Xbox One: No Games DRM or "Always Online"


Recommended Posts

You have a bizarre view on what the family sharing option was

 

Family sharing would be for sharing with your family that you live with or live within close proximity of. Not for letting your cheapskate brothers and sisters potentially across the country get a free ride at your expense like the person i originally quoted was suggesting.

Your assumption that no used games would immediately translate into better prices is just as "dream worldly". But hey, keep on dreamin.

If you go back to the beginning of the conversation, you would realize I didn't assume that and specifically addressed that. Try again.

We're shortsighted? You'll be thanking us in 10 years time when you want to revisit one of your favourite Xbox One games & don't have to worry about the authentication servers being offline.

 

And again, like others have said, you haven't lost the ability to share. Xbox One's DRM would have stopped you. Now you can lend your games to as many people as you like, as often as you like.

 

Games will still probably be installed to the HDD, so discs will not be damaged & if people are too lazy to switch a disc then they have more pressing issues in their life quite frankly.

 

You know it's not the same and I know you're smarter than this.

 

#1 - that's extremely unlikely to ever happen.

#2 - you can't share in the same way.  Now the people you share with have to come and physically take your disc from you.  Family sharing was a fantastic feature that we now lost.  It's far less flexible now.

#3 - Switching a disc isn't a huge deal but it's nice not to be able to, and a necessity when you start talking about features like being able to play one game, suspend it while you switch to a second that you got an invite for, and then immediately resume the first after you're done.  Switching discs when you got game invites in the past used to lead to games having already started before you'd have it booted up.

If you want to get down to it, we just exchanged one batch of restrictions with another set of limitations.  Now I can't share my content if it's digital, I could before.  Now I can't access my whole library from any Xbox One just by logging in and downloading the game I feel like playing, I was going to be able to before.   Now we're back to being tied to a physical disc, now I have to swap discs back in when I want to play a different game unless all my games are digital but then I can't share/give them away to anyone either because they're digital and locked down like before.

 

More tradeoffs to gain something else.

 

Limitations lead to improvements, restrictions lead to revolt. Good choice of words btw.

  

Thanks for the endorsement in the sig. I want all ps4 fans to know so thanks for the help. Going into work to rip my boss a new one too.

First. This wasn't what I wanted it was what the people who can't see a bigger picture wanted who are the lesser of mankind.

Just because we didnt agree with what MS was  doing gives you no reason to insult others.. such an adult thing to do  :rolleyes:

It is sad that they removed these features - I was really looking forward to them. I wish they could have implemented an offline mode without those features and online mode with those features to cater to both sides.

Who knows they probably will sometime later. Feedback could make this happen.

Well at least we are no longer renting games  :rofl:  We can own them again

You never owned the games you "bought".  You owned cartridges and cds. You pay for a license when you "buy" the game. Read the terms of use that comes with games sometime. It's amazing how many people don't know that in this day and age. If you walk down the street and find a game in the trash, go home and play it, you are commiting copyright theft because you never paid for the license to play it under current laws.

I remember when Sony was championing Blu Ray at 50GB at the start of this gen, and especially when FF13 came out, Xbox fans were saying sit down, disc switching doesn't matter. Now the tables have turned eh?  :rofl:

I'm really struggling to understand why people are upset here. Is it just for the sake of fighting or because they have spent the past month defending a company which has the balls to own up to their mistakes & they don't.

 

You aren't losing rights, you're gaining them.

You aren't losing options how you use your console, they've increased.

 

So thanks to the whiners, I can no longer

- share my library with my family = Yes you can. Loan the disc to them.

- play my games with the disk, protecting the disk = Don't treat it like **** and you'll be fine. The original DRM policy made the physical media useless anyway.

- switch games instantly since disk is required = Much like Kinect games, changing games will require you to get off your ass. So sorry!

- play my games on any of my consoles without remembering to bring the disk. = How many consoles do you plan to drop $500 on and refer to answer #3.

- lend games to friends = See answer #1

- rent games digitally. = I doubt this would've made it far as its doing the same thing, which is costing a sale in the eyes of publishers as renting discs.

 

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

 

I'd love to have some hard figures on how many DRM apologists are also "connected" Facebook, social-type sheep :rolleyes: IMO, the previous policy would've resulted in tighter and tighter restrictions on use over time. Its all about incrementalism.

