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Microsoft reverses controversial game licensing policies

arstechnica.com

41–50 of 152 posts

Re: Microsoft reverses controversial game licensing policies

#42
post #31

During this whole fiasco, I was trying to put myself into their shoes on what they were trying to achieve. On the outside, it looks like a great idea. The ability to share games with family. No longer you need to carry discs to your friends house. You can lend them games to strangers on the Internet without worry about losing it. You can have an organized catalog on the cloud, and never have to get up to pop the disc…

I believe it would be pretty simple. Keep the family sharing plan and the 24 hour check but only for digital purchases. If you have a disk based game than you wouldn't be able to share it but you also wouldn't be required to have the console connected every 24 hours.

Re: Microsoft reverses controversial game licensing policies

#43
>On the downside, there will be no digital "family" sharing as was previously announced, and disc-based games will require the disc to be in the tray to be played.

Nooooooooooooooooo. Please still allow me to opt in for digital downloads so I can finally stick the console somewhere where I don't have to see it, hear it or suffer it's heat wrath.

Re: Microsoft reverses controversial game licensing policies

#44
post #26

[deleted]

No, they looked at a problem and found an utterly despicable way of "solving" it. There is absolutely no technical reason why the terms had to be so anti-consumer. As long as the system has to phone home every time a game is bought or traded, that it enough to keep piracy at the same level it is now. It wasn't design by committee, it was design by greed. EDIT: Parent has deleted. Originally read: "This is too bad. Th…

>There is absolutely no technical reason why the terms had to be so anti-consumer

Yeah, actually, there are plenty.

Step 1: Buy XBONE game.

Step 2: Load it on your console.

Step 3: Loan it to hundreds of friends and they load it on their console.

And now hundreds of people are playing one copy of the game with no way of preventing them from doing so. It would make the "piracy" scene on day one, the worst of any console experience ever, ever.

So how are you going to prevent that without requiring online connections?

Re: Microsoft reverses controversial game licensing policies

#45
post #26

[deleted]

No, they looked at a problem and found an utterly despicable way of "solving" it. There is absolutely no technical reason why the terms had to be so anti-consumer. As long as the system has to phone home every time a game is bought or traded, that it enough to keep piracy at the same level it is now. It wasn't design by committee, it was design by greed. EDIT: Parent has deleted. Originally read: "This is too bad. Th…

Anti-consumer? The fact that you could share a game (either on a disc or a digital download) with your family members or the fact that you didn't need to deal with optical media?

This could've been a brilliant console had MS addressed the media a bit more cautiously. Pity that major players still aren't ready for an Online console, while upstarts like Ouya and others will be defining newer experiences that are more suited to the new digital paradigm.

Re: Microsoft reverses controversial game licensing policies

#46
I honestly don't see why they can't do it both ways. For people who buy game discs, let them share and play offline, but for those who choose to buy the DRM-enabled digital download version of the game, let them install it to the hard drive and play without a disc across consoles. It's all down to user preference anyway, why does it have to be one way or the other?

Re: Microsoft reverses controversial game licensing policies

#47
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You hit the nail on the head. This is nothing more than innovation being held back by the masses. Allowing customers to share their ENTIRE game library with up to 10 people is extremely generous but all people could see was the 24 hour online check. It's sad how even ignorance can spread so easily through a mob mentality.

You must admit, 24 hour online check was pretty bad. Also they said that they're removing region restriction on games, which is another thing that people (including myself) were complaining about.

I don't think that the 24 hour online check is/was necessarily a bad thing. In my opinion, it would push technology forward and bring the console industry up to par with the pc gaming industry.

On the other hand, I absolutely agree with you about the region restrictions!

Re: Microsoft reverses controversial game licensing policies

#49
post #26

[deleted]

No, they looked at a problem and found an utterly despicable way of "solving" it. There is absolutely no technical reason why the terms had to be so anti-consumer. As long as the system has to phone home every time a game is bought or traded, that it enough to keep piracy at the same level it is now. It wasn't design by committee, it was design by greed. EDIT: Parent has deleted. Originally read: "This is too bad. Th…

[deleted]

Re: Microsoft reverses controversial game licensing policies

#50
post #31

During this whole fiasco, I was trying to put myself into their shoes on what they were trying to achieve. On the outside, it looks like a great idea. The ability to share games with family. No longer you need to carry discs to your friends house. You can lend them games to strangers on the Internet without worry about losing it. You can have an organized catalog on the cloud, and never have to get up to pop the disc…

Deactivate on the first console before allowing sale?

But how does that work when you are trading in the physical disc at Gamestop and you still have the game stored on your console that is disconnected from the internet? Or if you were to sell it virtully, pop in the physical disc onto your first or second console that has been disconnected from the internet before the sale.
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