right now. Fucking garbage. How do people live with this shit?

@santa_8aby: Then the same goes for you duder! I ain't trying to start no war, yo, but why then should you feel offended about their reactions and their opinions anyway?

Xbox One's shit is fucked. Remember when consoles were about games and not all these video game restrictions? Don't worry about your movies and TV though they will work fine.

@das9000: Agree 100%. But....we're not gonna just run out and buy it anyway, are we? I really hope people stick to their guns here and really, really vote with their wallets. It's the only way M$ will get the message.

Ryan, Jeff and Vincent were three cool duders who liked to hang together. Until one expected day, the Xbox One's policies changed their lives forever! Now, the three best duders must fake being a family to be able to share their Xbox collection. Enter Patrick, their... adopted son!?

Ryan Davis, Jeff Gerstmann, Vincent Caravella and Patrick Klepeck in... ONE XBOX, THREE DADS, the new smash hit from the creators of Thursday Night Throwdown and The Wonderful Universe of This Ain't No Game. Coming this fall to CBS and the Xbox One, the Ultimate All-in-One Home Entertainment Systemfrom Microsoft.

That's my pitch for a new series based on the Xbox One's anti-piracy measures. If you need more characters, the rest of the office staff may always drop in and out as the endless supply of crazy, yet lovable, distant uncles. Contact me with the check, please.

@codefire:

Microsoft own windows too

@joeyravn: Brilliant. How many 0's should I write down?

@doberman187: Because I didn't say not to be offended. You should be; we all should be. Companies are taking us for a ride and many of us are voicing our dissent, however, GB seems to never really show any outrage over this stuff and I have my own theories on that. Everyone has a right to their opinions, but so too do they have the right to be offended by others.

The reason I'm offended is because I value their opinion and normally they speak with level heads. Here is one time they just don't seem to. Patrick of all people, seems to be the only one to say "Wait a minute, this is not right in the slightest". Meanwhile, the other guys are just grumbling at most.

It would be nice to see them say screw the damn companies for once and take a firm stand. Other guys do it very eloquently. Look up Jim Sterling. While crass, he drives home many salient points. Check him out, if you want a good argument against all this kinds of stuff.

And no offense taken. Debate is healthy, it allows us to see the other side of the argument. However, I have to tell you I'm a year older than Jeff and have been playing games just as long and this is the first time ever that I worry about it being a lasting hobby.

/rant off

@joeyravn: That is pure awesome. *slow clap*

It's not just Gamestop that is killing devs. They bet everything they have on red and when it comes up black they look around at who they can blame, similar to a degenerate gambler.

That said, they may have had a part in some devs closing but to say that we have developers dying out left and right because of used games is silly. With the way the gaming industry has gone it would have "killed" a lot of smaller developers anyway, much like modern blockbusters have made it nearly impossible for a small scale movie studio to exist.

.

FRM: Fruit Rights Management.

This is what I want to know: what happens when I don't sync my XBox One every 24 hours? What if I'm gone for an entire week on vacation, and the day I come home, I wanna play some games. Would the sync just be delayed until I finally get back on, or is there some consequence associated with the delay? These press releases and stipulations keep saying that I HAVE to sync every 24 hours... Well, what if I don't?

EDIT: Okay, so if I don't sync, I can't keep playing games. That's tolerable if I'm away from the system, but I have some times gone weeks without an Internet connection on my XBox, so to be penalized for either not having a good connection or no connection at all is absolutely absurd in a way that I don't really care to think about because I still haven't patched up the holes in my wall from the previous rages.

@kryptickiller: Exactly. It is the companies to blame. When all is said and done, they are the ones that released a game that sold or didn't sell. Budgets are too big; game diversity too small. Seldom risks are being taken and games are stagnating as a result. At least on the console side.

What M$ is doing right now is actually putting the hand over the mouth of an already drowning victim. They think they'll get more money; and maybe they're right in the short term, but if this pans out like it sounds, woe to the industry.

I buy all my games new, but I still don't want anything to do with this convoluted corporate bullshit.

@cwdawg1224: Men in black come and take away your xbone to a secure location, never to be seen again.

Seems like you can bring your games anywhere, but anywhere better have a fast internet connection because you will be downloading the game every time.

"While Kinect is faster, you can use a controller"

Yeah right. Kinect. Faster than a controller. I guess you call that "marketing spin". Or lies.

"real talk"

I wonder if they'll make the digital downloads cheaper than the disc based versions. You wouldn't be able to have as much freedom as the disc based versions in terms of trading or giving them away/sharing and because of that it'd be cheaper?

It'd certainly make me consider getting the digital downloads over the disc based versions.

@reuben: You're right, it is cheaper for them, less versatile for us, but I firmly believe they will not drop the prices on digital only games. Companies (not just Gamestop) are greedy and once they get used to something, they will not give it up unless forced to.

I'm with Vinny, I don't like this anymore. I can't borrow my friends games or rent them, what's the point if buying a game disk if I don't even own it, just the right to play it for $60, fuck that. This new console gen can shove it. Same crap as with pc gaming always online, DRM bullshit.

Yeah, fuck micro$oft! Buy windows!

Not unless they realize that people are probably gonna buy less games as a result of their policies.

@kryptickiller: You right homie, dat aint the sole reason for the devs disappearing. It's also a lack of funding, dumb ideas being funded based on previous successes, and sequels popping up left and right. But it's not just indie devs going out of business, as it's been clearly seen already throughout this year alone.

But yes, to blame it solely on used games is ludicrous, that much I can agree with. I was simply saying -- albeit in a very bad way --that used games certainly have a high percentage of these losses. I honestly would have preferred it if publishers automatically set it to get back a 50% of a profit on used games. I honestly wouldn't feel as bad at all doing it that way.