 

 

 

When will people like you understand that some people want the physical media only to install it(no need to download 20gb of data)? And it's not the fact that we can't handle switching the game disc(which is an old-fashion way of gaming), it's that fact that we need to have game discs nearby. I'm getting a strong feeling that you're single since you can't understand this. Having movies or games in the living room makes "the better half" whine about them until they're removed. Disc-less gaming, while being able to install from disc is the perfect solution.

 

And again, I'm sorry that all my family and friends don't live nearby so I could hand them the game disc. I must be stupid because I want family and friends to be able to play my games without me having to mail the disc, or even having to "accept/deny their request each time".

  

Thanks for the endorsement in the sig. I want all ps4 fans to know so thanks for the help. Going into work to rip my boss a new one too.

First. This wasn't what I wanted it was what the people who can't see a bigger picture wanted who are the lesser of mankind.

Getting some serious lulz out of you tonight. Your nick is spot on. Waiting for your to rage quit at any moment. :laugh:

  • Like 2

Family sharing would be for sharing with your family that you live with or live within close proximity of. Not for letting your cheapskate brothers and sisters potentially across the country get a free ride at your expense like the person i originally quoted was suggesting.

I was planning on sharing with my dad and brother, both of whom live in a different country to me. Now to share with them, i'd have to use the draconian method of sending discs. These changes do not benefit me and the only ones that seem satisfied are those whom had little intention of getting one anyway

  • Like 2

I'm really struggling to understand why people are upset here. Is it just for the sake of fighting or because they have spent the past month defending a company which has the balls to own up to their mistakes & they don't.

 

You aren't losing rights, you're gaining them.

You aren't losing options how you use your console, they've increased.

 

I'm against DRM but there are downsides to losing the DRM:

 

  1. Can't share games digitally with friends/family
  2. Need to keep game discs handy since disc games won't be tied to your Xbox Live profile anymore.  (Huge downside)

I'm really struggling to understand why people are upset here. Is it just for the sake of fighting or because they have spent the past month defending a company which has the balls to own up to their mistakes & they don't.

 

You aren't losing rights, you're gaining them.

You aren't losing options how you use your console, they've increased.

 

I feel like I've lost something. The family sharing was the most interesting thing I've seen so far from all the consoles.

I'm really struggling to understand why people are upset here. Is it just for the sake of fighting or because they have spent the past month defending a company which has the balls to own up to their mistakes & they don't.

 

You aren't losing rights, you're gaining them.

You aren't losing options how you use your console, they've increased.

 

Please tell me what rights I'm gaining, and how my options have increased.

  • Like 2

I was planning on sharing with my dad and brother, both of whom live in a different country to me. Now to share with them, i'd have to use the draconian method of sending discs. These changes do not benefit me and the only ones that seem satisfied are those whom had little intention of getting one anyway

 

If they do the same as PS3 digital DRM, at least one of your family can quite happily download and play your digital games. My GF plays all my digital games on her PS3 as my account is locally stored on her PS3 (and yes she can play the games under her account).

 

My point? Sharing digital already exists and is easy to implement without BS DRM.

Well I'm glad the drm storm has passed thanks to MS listening. Now as gamers, we can pick the console or consoles we want based on gaming content and features, not drm.

 

I liked the sound of digital download features like sharing my whole library with ten friends without having to send them a disc or even be there, but it was essential for MS to fix the drm issues related to disc content, especially the 24hr checks.

 

Now that they have fixed the drm issues, I hope they create a choice for those that want to buy digitally and have all the sharing features they mentioned. The features on the digital only side surpass even Steam, so it would be nice to see them pursue that. They can offer us a choice, so I'm released to see them do that.

 

I mean it really sucks when we have to avoid a console with good gaming content due to some bad policies.

 

Now we can all vote with our wallets to support the lack of such policies.

I remember when Sony was championing Blu Ray at 50GB at the start of this gen, and especially when FF13 came out, Xbox fans were saying sit down, disc switching doesn't matter. Now the tables have turned eh?  :rofl:

 

 

I remember that, and yes, Sony also won with Blu-Ray. But the disc switching you are referring to is in game disc switching. Not having to have the disc in the drive to play. I agree, in game disc switching is far worse than having to have the disc I the drive to play. Blu-Ray fixes that.

 

But that is a good point you make.

Please tell me what rights I'm gaining, and how my options have increased.

 

 

you get the right to continue to fund places like GameStop, and your options have increased as now if you lose your disc, you can buy another one. Yay!!!

