Microsoft adjusts Xbox One DRM policies, online check-ins and used game complications are history

[Nathan Drake]

You may well have a point but a thursday crowd for a store opening (in what is most likely the morning) may not be the most representative crowd.

Consider how the Xbox One is being marketed though: if in 800 people barely a handful are interested enough in any of the multitude of features it attempts to offer to even give a light cheer, you're likely doing something wrong. To note, the primary attendance for the reason of this specific launch (free concert tickets incentive) helped to lend itself to many teens that would likely be gamers to some degree being in the crowd.

 

[chartube12]

A friend of mine is actually getting one...well his gf is buying it for him as a 30th birthday gift, anyways, he claims they had to call 7 different gamestops to find one taking pre-orders. This was before the announcement of drm being removed. Someone is definitely buying these then. On the other hand, gamestop was only taking 3 pre-orders for each location.

 

[WhiteMaze]

This simply goes to show that even if you backtrack, once the mistake is made, there's no full recovery.

I hope Microsoft realizes this. They pooped on their customers. Now they have a long way to regain my trust.

 

[Elliander]

According to the source there will still be one online requirement:

"After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again."

It's probably the case that they already began physical production which means that the units will be physically shipped with those limitations in place and will need a firmware update to remove them. This is both good and bad news. It's bad news in that it will give them plenty of opportunity to close any security holes that will exist with the launch firmware, but it's good news because if someone compares the firmware with and without these implementations it could reveal useful information about the way it works.

At the very least it seems to imply that you will need to go online to create your profile when you first set it up. Unlike the Xbox 360 which can be set up without ever going online. There is also the fact that the Xbox One (stupid name) has cloud computing capabilities which means that a user who wants to play a single player game that needs cloud computing will still need to go online, which can make the future of backup loaders difficult to imagine working.

In any case, I still won't be buying one and probably won't buy a PS4 either. At least not for a few years. Backwards compatibility for older games is my preference.

 

[DSGamer64]

Pretty pathetic of Microsoft to backtrack on their initial plans, it makes them look like hypocritical. Oh well, I guess they realized it was a stupid idea.

 

[Bladexdsl]

I guess they realized it was a stupid idea.

no they realized after getting laughed out of e3 and seeing ps4 pre-orders sky rocket over their crappy tv box that they would never get away with it. so after shitting a tonne of bricks they panicked and changed it

 

[Sterling]

So you're saying the success of this model relies on being digital only? Because funnily enough I don't think that would have gone down too well either with consumers.

Plus, it's absolute nonsense, all the "big name" games for PC are available in physical form at game stores and online retailers. It's mostly just the smaller indie titles that are digital only, as they have no infrastructure to distribute physically. Steam allows those games to be distributed at all (in the same way as services like Xbox Live Marketplace, PSN Store and WiiWare etc.), but the presence of those games is certainly not solely responsible for the success of Steam. It owes a whole lot to making the "big name" games available in a simple, straight forward manner including automatic updates, easy installation, competitive pricing etc. You can even install some games from physical discs bought in a store, and then they become pretty much indistinguishable from a digital copy (sound familiar?).

The "big name" games may also be available in the stores, but that's simply because their console counterparts are being sold beside them. Steam being digital only also means gamers don't to go up to a store, but many do it because there are physical copies being sold,. Midnight releases are a great way to find like minded people.

Also, have you noticed the part about big name games being sold at full price (new) on Steam? The reason behind that is indeed due to big name retailers whinging the prices in order to remain competitive. There is absolutely no need for a game to be sold at sixty dollars a pop if they're in a digital market like Steam. Your entire argument for this system Microsoft wanted to implement is so that games would decrease in price when the only time we've seen a title not selling at the established price is if it was unpopular and sold like crap, or if it was aging and new copies were still on the shelf. Precedent still debunks this notion, and until all consoles go digital only, the perfect digital model will not come true.

 

[WhiteMaze]

Pretty pathetic of Microsoft to backtrack on their initial plans, it makes them look like hypocritical. Oh well, I guess they realized it was a stupid idea.

Have always loved my Xbox's and my Windows. But I have to agree, Microsoft is becoming more pathetic each year. Both in the company's development and in its decisions. Old uncle Bill Gates knew how to run things. He's probably laughing at them right now.

 

[Deleted User]

Can't really blame them, there not going to release a console that wouldn't sell.
And no i'm not a fanboy, I don't even own an xbox/xb360. PC all the way.

 

[ggyo]

I would just like to say that I went to a Microsoft store opening event today. I won't delve into details, but at one point, they raffled off a pre-order for the Xbox One. When the announcer came onto the mic to start talking about it, there was zero crowd response. When they announced they'd be raffling off a pre-order, maybe five people made noise (note, there were easily around 800 people present). When it was actually won by someone, the only applause was for the fact that the person won the raffle prize and it was common courtesy. After that, nobody even cared to bring the system up.

Also, talking to actual gamers in line, nobody was impressed or even considering the Xbox One even with being fully aware of the policy changes. This simply goes to show that even if you backtrack, once the mistake is made, there's no full recovery.

I almost never believe alleged internet stories, and this one is grouped with the majority that I read.

A crowd of 800 will be naturally very loud. How could you single out 5 people out of a loud crowd of 800 who showed reaction to an announcer?

See, it was your type who propagated the lie that WiiU shelves were barren at release and being sold at at high velocity and volume.

A friend of mine is actually getting one...well his gf is buying it for him as a 30th birthday gift, anyways, he claims they had to call 7 different gamestops to find one taking pre-orders. This was before the announcement of drm being removed. Someone is definitely buying these then. On the other hand, gamestop was only taking 3 pre-orders for each location.

