Xbox One: No Games DRM or "Always Online"


Recommended Posts

The fact that you think it was the "cry babies" responsible for this is hilarious. I think you should watch the Sony conference again. People were cheering for a reason.

 

Playstation journalists, not "people", as in average joes. 

 

Journalists who refused to report on the whole aspect of the DRM and functions of it are the ones who lead this whole ridiculous crusade to start with. 

I think it's funny that people are blaming "us". If MS were so sure of their plan they wouldn't be making a drastic move like this. They've decided it's not the right way to progress either, so if you want to bitch, bitch at them.

 

No, I'm going to bitch at "you" about it.  You people complained loud enough and, unfortunately, got them to listen.  That's how the market works.  That's how business works.  You'd complain about them not listening to the consumer if they didn't do this, so you're just a hippocrate right now.

OT: hate to break it to you but, it's not.

I believe the start button is coming back in Windows 8.1 is it not? If yes, then that would be Microsoft listening to feedback as well.

They aren't doing it for the minority.

They're doing it to keep the majority.

I believe the start button is coming back in Windows 8.1 is it not? If yes, then that would be Microsoft listening to feedback as well.

They aren't doing it for the minority.

They're doing it to keep the majority.

button, not menu. 

Well, one thing is that the Xbox One will be around for another 7-8 years for sure before the next Xbox comes up.  I bet in 4-5 years they'll try to rework these ideas back into the system piece by piece.

Playstation journalists, not "people", as in average joes. 

 

Journalists who refused to report on the whole aspect of the DRM and functions of it are the ones who lead this whole ridiculous crusade to start with. 

 

You must not have been on the internet at all that night. "Normal people" all across the internet were cheering.

So thanks to the whiners, I can no longer

- share my library with my fanily

I can do this now. They can help themselves to my entire library. Crazy concept, they just pick it up off the shelf.

- play my games with the disk, protecting the disk

I assume you mean without? Just install it anyway, this means the disc doesn't get used.

- switch games instantly since disk is required

Its such a chore swapping discs.

- play my games on any of my consoles without remembering to bring the disk.

I guess youll just have to improve your memory. Try brain training.

- lend games to friends

Great news. You can now do this without restrictions.

- rent games digitally. 

You couldn't do this anyway.

 

Thank you guys. you're awesome for saving me from this freedom. /s

No problem. Some of us have the sense to think of whats best for the majority of consumers not just ourselves (Y).

Umm... all these things are still possible without DRM...

Has Microsoft actually confirmed those things or are you just throwing an assumption tantrum?

 

 

RTFA, yes it's confirmed. and no it's not possible without DRM, much like Netflix, spotify, Pandora etc. is not possible without DRM. 

Family sharing. RIP

I've got a feeling that some of these features (family sharing, fast switching, etc.) will be available for games you download but not for disc-based games. Steam-like digital distribution is the future and MS are unlikely to give up on it because of a few vocal fanboys on the internet who can't cope with change.

So thanks to the whiners, I can no longer

- share my library with my fanily

- play my games with the disk, protecting the disk

- switch games instantly since disk is required

- play my games on any of my consoles without remembering to bring the disk.

- lend games to friends

- rent games digitally. 

 

Thank you guys. you're awesome for saving me from this freedom. /s

 

Depending on the media type, you can do all but the last one

You need to now decide which type of media you wish to purchase your content on, digital or physical, both have pros and cons

But you get to decide which are more important to you.

I've got a feeling that some of these features (family sharing, fast switching, etc.) will be available for games you download but not for disc-based games. Steam-like digital distribution is the future and MS are unlikely to give up on it because of a few vocal fanboys on the internet who can't cope with change.

Fun fact: PS4's UI video shows all DD games being purchased and launched. So much for the draconian DRM in XB1. :S

lmao over a feature? You people are ridiculous. Guess no xbox one or ps4 since they basically the same right?  

 

Yeah no PS4 either, waste of time. The benefits that were gained from the restrictions, far outweighed some archaic attachment to physical media and saving a few dollars while being ripped off by GameStop or whatever they're called

  • Like 2

 

So thanks to the whiners, I can no longer

- share my library with my fanily

I can do this now. They can help themselves to my entire library. Crazy concept, they just pick it up off the shelf.

- play my games with the disk, protecting the disk

I assume you mean without? Just install it anyway, this means the disc doesn't get used.

- switch games instantly since disk is required

Its such a chore swapping discs.

- play my games on any of my consoles without remembering to bring the disk.

I guess youll just have to improve your memory. Try brain training.

- lend games to friends

Great news. You can now do this without restrictions.

- rent games digitally. 

You couldn't do this anyway.

 

Thank you guys. you're awesome for saving me from this freedom. /s

No problem. Some of us have the sense to think of whats best for the majority of consumers not just ourselves (Y).

