Xbox One: No Games DRM or "Always Online"


Recommended Posts

"Xbox battlefield 4" and your playing

 

"Xbox battlefield 4" and your getting up to insert the disk, maybe its scratched by the friend you lent it to, maybe you cant find it, maybe you just want to be able to say the f**king command and it happens.

 

Also, now I don't have access to the game libraries of 10 friends without going to their house and borrowing the game, assuming they are ok lending games to friends (I'm not, its now worth the price I paid instead of being a means of distribution, without the disk working I cant play it any more - EVER!)

 

STUPID,

STUPID,

STUPID,

STUPID,

STUPID,

That's the one in a hundred thousand in the release countries. and that's estimating way high. a correct estimate and adjusting for the actual target audience would find this number even more ridiculous.

96% of statistics are made up on the spot.

So much to say but I'll probably come back to this topic in a couple of days once the heat dies down.

 

Thank **** they saw the light though. I mean seriously. I still think it's pretty disgusting how they are playing this off in a "heroic" manner, telling us how much they've listened. Actually, no, I think you were forced more than anything because someone higher up knew whoever made these decisions was in the wrong & the whole devision was ready for going down the toilet. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy they've changed their mind and reversed these policies. I thought it would take them a year at least before they did. The kind of message it sends out is still not positive. It shows they don't have faith in their decisions, they don't understand their market & their attention was only on trying to make as much money as possible.

 

You can't treat gaming like any other industry. This isn't the same audience for books/movies/tv and if you don't do what they want, you will sink. It's as simple as that. The whole smoke and mirrors they tried to do since the Reveal was a farce. Hiding behind the cloud features or how much more powerful the console can be because of it. Bull****. Nobody cares because you can't even get the basics right.

 

Right now I wouldn't trust Microsoft or Sony to add/remove some sort of DRM between now and launch, never mind what the future holds. It's clearly easy enough to remove, they've made that much evident, it's certainly easy enough to add back in.

 

The past month a lot of trust and love has been lost for the Xbox brand and boy do they have an uphill struggle on their hands to repair the damage. This will no doubt haunt them for years but it's probably necessary. Microsoft think they are untouchable right now in gaming & they can do no wrong. Their attitude (particularly over E3), was disgusting and the message they sent to gamers.

 

As it stands the Xbox One now has a fighting chance, but the PS4 is still objectively the better console. Better hardware, options, it's cheaper and it has the support of devs/indies. Microsoft still have a lot of work to do.

MS gives the whiners, who were never going to buy an xbone in the first place, what they want.

 

Damn, hardly anyone was going to buy an Xbox One in the first place then?  :rofl:

ahhell, on 19 Jun 2013 - 18:32, said:

MS gives the whiners, who were never going to buy an xbone in the first place, what they want.

This is very true. Some of the features that came about because of the always online functionality are what kind of got me a little excited. Now, I have to keep my disc in my tray, can't share my games with my family plan, can't lend games to people across the country, etc. What have they done?

  • Like 1

I always thought the phoning home every 24 hours was retarded. It was a big FU to people who didn't have internet or people who wanted to take their Xboxes with them where there was no internet..

 

No reason Microsoft can't give us those other features without phoning home. They just choose not to.

 

Now I know what it would have been like if Microsoft had listened and gave us back the start menu :D

  • Like 2

It looks like Microsoft is starting to think clearly again like with Windows 8.1 and now with the Xbox One. Good for Microsoft!

  • Like 2

Judging by the responses to this thread MS have given the PS4 fanboys what they wanted which is why the people who actually intended to buy an XB1 are complaining.

 

Nah, I pre-ordered the X1 on this news.

 

I can only hope they change the policy again, to add family sharing back in with digital distribution

Most people would expect the online requirements with digital distribution, the only problem was treating

physical media differently, while it sucks you'd have to download 3 to 25GB on the initial install, most people

who buy digital would be able to do this without an issue, and I believe you don't need to fully download to start

the game.

 

There is no reason they cannot do a good balance of both, and I expect we'll hear news at some point that they

plan on doing this, people just need to keep on their case about it, and they'll change the policy again.

So Microsoft gives the people what they want, and they still complain?

You missed the point that 'people' is everyone, and some agreed and other disagreed with the policies.

 

So your post, where you say MS 'gives 'people' what they want' is inherently stupid, as 'people' includes both sets of 'people'.

 

You do understand this don't you?

"Xbox battlefield 4" and your playing

 

"Xbox battlefield 4" and your getting up to insert the disk, maybe its scratched by the friend you lent it to, maybe you cant find it, maybe you just want to be able to say the f**king command and it happens.

 

Also, now I don't have access to the game libraries of 10 friends without going to their house and borrowing the game, assuming they are ok lending games to friends (I'm not, its now worth the price I paid instead of being a means of distribution, without the disk working I cant play it any more - EVER!)

 

STUPID,

STUPID,

STUPID,

STUPID,

STUPID,

Such a work out to get up from the couch.. the pain the pain..