I don't believe this story either. Walking through the mall, I saw pre-order signs up at every electronics retailer. I'm assuming they would take them down if they could not longer take pre-orders...

And also, are there even maximum capacities to pre-order numbers?

I'm not shooting the messenger. I understand this isn't your apparative story.

 

[Nathan Drake]

I almost never believe alleged internet stories, and this one is grouped with the majority that I read.

A crowd of 800 will be naturally very loud. How could you single out 5 people out of a loud crowd of 800 who showed reaction to an announcer?

See, it was your type who propagated the lie that WiiU shelves were barren at release and being sold at at high velocity and volume.

Yes, sorry, my life is a lie. Please, just shut up and go away.

 

[ggyo]

Yes, sorry, my life is a lie. Please, just shut up and go away.

Well since your life is the story of a Microsoft store opening... then I'm so sorry.

 

[Nathan Drake]

Well since your life is the story of a Microsoft store opening... then I'm so sorry.

Free concert tickets to a band I've wanted to see for years are a great incentive, the conniving bastards.

 

[ggyo]

Free concert tickets to a band I've wanted to see for years are a great incentive, the conniving bastards.

Oh... sounds like a big event, then. What band? And I bet there's video footage online somewhere in that case.

 

[Nathan Drake]

Oh... sounds like a big event, then. What band? And I bet there's video footage online somewhere in that case.

Weezer. And probably somewhere online, at latest maybe tomorrow. There was a lot filming going on, pictures, etc.

 

[Chary]

I don't believe this story either. Walking through the mall, I saw pre-order signs up at every electronics retailer. I'm assuming they would take them down if they could not longer take pre-orders...

And also, are there even maximum capacities to pre-order numbers?

I'm not shooting the messenger. I understand this isn't your apparative story.

Yes, there are preorder caps. At least, in the Houston area. At my local GameStop, Animal Crossing New Leaf had an allotted 23 copies. 5 if you didn't pre order. I only know this, because they had the games in a stack behind the counter. I inquired if that was all the copies they had in the store. They said that most Gamestops in the area got 25/30 copies each. Back in the day of the Nintendo Wii, GameCrazys across my city only had 4 available consoles each. 3 of them being allotted for preorder. I'm pretty sure preorder caps exist.

 

[ggyo]

Weezer. And probably somewhere online, at latest maybe tomorrow. There was a lot filming going on, pictures, etc.

A Weezer concert only had an 800 person turnout in a public venue? First off, I'm mad jealous you got to see them live for free.

So according to sources, the first 1000 customers got free tickets, while the first 200 of that thousand got afterparty tickets as well (but tickets were purchasable, meaning the complete turnout could have been upwards of 1000). Microsoft also gave out $1.23 million in grants to non-profit organizations in the area,

"I won't delve into details, but..." Yeah, well you should have. You made it sound like a large focus of the event was the Xbox One... but they're giving out grants, they have rock bands playing, it's at an outside venue, etc.

So they surprised the croud with one Xbox One raffle, and people cheered for the winner out of courtesy. It's not the Oprah Winfrey show where the whole audience gets a new Toyota. C'mon now. You've lied out of omission of facts.

http://www.oregonlive.com/window-shop/index.ssf/2013/06/microsoft_celebrates_downtown.html
http://www.songkick.com/concerts/16606379-weezer-at-pioneer-place-shopping-mall

 

[Nathan Drake]

A Weezer concert only had an 800 person turnout in a public venue? First off, I'm mad jealous you got to see them live for free.

Lots of people couldn't or weren't willing to wait in a line for upwards of 15 hours for free tickets. It did take a little dedication.

So according to sources, the first 1000 customers got free tickets, while the first 200 of that thousand got afterparty tickets as well (but tickets were purchasable, meaning the complete turnout could have been upwards of 1000). Microsoft also gave out $1.23 million in grants to non-profit organizations in the area,

Tickets were not purchasable, though, and it was only worth waiting in line if you were in the first 200. Otherwise, you could have come after the crowd was gone and still gotten a couple normal tickets for free. As well, the grants were talked about as much as the Xbox One was.

"I won't delve into details, but..." Yeah, well you should have. You made it sound like a large focus of the event was the Xbox One... but they're giving out grants, they have rock bands playing, it's at an outside venue, etc.

For the actual store opening itself (seeing as the concert is actually tomorrow), the raffles were a large part of the incentive for every one else in line who waited. As well, they really tried to get the crowd excited for the Xbox One while they were raffling it, and there weren't bites. People were more excited for a pair of headphones or a general 360/Kinect bundle than the One. The noticeable dive in excitement from the start to the end of the Xbox One talk was hard to miss.

So they surprised the croud with one Xbox One raffle, and people cheered for the winner out of courtesy. It's not the Oprah Winfrey show where the whole audience gets a new Toyota. C'mon now. You've lied out of omission of facts.

No, I stated that the crowd was noticeably not excited for the Xbox One. Compared to absolutely every other part of the event, that was the least excited that the crowd had been. I'm honestly too tired to entertain your ridiculous posts any further, but just know, nobody gave a shit about the Xbox One. In a crowd that largely contained the demographic they seek to market to, that's bad.

 

[jonesman99]

I have two friends. One is a marketing major and the other is a Mass Comm major with a concentration in Public Relations. I'll get them to put in their resumes at Microsoft... #causetheyneedhelp

 

[XDel]

They will just change the policy at a later time.