Xbox One: No Games DRM or "Always Online"

By BajiRav
in Xbox

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

BajiRav

Posted
Posted (edited)

via http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=596581

 

 

Microsoft is set to announce it will remove DRM restrictions on Xbox One games and the need for you to have the new Xbox "always online".

Sources tell whathifi.com that Microsoft is set to announce the changes later today, with games developers being informed first.

The Xbox One was announced last week at E3 alongside the new PS4, with Sony's new PlayStation drawing first blood thanks to the higher Xbox One price and apparent restrictions surrounding games and offline play.

Microsoft announced that users would need to connect the Xbox One to the internet once every 24 hours in order to keep playing. 

DRM (digital rights management) would also seemingly restrict you from sharing Xbox One games with friends or indeed selling them on second-hand. 

Sony was quick to capitalise, changing the PS4 launch to poke fun at the Xbox One's perceived restrictive nature and highlighting the fact that there would be no such issues aroud the PS4 (even if PS4 games publishers' can seemingly still choose to add DRM).

It seems Microsoft has listened and is set to change its mind on both DRM on Xbox One games and the always online requirement. 

More details as we get them.

 

I have not heard of whathifi.com until this thread. Take with a good amount of salt?

 

MOD Edit:

 

Now Official : http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/update

 

 

Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.

For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come. As is our heritage with Xbox, we designed a system that could take full advantage of advances in technology in order to deliver a breakthrough in game play and entertainment. We imagined a new set of benefits such as easier roaming, family sharing, and new ways to try and buy games. We believe in the benefits of a connected, digital future. 

 

 

Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One. 

You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.

So, today I am announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360. Here is what that means:

 

 

An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games ? After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.

 

Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today ? There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.

 

In addition to buying a disc from a retailer, you can also download games from Xbox Live on day of release. If you choose to download your games, you will be able to play them offline just like you do today. Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console -- there will be no regional restrictions. 

 

These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray. 
 

We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.
 

Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you later this year.

 

Edited by Andrew G.
Added official news confirmation
Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

Seems a bit early for this type of backtrack.

 

I don't think it's early at all. I mean to meet their launch they would have to start producing these machines in the next month or so. So they would want to have the modified software that would remove the need to call home in the launch code.

Grand Master

macrosslover

Posted
Posted

I must be the only one hoping in some way it's not true.  The only reason I say that is because I like the possibility of being able to share a game from my friend or family's library just like I normally would be able to if they gave me the disk. 

 

While I wouldn't be upset to see the "always-online" requirement go and some of the restrictions on used games go, I hope it doesn't cause them to take away what would have been a great feature IMO.

 

I personally never cared about trading in used games cause I buy my games to own but I could understand why a lot of people  would be upset with that.  As far as the internet requirement, I have no problem with that as well, but I can agree 24 hours is too short a time.  All that said I can't see how they can backtrack from this.  They've made their case that the console being always online and "cloud connected" means a better game experience for the gamer and developer since they can offload to the cloud.  Take that guarantee of connectivity away and I don't know what they have left.

  • ctrl_alt_delete, Coolicer, OrangesOfCourse and 2 others
  • Like 5
Grand Master

MikeChipshop Member

Posted
  • Member
Posted

I must be the only one hoping in some way it's not true.  The only reason I say that is because I like the possibility of being able to share a game from my friend or family's library just like I normally would be able to if they gave me the disk. 

 

While I wouldn't be upset to see the "always-online" requirement go and some of the restrictions on used games go, I hope it doesn't cause them to take away what would have been a great feature IMO.

 

I personally never cared about trading in used games cause I buy my games to own but I could understand why a lot of people  would be upset with that.  As far as the internet requirement, I have no problem with that as well, but I can agree 24 hours is too short a time.  All that said I can't see how they can backtrack from this.  They've made their case that the console being always online and "cloud connected" means a better game experience for the gamer and developer since they can offload to the cloud.  Take that guarantee of connectivity away and I don't know what they have left.

Absolutely this.

 

I highly doubt this has any bearing in reality, i'd imagine that they may be a bit more lax on the rules but to do away with them completely will go against everything they're trying to do and i hope they don't do this.

  • ctrl_alt_delete, +Chsoriano and StandingInAlley
  • Like 3
Grand Master

ahhell

Posted
Posted

I thinking that this isn't rumour.  The neogaf post is going bananas (1000+ comments in 30 mins).

 

There's speculation that the family share thing would only apply to downloaded titles.  I got not problems with that.

  • George P and JaredFrost
  • Like 2
Collaborator

Coolicer

Posted
Posted

The solution would be simple, although since I'm not aware of the software architecture of the 'DRM' used in Xbox One I can't say if it is easy to implement,

but the concept is.