Then again, the bar has to be set somewhere, and Gamestop has to clearly see that this isn't their ballgame anymore. Then we'll have compromises. How that leads to shitty corporate bullshit from either the publisher or the retailer is yet to be seen. I just wish we gamers didn't let it get to this point, I wish instead of saying "look, you're stealing our shit," publishers would have come out saying stuff like "dudes, we're losing money and if we don't stop the problem here, we're going to be in serious trouble as an entire industry."

Then again...again, that is all wishful thinking.

Oh god all this DRM stuff is such a hot mess. So much confusion!

@nettacki: Well, that would be under "forced to". :)

When it comes to companies, all they care about is the bottom line, so hit them there, then they'll feel it. The worrisome part of all this is that even if that happens with this gen, it may be too late, it seems they're on a course of no return. Though, I do hope I'm wrong, for everyone's sake.

I literally lol'd at this

Guys, GameStop has nothing to do with this ridiculous DRM shit.

The game biz has been duped buy the same myth that has infected Hollywood.

The myth says that each pirated copy of software downloaded equals one lost sale. Therefore they have "lost" millions of dollars using this spurious equation.

This is, of course, absolute fucking bollocks. It is bollocks that these companies have convinced themselves of utterly and completely. Imagine a bunch of middle-aged men in suits running dreamily about in a field chasing ghostly wisps of hundred dollar bills that are always just slightly out of reach.

People pirate software and other media for a couple of reasons:

1) It's too expensive for them. Maybe they can afford it but they perceive the items value to be overly inflated. (especially in cases where the item is digital only)

2)Convenience. They just do a search and click a bittorrent link and all that is left is download time.

I am not defending piracy by the way, I am trying to make a point about excessive DRM not being the way to combat it.

Hollywood and the video game biz will eventually come to the same conclusion that the music industry did. After years of RIAA bullshit lawsuits against soccer moms and students they finally decided that they would offer the digital consumer a better deal. An easier way to get things than piracy.

iTunes. Amazon. Pandora. Spotify. They are easy. They are affordable. They don't punish consumers or treat them like criminals.

I am afraid we are entering the "Asshole RIAA" era of video games. It's a shame we have to go through this when there is such a clear example of the right way to treat consumers right under these companies noses.

Android has some fun, cheap games.

The offline restrictions on this thing are an absolute deal-breaker for me (which is very disappointing as an early adopter of the OG Xbox & 360). I thought Patrick (or maybe it was Vinny?) nailed it with the "going to the cabin" scenario. The fact that you can't play offline for a week, or even a weekend when traveling is completely fucking ridiculous. Especially considering the precedent that Steam's offline mode has set. Why is MS taking the risk of being so extreme with this policy when a working model has already been in place for years?!

This clusterfuck could have so easily been avoided, and I have a feeling that it will get much worse once parents/consumers that are less informed get the XBONE home and their internet is down or has a sketchy connection. "You mean I spent $XXX.XX on this thing and it won't work unless I upgrade/switch providers for our internet package?!" [cut to standing in the returns line at Best Buy]

Here's to hoping that the PS4 takes a page out of Gabe Newell's book... If not, I'll pass on this round of consoles and buy a new PC instead.

Won't be coming over to the next gen if this is going to happen on PS4 as well. I have a pc that will play all my old games.

@internetdetective: Hear, hear. Thank you for typing what I was too lazy to. Isn't it funny, that the video game industry is the only one to think they have the right to treat their customer base with disdain? It's like they think we're all hopeless junkies desperate to mainline the latest tech. Hell, Phil Harrison said as much with the whole "Core guys are gonna buy it" statement.

You know what? Even drug dealers treat their customers better than this. Video game companies seem to treat us with contempt, open disdain even. And this is all a culmination of that.

Games are supposed to be fun, but that's the last thing they seem right now.

One hour if you're playing one of your games at a friends house (on their console?)?
Am I the only one who doesn't think that's enough time? Especially when you're at a friends house and having a good time, who plays a game for just an hour?
I admit, there are neat ideas going on here, but if it's going to be so restriction-laden and so convoluted, what's the point?
You guys know what generation of consoles was simple and appealing? Ps2/Xbox/GC.

@cwdawg1224: I think it will work like this: you need to sign in to start playing, at that time if you're online, your Xbox will get an up-to-date list of your licenses (this shouldn't be a noticeable delay). That list periodically updates while your Xbox is online (every few minutes?). The 24h comes into play when you try to play a game but the info on the box is older than a day, at which point you'd probably get a message telling you to connect before playing. So, coming back after a vacation shouldn't cause problems, assuming you're online when you start playing again.

deal breaker

The next gen is shaping up to be dire. If the PS4 has all this stuff too I may skip out completely and just play steam games.

Guys.. hey.. hey guys..

I think it's time to stop buying consoles.

I've been having so much fun with DOTA and my PC... I'm not really piss of at next gen consoles, I'm more like da fuck cares anymore.

Console model is a dinosaur waiting to die.

@santa_8aby: I feel you bro. Let's make a pact not to buy these overpriced DRM ridden mini-PC's until they learn their damn lesson. *Fist bump*

This $hit nuts!

The fact that they made a video where several industry veterans can barely parse this information perfectly illustrates how dumb this all is. How is the average consumer going to react?

Are you doing it? I'll do it if you're doing it. LOL!

@tread311: By blindly buying what's put in front of them because it "gots more graphics."

By trying PC gaming, enjoying the sales and day-one 33% price cuts on NEW titles, and then saying "well, I might get that controller and plug it into my PC..."

Microsoft fucked themselves HAAAARD and I'm laughing.