I'm really struggling to understand why people are upset here. Is it just for the sake of fighting or because they have spent the past month defending a company which has the balls to own up to their mistakes & they don't.

 

You aren't losing rights, you're gaining them.

You aren't losing options how you use your console, they've increased.

A number of rights and options have been lost because of this decision and while some may have been gained a lot of people clearly feel that they're not as important as what has been lost.

I was planning on sharing with my dad and brother, both of whom live in a different country to me. Now to share with them, i'd have to use the draconian method of sending discs. These changes do not benefit me and the only ones that seem satisfied are those whom had little intention of getting one anyway

Cant they buy their own game?? Surely if they can afford the console they wouldnt have to rely on you for games.

I wonder how many people are like me - they simply don't care.

 

In my case, I'm not going to buy a console until its well into its life-cycle - the overall experience is better then; kinks have been worked out and the devs have got to grips with the hardware. I buy a console for games like Halo 4 and The Last of Us. Beautiful graphics, good gameplay, nice story (though TLoU>Halo, Naughty Dogs really did something magical with that story there). In other words I buy games that show the console at the peak of their abilities. 

 

I don't see how the XB1 will be affected in the long term. Sony survived the DRM rootkit scandal. MS survived the RROD. Sure, the echo chamber of hate will continue to reverberate to at least launch but in the long term I doubt anything will really affect overall console sales - PS3 caught up to the 360 after all. 

 

If MS continue to have PR disasters with the XB1 then things might change. But all that will really happen is that PR handlers will give Mattrick and co a shorter leash, MS will up their marketing budget to 1.1 billion and they'll double down on TV and exclusive games. Also their long term strategy won't change - they'll just implement the more controversial features more slowly and quitely and make a better job at showing the good stuff off. 

 

The whole DRM fiasco is just a short term thing that will pretty soon blow over. 

I just hope that they "reward" those who purchase digitally with the family sharing feature. I don't even care if my downloaded games need the 24hr check. I really liked that idea of shared library. Those of you who don't understand that benefit are just blind.

 

Now we have to wait for the next-next generation of video games for all online consoles. *sigh*...