 

The whole reason why there is a 24-hour checkin is to update your local licenses validity and update your licenses with your account on the Xbox Live Servers.

This is needed for the Xbox One to know which games you are still allowed to play, you might have sold a licence/game but because the Xbox One is now diskless

it would be still be able to play that sold/traded game. There were a few more cases I had thought up that would really need the checkin.

 

Basically in my mind I came to the conclusion that Xbox One has exactly the same DRM as Steam, now many instantly go in arms over this statement.

But it is very similar except for the daily checkin. Had Microsoft NOT allowed the transfer of licenses and the sharing of games, it would have been exactly as Steam,

which doesn't mean that consumers would gladly accept it. This is Microsoft not Lord Gaben's Valve, but I digress.

 

So what would be the solution you might ask? Offline mode, yes just like Steam has it. Basically it tells the console to make a connection with the Xbox Live servers,

tell them that your account AND Xbox One are going into offline mode (Autistic mode if you will, for those who have watched/read 'Ghost in the Shell'). This way the

Xbox Live account may not be retrieved online nor is it allowed to transfer licenses until the Xbox One and the account are flagged as online again and thus are

syncing their licenses.

 

Why am I writing all of this here? Because so far I hadn't found a place to write this down for atleast somebody to read and hopefully agree. But what I mean to tell here

is that if Microsoft were to "backtrack on DRM" I sincerely hope it would be by adding this functionality, and maybe relaxing the reselling of the game restrictions, the

developers fee is great keep that just not the 30 days+ friends and only one-time transfer per license. Because I really quite like the idea of no longer taking whole stacks

of Xbox cases or discs to a friend and sharing my games with my friends.

Grand Master

spacer

Posted
Posted

Apparently it might be real...the official Xbox blog added this to the Xbox One's requirements section. (from NeoGaf)

 

 

Update on June 19, 2013: As a result of feedback from the Xbox community, we have changed certain policies for Xbox One reflected in this blog. Some of this information is no longer accurate ? please check here for the latest.

Grand Master

firey

Posted
Posted

On Xbox.com it appears that it is potentially going to be confirmed...

 

Update on June 19, 2013: As a result of feedback from the Xbox community, we have changed certain policies for Xbox One reflected in this blog. Some of this information is no longer accurate ? please check here for the latest

http://news.xbox.com/2013/05/qa

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • The official Funny Pictures thread

      By Steven P. · Posted

    • Micron reveals AI companies are spending billions to lock up its memory years in advance

      By Karthik Mudaliar · Posted

      Micron reveals AI companies are spending billions to lock up its memory years in advance by Karthik Mudaliar The demand for more memory is far from over, and Micron is turning the AI-driven memory shortage into a much more predictable business. The company has revealed that it has signed 16 strategic supply agreements backed by roughly $22 billion in customer deposits and other financial commitments. The contracts cover DRAM and NAND deliveries over several years, with some running through 2030. With the AI boom, demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) has grown so quickly that large customers are now prepared to help finance future production in exchange for a guaranteed supply. According to Micron’s latest financial results, the company received commitments worth about $22 billion across its new agreements. Around $18 billion is expected to arrive as cash deposits, while the rest will come through other financial arrangements. Micron says the agreements could generate approximately $100 billion in future contracted obligations. They cover around 20% of its expected DRAM shipments and one-third of its NAND shipments during their respective terms. It should be noted that although AI infrastructure is the main force behind the current shortage, not all 16 agreements with Micron involve AI companies. Micron said the customers also include consumer electronics and automotive businesses, two sectors that increasingly compete with data centers for the same manufacturing capacity. HBM is consuming an increasing share of that supply. Unlike conventional desktop or server RAM, HBM stacks multiple memory dies vertically and places them close to an AI accelerator. This gives GPUs and other AI chips access to data at much higher speeds, but it also requires more complicated manufacturing and packaging. Micron says its 12-layer HBM4 memory is now shipping in high volume for a lead customer, with samples also supplied to other companies. The chipmaker has already generated more than $1 billion in HBM4 revenue and says the product is ramping twice as quickly as its earlier HBM3E generation. Samsung has similarly warned that the memory shortage could continue into 2027 and beyond. Consumer memory companies have also had to address sharp increases in DDR5 pricing, suggesting the effects are already reaching beyond the data center. For consumers, that could mean the AI memory crunch lasts longer than expected, even as manufacturers invest heavily in new production.
    • XnConvert 1.112

