Overnight there was considerable confusion, backtracking and badly managed PR from Microsoft, fresh after revealing its brand new Xbox One console. The main source of confusion revolved around whether or not you could lend or sell on Xbox One game disks, something glossed over until after the show, when Microsoft execs were let loose among the press.
Whilst Sony’s carefully managed, carefully selected post-show resulted in a little vagueness, it was nothing compared to the hugely negative PR Microsoft attracted last night.
But the facts seem to be that you can trade-in Xbox One games, but there’s a price to pay for whoever picks up that game, and that price appears to be the full price of the game. Yep, whilst it’s technically possible to sell on your bought games, chances are there won’t be a retailer out there that’ll let you, because nobody will buy them off them.
Here’s how it works, from what I can gather.
When you buy a game for the Xbox One, you’ll need to install it. This is a requirement, and there’s no getting around it. If you then play the game with the disk in, all will be fine. If you want to play the game without the disk in, the console will ping Xbox Live and ensure that you’re the registered owner. It’ll do this once every twenty four hours, as a minimum.
The game will play on that registered console for any user of that console, locally.
If you then lend or sell on that game, or take it around to a friends’ house, only your profile will be allowed to play on it. It’ll run (with the disk in, of course) and you (and only you) can play it. If anyone else wants to play it, they’ll need to pay a fee which – according to Phil Harrison – is the full cost of the game. Once that fee is paid, everyone on the console can use it, as before.
That twenty-four hour thing works back the other way too, with Xbox Live constantly checking which console you’re logging into to ensure that the licenses are always up to date. Basically it seems that if you have the disk and you’re the one supposed to be using it you can use that disk anywhere, but you’ll need to ensure that the original console is also connected to Live on a regular basis (with your credentials) or you’ll get locked out after a day.
This obviously stops you lending a game to someone and them signing out of Live to play it indefinitely – after 24 hours it simply won’t work: they either pay the full fee or it just locks.
Is that right? I think so.
dizwod
Have Sony implied anything like this?
Myself and a friend will normally buy a game and share between us, I buy when complete lend to him and vice versa as spending £40 on a game is alot of money where as 2 for £40 isnt as bad.
IF Sony see sense they will allow preowned games and lending to people as it seems that this hasnt gone down well as you would expect.
Ive never owned an Xbox and if Sony introduce something along these lines I wont be having a PS4 either :(
Tuffcub
They’ve said they will do “The Right thing” and that ” When you purchase the disc-based games on PS4, it should work on any hardware.”
I assume from the backlash here they know what “The Right thing” is.
dizwod
Good good. As long as I dont have to spend a fortune. Unable to buy games as it is :(
Scythegpd
Question – Anonymous had an entire bitch-fest about Sony removing otherOS and caused a bunch of trouble “defending consumer rights”. What was their justification again? Oh yes, we bought it, we should be able to do what we want with it.
XBox One
– intrusive privacy invading alway on kinect camera
– requirement to go online every 24 hours or you lose all gaming ability
– inability to trade games in or lend them to friends
So is anonymous going to go on a massive drive to “defend consumer rights” this time, in an instance which is FAR more damaging to consumers than the removal of otherOS? Lets think about that for a moment …
Lol and just discovered … the auto-correct for “kinect” is “lonely”. That made me laugh!
pitbullmern
This isnt quite the same though is it ?
Other OS was removed from something you had already purchased. You havent purchased an XBOX one yet and if you dont like these draconian measures you wouldnt buy it in the first place so they dont need to defend conumers rights.
hazelam
i just had a thought, how would that recent EU court ruling that digital content has to be allowed to be resold going to affect this?
will it affect this?
a inferior race
I think they are allowing it to be resold, but it screws up competition. So competition commission could step in or EU equivalent.
Bilbo_bobbins
I still can’t believe this is correct. It can’t be. They are going to majorly fuck over a lot of people with this.
If I was a Xbox fan and was looking at buying X1 then I think out of principle I would say no. This is ridiculous and I really can’t believe Microsoft are going to allow this.
The Von Braun
It does’nt matter if this was all MS’s idea or done in line with suggestions from publishers like E.A or is a last minute redesign of original ‘always-on’ plans for the console, it’s upset an awful lot of gamers, myself included.
I’ve been gaming since the early 80’s and i now use money from wages where i once relied on pocket money etc to buy games, but i’ve always used 2nd hand sales to buy games as well as trading games with friends etc, plus always loaning out games to friends and for good few years now people i work with.It’s been part and parcel of gaming.
That’s gone out the window now and MS, you’ve lost a lot of sales from people like myself who have bought the original Xbox, followed by the 360.With this ‘Digital Permission’ crap (just say DRM and be done with it!) and putting in Kinect as standard, you’ve basically confirmed what ‘we’ long feared-this is’nt a device that’s aimed at us anymore.
You had weeks MS to make the annoucement, to explain everything in a straightforward, easy to understand manner, laying to rest any concerns, fears and confusion, instead you basically muddle the waters even more and internet alights with upset and anger and more confusion.Your share price drops, loyal 360 owners drift away and your P.R teams left trying to do damage limitation by the hour.
You needed something really special to shift attention away from Sony to yourselves, well, you’ve got the attention, but not in the way you would have wanted i’m sure.
MS:Thanks for the original Xbox and 360, the good times were great, but we’ve grown apart, it’s not me it honestly is you these days, i would wish you well, but honestly? your dead to me now.
DrOf1337
If I was Valve right now I’d be laughing all the way to the bank.
colmshan1990
I don’t know about you, but I can’t sell any of my Steam games…
At least it doesn’t have to connect every day, but it does have to, from time to time.
Voolar
So, in their attempt to kill the second hand market, they’ve essentially committed suicide. If people can’t buy a game cheap second hand, they’ll buy it two months after release when it’s in the bargain bin…
It was a mess wasn’t it… Here’s a summary…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbWgUO-Rqcw&feature=player_embedded
stueeeee
I think they’ve really screwed themselves. If Sony come out and say u can play a disc game on any ps4 and u dont need an Internet connection to play games at all then they’re clearly gonna be more popular?? And they might considering they now love sharing!
Why would anyone jump through these hoops? Why have they made it harder to go round your mates and show them the new great game he doesn’t have!
gazzagb
I just don’t get the point in this system, the only thing I can think of is that publishers pushed for this feature in return for a closer relationship and exclusive deals. I assume MS will pass on some of the unlock fee to the publisher, cutting out the middleman retailers.
stueeeee
My mate lent the new hitman to me the other day before it came on Plus and i really got into it. He said I could have it for few weeks so I could finish it. If this was X1 I’d would need to buy it to play on my profile even if i had the disc? Ridiculous!
No more Bargain Bin It for Xbox in the WeView!