I am pretty excited! I guess now I just don't have to worry about online check ins, but mostly I am excited that we are able to trade and lend games indefinitely. I kind of saw this coming because of the massive backlash, but now I know I will be able to game exactly how I'm doing now on the 360. Good news Microsoft.

Some will inevitably see this as Microsoft being fickle, but this shows that they listen.

While I wonder what prompted MS to think that E3 would go well with these ideas would work in the first place, I'm glad to see it DRM-free.

Won't be buying it day one though.................waiting for dat $250-299.

I think I'm still getting a PS4. Also, this brings a stop to the fun of watching the trainwreck that was everything concerning the Xbox One and the potential retail disaster that would have ensued.

Good for them (mostly us), though. They pulled this off with the Xbox 180:

I think it's still 100$ more expensive for a camera i have no interest in.

Besides i do not care for any exclusives they've shown.

I still care about Infamous.

It's a shame because I wanted to watch them crash and burn.

It's .. still.. box-like.. and also it's black. It probably plays games and Microsoft still gets to play Big Brother on me while I do the helicopter in front of the Kinect 2.0 to salute whoever is watching a live feed of me at Microsoft. So you know, nobody, ever.

Less excited about this generation as a whole now. I'm hoping Microsoft will now ease us into the future over the course of XBO's life cycle by implementing a slightly less harsh version of their original plan.

I feel like it's still something they can do with system updates. I don't think a new console would be needed to implement all that stuff so I wouldn't write off the "future" just yet.

I think they ignored all the feedback they got for months and didn't change their minds until they saw their pre order numbers and compared them with the numbers the PS4 was reported to have.

@xyzygy: Yes, this is exactly what I meant. Easing their "connected" player base into the original concept through system updates. The problem is those darn discs are now completely isolated elements from their digital counterparts. Every single game I will have to weigh the price difference between the two versions vs. the convenience of having a consolidated digital library. Their original vision completely solved this issue that is present on the current consoles. Steam eliminated this years ago as even retail games code into it.

Allowing digital sharing among 10 friends actually sounded way too generous. Neither Steam nor discs allow anything on this level of convenience. Maybe they had second thoughts about this feature?

My opinion has gone up a bit, at least. They still haven't really justified the Kinect 2.0 (saying that as a Kinect owner), and the TV integration does nothing for me. I said it on Patrick's news post, but I'd be really excited about a region free box...if they'd actually announce their plans for Japan.

Edit: I missed a lot of chatter during my late day nap, but if games don't need to be online I guess this also shows that, if they were actually substantial to begin with, plans of offloading physics calculations and the power of the cloud for gaming will end up on the wayside as well?

If I don't have to have HAL in my living room that would be a bonus..still waiting on how the games shake out before I touch either system, though.

At least now I know I will probably buy both at some point. The PS4 still looks more interesting with PS+, 399$ price tag, and I will be interested to see which turns out to be the more powerful machine. I keep hearing they are basically even, but I thought the Xbox One was using, like half its RAM or whatever to run the interface stuff and snap feature. I think the recent news has made it even easier for me to just wait it out another year or so...

I think it speaks volumes about Microsoft's state of mind right now. They thought they knew what the future was gonna bring and that they could essentially ignore their core audience in pursuit of that vision. Even though I applaud them changing their policies, this doesn't change their image in my eyes. I understand that companies exist to make money and that Sony probably doesn't care about consumer well-being any more than Microsoft does. But I would rather give my money to a company that makes me feel like I'm not selling my soul than to a company that thought it could tell me what was best for me, only to be rudely awakened by consumer/media backlash. Even though Sony doesn't have my complete trust, they have significantly more of it than Microsoft does. Still gonna get a PS4, but I'm happy the people who get the Xbox One won't be so Xboned (fuck Kinect). Also, yay competition!

Too late man. Commited to PS4 (already got PS+ and a Vita since E3, as well as preordered a PS4). PS4 is the more powerful system, and it has a lower asking price.

Xbox One is in the running as a secondary system together with the Wii U. Eventually I'll get one or both. Just keep at it Microsoft. Great games sell consoles. That - and not being a rancid dick.

Somewhat disappointed, honestly. It would have been interesting to see how two wildly differing policies would impact the market and the future of where video games are going but I guess we just have two mostly identical boxes with some different games between the two of them again. I was going to get an Xbox One before and I still will, but it's not as interesting to think about how I was going to approach each system independent of the other now.

I'm still going for the PS4, mainly because of Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy. I KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING.

I LIKE THEM xbox games more.

All i have seen with PS4 is Knack and no thank you

All i've seen on PC is minecraft

Not impressed

This. I don't trust Microsoft as much as Sony, especially for this DRM debacle and the last four years of Xbox 360 exclusives drought, appart from the ocasional Gears of War and Halo.

It's a step down...

Can I still play without the disk?

If it means the sharing system is off the table i think it's a step down and makes the fight between Sony and Microsoft less interesting. I'll be sticking with the PC.

Double this, really wishing I could play The Last of Us right now. Also on my 3rd 360 because they keep fucking melting, which is nice.