      By Copernic · Posted

      XnConvert 1.112 by Razvan Serea  XnConvert is a cross-platform batch image-converter and resizer with a powerful and ease of use experience. All common picture and graphics formats are supported (i.e. JPG, PNG, TIFF, GIF, Camera RAW, JPEG2000, WebP, OpenEXR) as well as supporting over 500 other image formats. Also available within the batch operations include rotating, adding of watermarks, adding of text along with many image-adjustment features such as brightness, shadows and more. Among the features included are: Batch adding of files and folders Support for drag and drop of files Batch rotating, cropping, resizing and more Adding of photo masks Preserving or removing image metadata in conversions Multipage image file support (i.e animated GIF, APNG, TIFF) Command line integration via NConvert Filters - such as 'Blur', 'Gaussian Blur', 'Emboss', "Sharpen' and much more Effects - such as 'Old camera' and much more Download: XnConvert 64-bit | Standalone | ~30.0 MB (Freeware) Download: XnConvert 32-bit | Standalone Links: XnConvert Website | Screenshot | Release Announcement Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Microsoft updates Visual Studio Code with chat cost tracking and multi-agent chats

      By zikalify · Posted

      Microsoft updates Visual Studio Code with chat cost tracking and multi-agent chats by Paul Hill Microsoft has just launched Visual Studio Code 1.126, its latest weekly release. This time, the company has focused on letting you see the total cost of chat sessions to spot expensive conversations; enabling multiple chats per session that run side-by-side in one agent host Copilot session; and letting you browse new folders safely in restricted mode. We have now reached the stage where free AI in IDEs is coming to an end. To help you keep track of your costs, VS Code now lets you see the entire cost of a chat session, rather than just individual turns. This should give you more transparency about which sessions consume the most credits, so you can better manage your usage over time and spend less. For those of you using the Agents window, you know it is possible to run and manage multiple agent sessions at once. In this update, a Copilot session started from an agent host can hold several chats at once. Explaining how this feature works, Microsoft writes: Finally, from this update forward, Microsoft will remove the pop-up when opening an untrusted folder. When you open a new folder now, it will automatically open in Restricted Mode. You will see a banner that lets you manage the trust level of the folder. Microsoft has made this change so that it’s easier to start inspecting code without giving it trust right away. If you have VS Code, you can check for updates within the app now to get this new version. Otherwise, you can download it from the Visual Studio Code website.
    • Anthropic accuses Alibaba of using 25,000 fake accounts to copy Claude's capabilities

      By Karthik Mudaliar · Posted

      Anthropic accuses Alibaba of using 25,000 fake accounts to copy Claude's capabilities by Karthik Mudaliar Anthropic has accused Alibaba of using nearly 25,000 fraudulent accounts to extract capabilities from Claude on a huge scale. According to a report from Reuters, Anthropic told US lawmakers that operators linked to Alibaba and the company’s Qwen AI team generated 28.8 million exchanges with Claude between April 22 and June 5, 2026. That is a lot of Claude conversations, but Anthropic says this was not ordinary chatbot use. The company believes the accounts were part of a coordinated effort to collect answers that could help train or improve rival AI systems. The alleged campaign reportedly focused on some of Claude’s most valuable skills, including software development, multi-step reasoning, and agentic tasks. In practical terms, that means getting an AI model to plan and complete work across several stages rather than simply answering a single question. This is called 'distillation,' where AI companies use outputs from a larger model to train a smaller and cheaper one. The smaller model learns to imitate useful parts of the more capable system without needing the same amount of computing power. The distillation process isn't automatically suspicious, but the problem comes when one company gathers another provider's outputs without permission and at an industrial scale. Also, this does not mean Alibaba obtained Claude’s source code, model weights, or original training data. Instead, Anthropic claims the accounts repeatedly asked Claude carefully designed questions and collected the answers. Those answers could then be used as training material for another model. Anthropic has made similar accusations against DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, and MiniMax earlier this year. As Neowin previously reported, Anthropic said those three companies collectively generated more than 16 million Claude exchanges through roughly 24,000 accounts. Anthropic says the new campaign produced almost twice as many exchanges in a matter of weeks. Anthropic reportedly told lawmakers that the campaign could help Chinese AI developers approach the capabilities of its Mythos Preview model. Mythos is focused on advanced cybersecurity work, including finding and exploiting complex software vulnerabilities. via Reuters | Photo via DepositPhotos.com

  • Recent Achievements

    • Rookie
      krychek57 went up a rank
      Rookie
    • Grand Master
      Jaybonaut went up a rank
      Grand Master
    • One Year In
      Philsl earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • First Post
      Tom Schmidt earned a badge
      First Post

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      441
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      175
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      134
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      79
    5. 5
      Xenon
      77
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!