 

Why would I want to run with my disk up and down the stairs, when I could have my entire libary working n both consoles here. and consoles elsewhere. and I could share my library with my family, including the ones living 2 hours away in Sweden. Andeven if I install the disk, I still need to take out the disk and have it in the console, as opposed to safe in a case on the shelf. not a chore. but sometimes I like to swap around games, untill I decide what to play. it's better not to require a disk, arguing that havign to insert a disk to change game is better is rather. ridiculous.

 

with their old system I could lend games digitally to my friends(not at launch but soon after), and they where implementing digital renting. way to keep up. 

My friend from within MS says this is in part due to the backlash from the community (they expected it), but mostly because of a request from the US Department of Defense that heard their troops in warzones were basically being shut out by the DRM.

 

Now all I hope is Family Sharing will return at some point for the digital games. I'm still going all digital next gen.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • Hello, Were you using a product or service from one of the companies affected by the Klue data breach?  See https://klue.com/blog/an-update-on-recent-klue-security-incident for the company's public statement.  That blog post does not list affected customer. From looking around at reports, I created this list: Gong HackerOne Huntress Insurity Jamf LastPass OneTrust Recorded Future ReliaQuest Salesforce Snyk Sprout Social Tanium It is likely there are other companies affected as well. Regards, Aryeh Goretsky  
    • SpaceX reportedly plans a Starlink mobile service for U.S. consumers by Karthik Mudaliar SpaceX reportedly wants to sell mobile phone plans directly to consumers in the United States as part of a wider expansion of Starlink. According to a report from the Financial Times, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell discussed the plan with investors during the company’s recent IPO roadshow. The company is also said to be considering building a terrestrial mobile network to complement Starlink’s satellite coverage. The plan is quite different from how Starlink currently operates in the U.S. mobile market. SpaceX already provides satellite connectivity for T-Mobile’s T-Satellite service, but T-Mobile remains responsible for the subscription, billing, and customer support. A Starlink-branded mobile service would give SpaceX control of the customer relationship instead. It could also turn the company from a partner of traditional mobile operators into a direct competitor. T-Mobile also began testing its Starlink-powered satellite service in early 2025. The beta was initially limited to text messaging and was also available to some AT&T and Verizon customers. The service has since expanded to support limited data access through selected apps, including WhatsApp, Google Maps, AccuWeather, and AllTrails. It is designed to provide a connection in areas where normal cell towers are unavailable, rather than replace a conventional mobile network. However, if SpaceX actually has a plan to serve nationwide, it needs to do more than just satellite networks and actually support on-ground operations. It can also partner up with existing carriers and become a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). With that said, SpaceX has already spent heavily to support its mobile ambitions. Just last year, the company agreed to acquire wireless spectrum licences from EchoStar in deals worth a combined $19.6 billion. EchoStar's spectrum includes AWS-4, H-Block, and AWS-3 frequencies that could be used for both satellite and terrestrial communications. According to a SpaceX securities filing, the Federal Communications Commission approved the transaction in May 2026, although it is not expected to close until late 2027. There's no official statement by SpaceX for now. Pricing, availability, and other details remain unknown. Source: Financial Times
    • We had no idea as kids how much time and energy it took to be an adult 😅
    • The Trump administration doesn't want you to use OpenAI's GPT-5.6 without its approval by David Uzondu Image via @realDonalTrump (X) As OpenAI prepares the release of its next model, GPT 5.6, the White House has instructed the company to limit the distribution of the software to a small group of government-approved partners instead of the general public, as it has done with previous releases. According to The Information, OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman sent an internal memo to staff on Thursday explaining that the federal government will approve access "customer by customer" during an initial preview phase. Altman noted in the communication that this restrictive rollout is "not [their] long-term model" for software deployment, and the company plans to work toward a "more sustainable" distribution method later. CNN said that both OpenAI and the Trump administration view the capabilities of GPT 5.6 on the same level as Anthropic's Mythos and that government officials intend to "collaborate with frontier AI labs to develop shared approaches for addressing the challenges of scaling this technology." The latest restriction comes just weeks after the US Commerce Department decided to restrict Fable, a version of Mythos with extra safety "guardrails" to prevent users from exploiting software vulnerabilities. Not long after the release, though, researchers at Amazon found a way to bypass these restrictions, prompting an aggressive response from federal authorities. The government ordered Anthropic to cut off access for non-US citizens located outside the US, non-US citizens living inside the US, and incredibly, even Anthropic's own foreign-born employees. Anthropic now appears to be building a workaround to resolve this compliance block with an update to its Privacy Policy that introduces a category called "Verification Data" to handle KYC and Digital IDs. This setup could mandate digital identity checks to filter users by nationality, requiring a government-issued ID and facial biometric data. Who knows? Maybe in the future, you would have to scan your US Passport or State ID to prove your citizenship before you are allowed to chat with Fable 5 (or any other model).
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      xvvxcvv earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      xvvxcvv earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Enthusiast
      Xonos went up a rank
      Enthusiast
    • Conversation Starter
      Admir earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • First Post
      The_Focal_Point earned a badge
      First Post
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      400
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      170
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      127
    4. 4
      neufuse
      69
    5. 5
      Xenon
      66
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!