Microsoft Hints Xbox One Digital Sharing Could Return

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Microsoft Hints Xbox One Digital Sharing Could Return

Could digital sharing return?

 

by Luke Karmali

March 26, 2014

 

Microsoft has said its original digital vision for Xbox One has not been forgotten, hinting that elements of the digital sharing feature could return.

 

Speaking to Gamespot, Xbox chief Phil Spencer suggested that the company is looking at ways to reintroduce ways to let you gift and loan titles digitally.

 

"We believe in a digital future on our box," Spencer said. "I know when I say this I always get beat up, but I think some of what we were trying to say last summer was right.

 

?We understand what games you own and who you are and how you move around and who you might want to loan rights to your games or gift your games to. We totally believe in that future. And any other marketplace you play in, these kind of mechanisms are out there.

 

"We are now fully heads down on thinking about and building out the future of our digital marketplace to enable what people would expect, and hopefully some things that will delight them beyond their expectations."

 

When it was first announced, Microsoft had a number of controversial plans for Xbox One restricting the use of used games and requiring the console to be always online. Following a strong backlash, these were almost all reversed.

 

While it doesn't sound like the most-maligned elements will be returning any time soon, it does sound like Microsoft hasn't given up completely on its original vision for the console.

 

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/03/26/microsoft-hints-xbox-one-digital-sharing-could-return

[George P Global Moderator]

That'd be great, it'd add value to having Gold since I'm pretty sure this option would be only for gold members.

[spenser.d]

That'd be pretty excellent.  I also hope they bring back the whole disc=digital ideology.  I tried to do an "Xbox go to Forza Motorsport 5" command out of habit the other week and was met with the "insert disc" dialogue, forgetting that I own the physical copy of that game, unlike Titanfall and any other game I buy going forward.

[HawkMan]

They've basically been saying it since the change...

[Brendeth]

That'd be great, it'd add value to having Gold since I'm pretty sure this option would be only for gold members.

I think that is the best way to go about this, it really adds that extra incentive to help people get Gold.

 

 

They've basically been saying it since the change...

haha very true! Maybe they are just periodically checking to gauge consumer reaction and interest?

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Options, options, options. Anything forced on me or changing the way I already use/like it and I'll be trading in (a personal first if it comes to that).

 

If they can balance the plans they had, rejig them which doesn't have negative impacts on my gaming, great, go for it (Y)

[Brendeth]

Options, options, options. Anything forced on me or changing the way I already use/like it and I'll be trading in (a personal first if it comes to that).

 

If they can balance the plans they had, rejig them which doesn't have negative impacts on my gaming, great, go for it (Y)

Well I'm assuming that this new plan will only involve digital games, I don't think they'd risk bringing retail discs back into the mix...... just yet at least. With digital games we should be able to just transfer the license to a new owner, it's the borrowing that might make this tricky again.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Well I'm assuming that this new plan will only involve digital games, I don't think they'd risk bringing retail discs back into the mix...... just yet at least. With digital games we should be able to just transfer the license to a new owner, it's the borrowing that might make this tricky again.

 

As it should be, they don't need to touch retail discs, the games are already available to buy on the store - If it upsets anyone that discs can be purchased much cheaper than digitally, then that in itself is one of the main reasons we want discs left alone. Digital futures as they stand on consoles are overpriced.

 

Don't see any reason for MS not to go back to the drawing board and retry this, but it's going to be tough. Developers/Publishers managed to get Sony to drop the amount of PS3s your account and subsequent digital library can be played on from 5 to 2 because of "game sharing". So expect any kind of sharing to have red tape out of the wazoo, especially if it's system wide and not on a per-game basis. Most likely it will be based around only 1 person within the sharing circle being able to play the game at once (like a physical disc). Sony's activation limit of 5 allowed all 5 people to play at once - That's what devs/pubs don't like, it "eats away" at their potential to sell a copy to "5 people" versus only 1. At least when it's 1 person sharing at a time, if it's something like Call of Duty who's friends are going to play 1 at a time? Everyone wants to play together hence they need to buy their own copies.

