Microsoft took a lot of heat after E3 about the way the Xbox One would handle used games, and having the console check into Xbox Live once every 24 hours. This afternoon Microsoft has announced that they are changing some policies to the Xbox One. They have removed the requirement to connect to the internet to play offline games, and people will be able to buy, rent, trade, and sell disc based games, just like how it works on Xbox 360.
Don Mattrick, president of interactive entertainment business, posted the following information on the Xbox Wire blog this afternoon. These are the official changes for the Xbox One DRM policies.
- An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games – After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.
- Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.
- In addition to buying a disc from a retailer, you can also download games from Xbox Live on day of release. If you choose to download your games, you will be able to play them offline just like you do today. Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console — there will be no regional restrictions.
This does mean that the family sharing will not be active on Xbox One. The family sharing feature was going to allow up to 10 people, related or not, to share a digital games library, which was something that many people were interested in trying out.
This is a major reversal for Microsoft, and should do quite a bit to improve their image in the gaming community. Here is a link to the official statement from Microsoft.
