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NEWS: Microsoft Runs Down Xbox One's Connectivity, Licensing, Privacy Features

Apollo-kun wrote:

Sony will continue to do what it does and do it well.

Only problem is that Sony never understood the business to begin with. They had nothing to do with the game that sold the PS1(FF7) and the PS2 was luck. The fact that the competition wasn't doing that well didn't hurt either.

These "features" look set to alienate and tick off certain parts of the X-Box video gaming base and seem quite short-sighted on Microsoft's part. It would cripple use of the used game and rental markets to acquire games depending on whatever restrictions Microsoft and game publishers set. The "daily mandatory connection" would be an issue for those don't frequently make use of Internet connections for their gaming consoles or have slow Internet connections. If MS is planning to run the X-Box One like this when it is released, then I can see them losing quite a bit of their customers because of how draconian their policies are.

Use of the Xbox One seems awfully complicated; there are a lot of if/then requirements. Remember when you just had to plug in a cartridge to play, and you could bring it to your friends house too? Shame we'll never get back to those days lol

Xbone is the worst console ever made. I don't know why they didn't just take out the disc drive and make the console digital only. It's complete BS.

Not that I was looking to buy one since I'm a PlayStation Guy and can't stand Microsoft's pay-gated services. But this is a whole new level of stupidity that I'm afraid that Microsoft is trying to force a paradigm shift in gaming.

Here's hoping Sony and Nintendo never follow MS's lead and Xbone crashes and burns and takes shitty big publishers like EA and Activision with them.

Why buy a console with the worst practices of DRM in a closed box when I can simply have a more open platform on the PC? There's no exclusive that Microsoft can show off that will make up for this anti-consumer behavior.

We obviously do not own the rights to the IP and content itself on the disc, DUH! But we sure as hell paid for the physical medium it's stored on and the right to access & play it on the device its made for and have every right to resell that! We are NOT reselling their IP and content which is ludicrous! We are reselling the physical disc we paid for along with the right to access the content stored on the disc as it was meant for.

And Microsoft is a willing shill for NSA spying as well! They've been caught with their pants down along with the Obama Administration and IRS for all the stupid inevitable repercussions of the Republican led Patriot Act, and now want to force Big Brother into your living room with Kinect. Yeah, like we trust Microsoft of all companies to look after our best interests. These are the same people who faked their entire UI presentation at the Xbone reveal. If your OS wasn't working as well as they hoped why didn't they just release a concept video instead of pretending on stage to show how 'fast' it was? This is the same company who denied the RROD fiasco until they could no longer and knowingly released the box onto the market place with those problems! This is the same company that charges you twice to access online gaming and Netflix, Hulu and Internet Explorer! Like hell you'll see any benefit in digital prices from them! There is no reason to buy this monstrosity unless you really really need to play the next Halo that much!

And if you really do, because you're a fan of Microsoft's IP, the best thing you ought to do is boycott Xbone so that it tanks and Microsoft finally relents and patches this insanity out of their box, and then buy it afterwards. Otherwise look forward to the restrictive nature of the world of digital only gaming without any of the benefits its advocates hope for. Grow a pair and stand up for yourselves. Don't prove Microsoft right for thinking you'll line up and buy anything they put out because they know a % of you are suckers. Because I guarantee you that if this is successful for Microsoft, you can bet the same practices will be carried over to all consoles and even inevitably to movies as well! After all, the consumers will have spoken, and said, "We don't care, we'll buy anything!" Good luck looking for or reselling rare anime DVD and Blu-Ray sets or Japanese games in the future if this is the case.

One other limitation not mentioned in this article is that individuals CANNOT resell or trade games. You can probably already tell from the list of conditions, but to be clear, you cannot sell used games yourself. It wouldn't work anyways since you need Microsoft's and the game publisher's permission to change its registration of who owns the game. Well, it's really who is the game licensed to.

...

Also not mentioned here is while the Kinect camera can be turned off (presumably only while the system is off), the Kinect must still be connected to the system to function:
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/21/xbox-one-will-not-function-without-kinect-attached

Therefore, you cannot physically prevent it from gathering data. It is only one hack or one government request away from having your privacy violated.

configspace wrote:

One other limitation not mentioned in this article is that individuals CANNOT resell or trade games. You can probably already tell from the list of conditions, but to be clear, you cannot sell used games yourself. It wouldn't work anyways since you need Microsoft's and the game publisher's permission to change its registration of who owns the game. Well, it's really who is the game licensed to. ... Also not mentioned here is while the Kinect camera can be turned off (presumably only while the system is off), the Kinect must still be connected to the system to function: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/21/xbox-one-will-not-function-without-kinect-attached Therefore, you cannot physically prevent it from gathering data. It is only one hack or one government request away from having your privacy violated.

That's the thing that really chaps me. No one will own a game now, you're just licensing the game. And before anyone points out how that's how it's been ever since the concept of the EULA came into existence, I wonder if this model is not one major network breakdown (a la the PSN fiasco of a couple years back) from no one owning any games. This time, rather than just being inconvenienced, when the box can't connect to the network for more than 24 hours, it won't let you play any of your games either. Buy one headache, get one free!

Given how Microsoft has basically done the government's bidding when it come to data collection and snooping, I can not fathom how anyone in their right mind would turn around and say "gee, let me put a camera and microphone that are constantly gathering data in my living room, but it's okay because they told me they won't share any of that data without my permission".

The other concern I'd have is that as the Xbox's operating system converges closer and closer to the Windows kernel, there are going to be the corresponding security issues encountered by everyone who has a PC running windows.

Steam has effectively stopped people 'owning' games on PC ever since it became big. If the network were to explode, allll my Steamgames would go up with it. Yet I still buy games on Steam because it's a convenient service.

Steam has effectively stopped people 'owning' games on PC ever since it became big. If the network were to explode, allll my Steamgames would go up with it. Yet I still buy games on Steam because it's a convenient service.