It's something I can consider buying now. The 24hr checkin was a deal breaker for me, without it I'll have to take a look and actually consider it.

I'm not totally sold on the kinect mostly due to the track record of the first kinect. But it is some cool tech. If we see some good demos of it in use it might factor in.

Bottom line though, it's still $100 more for less computing and gfx power. The Cloud Magic stuff isn't helping either. I don't see them dropping the price and I don't see them making the apps OS optional so we'll just have to see how it does. If the games run fine and the new kinect isn't a steaming pile of trash it might be worth it.

Yeah I have to agree. I found the two going head to head sticking to their ideals pretty interesting.

@video_game_king: I'm pretty sure both of those games are coming to Xbox One...

@sathingtonwaltz:

I repeat: I am aware of my statements.

Pre-ordered mine today!

Good for them but the price is still too high.

Nope. If you bought physical, the disc will be needed. Of course if you buy digital there will be no disk to use.

MMm well thats sad. No more instant game switching. But at least you can still pause and move to another game yes?

Regarding the price, honestly I don't mind paying 100 dollars more for the exclusives. There are more exclusives for the Xbox One and they all appeal to me, every single one, in addition to my achievements and Gamertag and the multiplats that are coming (FFXV!!!!!!). Where as all the PS4 exclusives do as well, but there just aren't as many. I feel like that's a good tradeoff. And I don't really think that 100 dollars is that much a difference in the long run, for a system that I will keep and enjoy for years and years to come.

I'm stoked for it now. I'm still kind of bummed about their stance on self publishing, but that just gives me a good reason to buy the PS4 too.

I imagine that you could still instant game switch with digital titles you bought, you'd just need to insert the disc for your disc games to authenticate.

@the_laughing_man: Don't think there was ever the feature to switch between game to game with their snap mode (or whatever it was called). Games to movies/TV, yes. Game to another game, I doubt it.

If they keep family game sharing and lending policies the same for digital purchases though, the original "experience" MS set out to have with games should go mainly unchanged. You will just have to buy everything off of XBL instead of retail stores.

Glad they change their DRM policy, but that wasn't really why I wasn't getting one. The reason I didn't want one is because the last 1st party microsoft game that I enjoyed was Banjo Kazooie: Nut's and Bolts which came out in 2008. I'm going wait 3-4 years and see what x1 exclusive library looks like then.

I meant like I am playing Watch_dogs and my other game finds a online match.

These are pretty much exactly my thoughts, except I was a tad more negative about the Xbox One to begin with. It would have been cool to have consoles with such huge differences.

Everything I was thinking, said way better than I ever could.

I am cautiously optimistic! I actually thought he Xbone conference was really good, they showed off some cool stuff like Titanfall and Sunset Overdrive. But I can't say they showed anything that makes me want to jump up and buy an Xbone even without the DRM shit filter. I'm really cautious and while I respect Microsoft for removing the DRM, most of the next gen games I want are multiplat (MGSV, FFXV, Destiny) and I'm not sure they don't have something potentially worse up their sleeve.

Ill wait for some exclusives i want to play and a price drop the games they showed off I did not care for

This doesn't change the fact that 360 had zero true exclusives that I cared about this generation, whereas numerous games I consider to be "must play"s were only available on PS3.

That said, I'm stoked because this will dissuade publisher favoritism and hopefully lead to better experiences for me on the PS4.

I wanted this too. I wanted it like some smouldering Star Trek villain marooned on a planet for decades hoping one day to watch my nemesis die by inches as they frantically clawed at the crumbling side of a volcano, grabbing nothing but rubble and dust as the lava comsumes their limbs.

Turning around and buying the XBone now is like being seduced by someone who swore truthfully that they were going to rape and beat you while you were having dinner but then during dessert their phone rang and said "Oh no, that raping stuff was a complete mistake, I meant... pfffftt... petting zoo and a big bowl of trifle! You know, maybe even sparklers in the trifle!!"

That's my take on it anyway.

I feel like it's more expensive and less powerful than the PS4.

I also feel like I can't trust Microsoft to know what the fuck they're doing.

Glad they changed it, still don't trust that it won't be back in some form, probably on both systems and driven by publisher restrictions.

Still getting a PS4 for Second Son and maybe an XBO next year sometime if something peaks my interest that I can't get on the PC or PS4.

Still going with Sony as they didn't try to screw me over. And as for all the people that are complaining about the family share thing, it wouldn't have worked the way you were hoping.

This just made it so it's more likely that I will eventually pick one up down the road, probably after a price drop.

microsoft is just seeing how far they can push us

i realized this back in 2010, when they uped the gold price for no reason.

they got away with that, so they got even more bold. just because they have withdrawn for now doesn't mean they are done seeing how far they can push us

Does one platform have more exclusives? Only one has Octodad The Dadliest Catch. :)

It's a console I could get in the future now. I still want a PS4 because of what Sony values (or pretends to value) when it comes to smaller games. The lower price also helps. In reality I'll probably pick up the Xbox One a few years from now when originally I was going to just write it off.