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • Amazon Prime Day slashes Samsung's newest Galaxy Watch Ultra by 45 percent by Karthik Mudaliar Samsung’s flagship Android smartwatch has received one of its steepest Prime Day cuts. Amazon has dropped the 2025 Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra in Titanium Blue to $357.24, saving buyers around $292 from its $649.99 list price. That's a 45 percent discount (purchase link below). The 47mm Galaxy Watch Ultra uses a titanium casing and a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 480 x 480 and peak brightness of 3,000 nits. It includes LTE connectivity, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, NFC, and dual-frequency L1+L5 GPS for more accurate outdoor route tracking. The 2025 model has 64GB of storage, a 590mAh battery, sapphire crystal glass, 10ATM water resistance, IP68 protection, and MIL-STD-810H durability testing. Its health and fitness tools include heart rate monitoring, sleep coaching, Energy Score, Running Coach, body composition analysis, temperature sensing, and ECG support, where available. This model is best suited to Android users who regularly run, hike, cycle, or train outdoors and want cellular access without carrying a phone. The larger battery, rugged construction, bright display, and dedicated Quick Button also make it a stronger option than Samsung’s regular Galaxy Watch models for extended workouts and demanding environments. Grab the Titanium Blue Galaxy Watch Ultra before the Prime Day price resets: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) [Sold and Shipped by Amazon] Good to know This Amazon deal is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Google begins rolling out its post-Epic Play Store billing model next week by Karthik Mudaliar Google has confirmed that its redesigned Play Store billing and fee structure will take effect on June 30, 2026, in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Economic Area. The changes will let eligible developers offer their own payment systems or send users to an external website for purchases, while separating Google’s platform service fee from the cost of using Google Play Billing. The rollout puts concrete dates and detailed rate cards behind the broader Android policy overhaul Google announced in March. That announcement followed a proposed settlement with Epic Games intended to resolve their long-running disputes over app distribution and payments, although the U.S. portion of the agreement still requires court approval. Under the new billing choice program, developers selling digital content or services can display an alternative payment option alongside Google Play Billing. They may also direct users to their own websites to complete a purchase. Developers can use Google’s standard payment-choice screen or design one that complies with the company’s user-interface rules. Choosing another payment processor does not eliminate Google’s cut altogether. The company will continue charging a service fee for transactions associated with apps distributed through Google Play, regardless of whether payment is handled by Google, an alternative provider, or a developer’s website. Google argues that this fee covers the value and infrastructure provided by Android and the Play Store. For developers earning up to $1 million annually, the service fee will generally be 10 percent. That rate also applies to auto-renewing subscriptions. When Google Play Billing is used in the U.S., U.K., or EEA, Google will add a separate 5 percent billing fee, and developers processing payments elsewhere will not pay that additional charge. This means Google’s familiar flat 30 percent commission is disappearing, but developers will not necessarily see a dramatic reduction on every transaction. An in-app purchase from an existing user processed through Google Play Billing can still reach a combined 30 percent. The biggest savings are likely to come from subscriptions, smaller developers covered by the $1 million tier, and companies able to move customers to their own payment infrastructure. Google is also offering lower rates through its Apps Experience and revamped Games Level Up programs. Apps and games that satisfy the company’s requirements can qualify for 15 percent service fees on new-install transactions and 20 percent on existing-install transactions. The criteria include performance and reliability standards, support for additional Android device categories, and selected platform features. Those program rates are scheduled to become available in the initial markets and Australia on September 30. For consumers, the immediate effect will depend on whether developers adopt alternative payments and pass any savings on through lower prices. For developers, however, June 30 begins a more flexible but considerably more complicated Play Store economy in which distribution, billing, install dates, revenue thresholds, and program participation can each affect Google’s final cut. Google is also separately developing a Registered App Stores program designed to simplify the installation of qualifying third-party stores. That initiative is expected to arrive with a major Android release later in 2026 and will launch outside the U.S. first. Google says the rest of the world will receive the changes by September 30, 2027, although billing rates for markets outside the US, UK, and EEA have not yet been announced.
    • 38% off a super insane price is still an INSANE price.
    • 1TB Samsung T9 and Samsung 9100 PRO SSDs are now selling at great prices by Fiza Ali Amazon is now offering the 1TB variant of Samsung T9 and Samsung 9100 PRO SSD at great prices with limited-time 38% and 39% discounts, respectively, so you may want to check them out if you have been looking to upgrade your storage solution. The Samsung T9 connects via a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20Gbps) interface and delivers sequential read speeds of up to 2,000MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 1,950MB/s, making it suitable for transferring large files, backing up data, and handling high-resolution media content. When it comes to the security features, the SSD includes AES 256-bit hardware encryption to help protect sensitive data. Designed for portability, the drive is reportedly resistant to drops from heights of up to 3 metres. Furthermore, it operates within a temperature range of 0°C to 60°C and can be stored at temperatures between -40°C and 85°C. Samsung Magician Software is included for drive management, firmware updates, performance optimisation, and health monitoring. Finally, the T9 is certified to multiple international standards, including CE, FCC, UL, UKCA, and RoHS 2 compliance, and is backed by a five-year limited warranty as well. 1TB Samsung T9 SSD: $179.99 (Amazon US) - 38% off The Samsung 9100 PRO uses the M.2 2280 form factor and connects through a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface with NVMe 2.0 support. Built with Samsung V-NAND TLC flash memory, an in-house controller, and 1GB of low-power DDR4X cache memory, the 9100 PRO is engineered for high-performance computing and gaming workloads. Furthermore, the SSD delivers sequential read speeds of up to 14,700MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 13,300MB/s. Random performance is rated at up to 1,850,000 IOPS for reads and up to 2,600,000 IOPS for writes, depending on system hardware and configuration. The drive supports TRIM, S.M.A.R.T monitoring, automatic garbage collection, and device sleep mode to help maintain performance and efficiency over time. In terms of security features, it includes AES 256-bit encryption, TCG Opal support, and IEEE 1667 compliance. The 9100 PRO operates within a temperature range of 0°C to 70°C, is rated for 1.5 million hours MTBF, and can reportedly withstand shocks of up to 1,500G for 0.5 milliseconds. Finally, Samsung Magician Software is also included for firmware updates, performance monitoring, drive management, and optimisation. 1TB Samsung 9100 PRO SSD: $206.99 (Amazon US) - 39% off Alternatively, you can also check out other SSD deals here. Good to know This Amazon deal is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • First Post
      Tom Schmidt earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Month Later
      D0nn13 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Rookie
      +ChiefOfNeo went up a rank
      Rookie
    • One Year In
      Tom Schmidt earned a badge
      One Year In
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      463
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      177
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      124
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      81
    5. 5
      Xenon
      76
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!