Judging by the responses to this thread MS have given the PS4 fanboys what they wanted which is why the people who actually intended to buy an XB1 are complaining.

Pretty much.  I wanted one and now I don't.  I'll get it eventually, but it's no longer worth preordering.

"Xbox battlefield 4" and your playing

 

"Xbox battlefield 4" and your getting up to insert the disk, maybe its scratched by the friend you lent it to, maybe you cant find it, maybe you just want to be able to say the f**king command and it happens.

 

Also, now I don't have access to the game libraries of 10 friends without going to their house and borrowing the game, assuming they are ok lending games to friends (I'm not, its now worth the price I paid instead of being a means of distribution, without the disk working I cant play it any more - EVER!)

 

STUPID,

STUPID,

STUPID,

STUPID,

STUPID,

Can you point me to the official list of features that are now disabled?

 

Thanks.

The Xbox One does offer a lot of great features and now no DRM or online. I am still sticking with my long time console which is the PlayStation, mostly because of the exclusive games like Gran Turismo etc and my longtime love for it. Hopefully now Microsoft will go on the right track and give people what they want and do things right.

The only person I give a **** about is me. Other than that, it sort of ****es me off that welfare susan that lacks the internet is out there spending money on $500 game consoles in the first place.

 

What about minted Pete who lives in the country? He's got a diamond encrusted log cabin, but no ISP can be bothered cabling the countryside...

  • Like 2

Can you point me to the official list of features that are now disabled?

 

Thanks.

No, I cant be arsed to go to the main page of this site and look up the quote from a post on the main page. Its not that its a massive inconvenience for me to do it, but because you obviously cant be arsed so why the F**K should I?

I will say though, that confirmed is you have to have the disk in to play any disk game, and all digital games now cant be shared at all.

 across the country?? Why would you be worried about people across the country not able to afford a video game??

 

It's not that they can't afford it. Let's say ex. Assassin's Creed 3. What, 90%(?) play the single player only. Why would my brother, sister or friend want to buy they're own game to only play single player, instead of using my copy when I'm finished. And wouldn't they appreciate being able to loan it without needing to send the game disc with the mail? Family sharing would simplify this scenario. Instead of buying another AC3 copy, my brother could buy a new Battlefield game or something, which again I could borrow without sending the disc. It's EASIER.

 