 

Doing it like that though will inevitably bring about a phoning home requirement again, as how else would it know who's trying to play? When it works like the PS3 does the account is activated and that's it until it's deactivated, no online requirement ever - However you can't do that if you're only allowing one person to play at a time, hence something like a 24 hour check in/timebomb is needed. We'll see.... If it's tied strictly to digital sharing only, not discs, then I think a 24 hour check in is just going to be needed, no other way to do it, so people would have to accept that. And then those not caring about it can carry on playing their own games online/offline and not have any red tape. What ###### everyone off last E3 was MS trying to force the DRM/check in on everyone, when not everyone cares about sharing digitally. Falls back on that ethos of choice they've been getting hounded at for a while - "Kinect argument", etc.

[spacer]

Options, options, options. Anything forced on me or changing the way I already use/like it and I'll be trading in (a personal first if it comes to that).

 

If they can balance the plans they had, rejig them which doesn't have negative impacts on my gaming, great, go for it (Y)

I agree with you. If they can come up with an unobtrusive system and give us the best of both worlds without forcing it on us, that would fantastic. I still won't ever buy digital because of the whole "ownership" issue, but it would at least add value to that format for those that do use it.

[HawkMan]

As it should be, they don't need to touch retail discs, the games are already available to buy on the store - If it upsets anyone that discs can be purchased much cheaper than digitally, then that in itself is one of the main reasons we want discs left alone. Digital futures as they stand on consoles are overpriced.

Don't see any reason for MS not to go back to the drawing board and retry this, but it's going to be tough. Developers/Publishers managed to get Sony to drop the amount of PS3s your account and subsequent digital library can be played on from 5 to 2 because of "game sharing". So expect any kind of sharing to have red tape out of the wazoo, especially if it's system wide and not on a per-game basis. Most likely it will be based around only 1 person within the sharing circle being able to play the game at once (like a physical disc). Sony's activation limit of 5 allowed all 5 people to play at once - That's what devs/pubs don't like, it "eats away" at their potential to sell a copy to "5 people" versus only 1. At least when it's 1 person sharing at a time, if it's something like Call of Duty who's friends are going to play 1 at a time? Everyone wants to play together hence they need to buy their own copies.

Doing it like that though will inevitably bring about a phoning home requirement again, as how else would it know who's trying to play? When it works like the PS3 does the account is activated and that's it until it's deactivated, no online requirement ever - However you can't do that if you're only allowing one person to play at a time, hence something like a 24 hour check in/timebomb is needed. We'll see.... If it's tied strictly to digital sharing only, not discs, then I think a 24 hour check in is just going to be needed, no other way to do it, so people would have to accept that. And then those not caring about it can carry on playing their own games online/offline and not have any red tape. What ###### everyone off last E3 was MS trying to force the DRM/check in on everyone, when not everyone cares about sharing digitally. Falls back on that ethos of choice they've been getting hounded at for a while - "Kinect argument", etc.

You're forgetting that steam is already doing the same thing. As of right now their implementation is a bit crap, which is why despite being in the beta for it I haven't bothered to set it up with my GF's computers.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

You're forgetting that steam is already doing the same thing. As of right now their implementation is a bit crap, which is why despite being in the beta for it I haven't bothered to set it up with my GF's computers.

 

Not sure how Steam is doing it, but if it's something within the boundaries I posted I'm all for it. I'm not anti-digital sharing, I was anti-global DRM last year. As I said it sucks for people not interested in sharing to get caught up in DRM, so if MS can separate the DRM to only affect those participating in sharing fine by me.

[Showan]

I think Microsoft should have kept the original vision, and still have what we see now.  And when you first set up the One, you get to choose the "path" you want to take.

 

When you first hook up the Xbox One, Both options pop up on the screen, and the pro's and con's of each are displayed and you choose one.

[-T- Member]

I wish they'd bring back the ability to buy the disc and have it treated digitally. I never trade in games as the resellers as parasites, so I don't care about resale. I'd like that option as I love being able to switch games by voice command and I hate disks