I apologize that all my family and friends doesn't live in the same town.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • Screamer is 50% off on Steam, making it £24.99 here in the UK: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2814990/Screamer/ You might remember the series from the mid 90s / early 2000s, this new game is also by Milestone who created the older games.
    • U.S. partially reverses Anthropic AI ban for Mythos but keeps Fable 5 off the market by Karthik Mudaliar Anthropic says that the U.S. government has finally allowed it to restore Claude Mythos 5. But of course, there's a catch. The rollout is again for a limited set of U.S. organizations that operate and defend critical infrastructure. The company announced this in a post on X (formerly Twitter). This does not mean that Anthropic's latest frontier models are back to normal availability. Fable 5, which was a tuned version of Mythos 5 for public release, remains unavailable. Anthropic said that it is still working with the government to expand Mythos 5 access and make Fable 5 available again, but there's no timeline. Reports from Bloomberg and Reuters say that this decision actually came through a letter from the U.S. Commerce Department. According to Reuters, this would allow more than 100 companies and institutions access to Mythos 5. Reuters also reported that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s letter removes the need for export licenses for approved companies’ non-US citizen employees, as well as Anthropic’s own non-US citizen employees, while restrictions remain for organizations outside the approved list. Anthropic isn't alone with this kind of controlled rollout. OpenAI's newest model family, GPT 5.6, was announced just yesterday, but isn't available for everyone yet. In its announcement, OpenAI also said that access to these models is initially limited to a select group of trusted partners and organizations, with broader access planned later this year. Both of these cases show that frontier AI launches are no longer just ordinary product releases and more like slow and vetted deployments shaped heavily by the U.S. government.
    • Sol, Terra, Luna - aren't those the names of failed crypto coins? 🤣🤣🤣
    • Microsoft Weekly: 5 years of Windows 11, more support for Windows 10, and expensive Xbox by Taras Buria This week's news recap is here, with Microsoft giving Windows 10 one more year of support, Windows 11 getting new taskbar settings in preview updates, Steam Machine prices, higher XBOX prices, and many more. Quick links: Windows 10 and 11 Windows Insider Program Updates are available Reviews are in Gaming news Great deals to check Windows 11 and Windows 10 Here, we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And, of course, you may find a word or two about older versions. On June 24, 2026, Windows 11 turned five. The controversial operating system was released half a decade ago, and during these years, it received a fair share of criticism (such as poor Windows Search and its web results), which Microsoft is now actively addressing with regular preview updates that deliver missing, long-requested features. With Windows 12 nowhere to be seen on the horizon, it will be interesting to see if Windows 11 can stay on the market for as long as Windows 10 did. Speaking of Windows 10 and staying on the market, this week, Microsoft quietly prolonged the Extended Security Updates program for Windows 10, allowing users to get one more year of security updates if they do not want or cannot upgrade to Windows 11. Finally, Microsoft released this month's non-security update for Windows 11. KB5095093 arrived with a traditionally long list of new features, including point-in-time restore, new Windows Update settings, quieter Windows Widgets, new accessibility features, File Explorer updates and performance improvements, and more. Windows Insider Program Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week: Builds Canary Channel Build 29617.1000 and build 28120.2374 These builds bring new accessibility features, new Windows Update controls, audio improvements, and more. Dev Channel Build 26300.8758 This build includes redesigned taskbar settings, File Explorer improvements, and more. Beta Channel Build 26220.8754 and build 28020.2366 This small update fixes the OneDrive bug in File Explorer, tweaks system sounds in dark mode, and more. Updates are available This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties. If you use AI-powered browsing history search in Microsoft Edge, the company has bad news. A new update on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap revealed that Microsoft is discontinuing the feature. Despite using on-device models for natural search, some users found it creepy, claiming that Microsoft lacks trust in features like this. While the ability to find pages without using 100% precise words may sound cool, customers argued that it was nothing but another feature to bloat the browser with more AI. Good riddance? PowerToys received several updates this week. For one, Microsoft released version 0.100.1 with several improvements and bug fixes for the recently arrived version 0.100. A couple of days later, Microsoft dropped another update, this time fixing memory leaks in Command Palette Dock. In addition, the company is working on a new module that will make it easier to switch between windows within one application using the Alt + ` shortcut. The new module should make it to the stable release somewhere soon. Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting: New Ventoy update adds Windows 11's mandatory update support and more Microsoft updates Visual Studio Code with chat cost tracking and multi-agent chats Microsoft is building an AI datacenter that "uses less water than a fast food restaurant" Microsoft adds new AI study and teaching tools for free to Microsoft 365 Education Researchers claim Microsoft's quantum breakthrough is flawed by basic Python errors Microsoft is bringing a much-needed Recap app to Teams Microsoft's fast coding model, MAI-Code-1-Flash, comes to Copilot Business and Enterprise Here are the latest drivers and firmware updates released this week: AMD Radeon Software 26.6.2 with FSR 4.1 support for RDNA 3 graphics card. However, the driver contained a bug, which prevented installations on Windows 10 PCs. AMD fixed that with a quick hotfix update. Reviews are in Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week This week, Steven Parker published several reviews. He shared his experience with the Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe, a high-quality sound card with a headphone amp, low-latency communications, great build quality, and DSD256. However, it is on the pricier side of the spectrum, and it lacks EMI shielding. Check out the full review here. The second review is about the TerraMaster F4-425 Pro, an octa-core Intel NAS with a stand-out feature: built-in AI (OpenClaw). We also published a few Hands On reviews, which you can view below: We check out the SKG PS700 Neck Massager SKG Hand Massager with Heat OS500 hands on Hands-on with BOOX Tappy: cute little reading accessory Hands on with the ProtoArc EM25 affordable ergonomic mouse On the gaming side Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts, and more. If you plan to purchase a new Xbox, it's time to act now. This week, Microsoft announced yet another Xbox price increase. Starting August 1, 2026, all Xbox Series X|S models with 512 GB of storage will cost $100 more. As for the 1TB models, they are going up in price by a whopping $150. Finally, Microsoft is discontinuing the 2TB Xbox Series X. To make up for that, Microsoft announced a few programs to make its consoles more accessible. Those include BNPL, interest-free financing, pre-owned consoles, certified refurbished consoles, and more. Valve also shared some not-so-welcome news. The company has finally announced prices of the upcoming Steam Machine console, and if you plan to buy one, get ready to spend a whopping $1,049 on the 512GB configuration. The Steam Machine is now available for preorder, with shipments scheduled for June 29, 2026. Grand Theft Auto VI also received its official price tag. Rockstar Games announced that the long-anticipated game will launch at $79.99 for the base edition and $99.99 for the ultimate edition. The latter includes an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story." Those who preorder the game will get extra bonuses, including a Vintage Vice City Pack of cosmetic items as well as a free month of GTA+. NVIDIA announced new games for its GeForce NOW streaming service. Those include Dark Scrolls, SAND: Raiders of Sophie, Deer & Boy, EMPULSE, and more. Steam is running its annual Summer Sale, during which you can purchase plenty of various games with big discounts. It runs until July 9, so in case you missed it, you can still get some games at a lower price. Also, you can get two games for free in the Epic Games Store, plus more deals are available in this week's Weekend PC Game Deals issue. This link will take you to other issues of the Microsoft Weekly series. You can also support Neowin by registering for a free member account or subscribing for extra member benefits, along with an ad-free tier option.
    • Text extractor hasn't been working great on 0.99.1 but I am now updating to this version, hopefully it's better!
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Woland13 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Woland13 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Year In
      bernmeister earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Week One Done
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      502
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      226
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      156
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      75
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      71
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!