We’ve known all along that Xbox One’s ridiculous DRM and always-online1 requirement are completely insane. That became especially apparent after the epic pantsing delivered to Microsoft by Sony on the first day of E3 2013. But has the company finally realized its mistake? That’s the gist of a sensational change to Xbox One policies announced by the company just moments ago.

In an update to its infamous Xbox One clarification page, the company has announced the total reversal of the controversial always-online requirement, as well as the equally controversial bans on used games, and lending and trading between friends. Here is that statement in full:

Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.

For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come. As is our heritage with Xbox, we designed a system that could take full advantage of advances in technology in order to deliver a breakthrough in game play and entertainment. We imagined a new set of benefits such as easier roaming, family sharing, and new ways to try and buy games. We believe in the benefits of a connected, digital future.

Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One.

You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.

So, today I am announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360. Here is what that means:

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.

These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray.

We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.

Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you later this year.

Simply put, this is a spectacular victory for gamers, and for consumers generally. It is also a delicious cap to nearly 3 months of a peculiar marketing strategy that appeared to be based upon outright contempt for the consumer.

In early April, Microsoft Studios Creative Director Adam Orth incensed gamers by when he responded to people who objected to the requirement of a persistent Internet connection by crudely mocking rural residents, and by drawing false equivalence between gaming consoles and cellular phones. In the ensuing firestorm of criticism, Orth resigned from his position (almost certainly as an alternative to being fired outright), but the company’s subsequent behavior demonstrates that it hung him out to dry when, in fact, he was expressing something close to the party line.

Perhaps the most notorious example of the company’s consumer-focused misanthropy came the day after E3, when Microsoft President of the Interactive Entertainment Business Don Mattrick gave an interview to Geoff Keighley, during which he delivered this very smug response when asked about people who are simply unable to consistently connect to the internet: “Fortunately we have a product for people who aren’t able to get some form of connectivity, it’s called xbox 360″.

That he did this less than 24 hours after Sony’s reveal that PS4 would have none of Xbox One’s unpopular features and would be $100 cheaper made his comment seem especially clueless, and in the days after Microsoft essentially stopped talking to the press. Clearly, Sony’s positioning Playstation 4 as the anti-Xbox, along with increasing vitriolic criticism from observers outside of the gore gamer world, convinced Microsoft that they were making a terrible business decision. But perhaps the coup de grâce was an absolutely scathing editorial by the Navy Times, which called Xbox One “a sin against all service members”.

As our own Phil Hornshaw said on Twitter, “just remember that you are the vocal minority and it doesn’t matter what you think because CoD players.” Indeed.

Congratulations, gamers. You’ve earned yourselves a drink.

1) once every 24 hours is functionally always-online, no matter how you look at it.



Everyone seen this coming. Microsoft realized how much money they would lose.

too little too late.

at this point its a matter of making a point not to go microsoft.

besides, ps will still be 100 bucks cheaper.


my next console will no longer be xbox. boy i hope gt is as good as forza..

too late? like you already have a PS4?

also about making a point, this can be argued the other way too if people are willing to remember that Sony promised Linux for the PS3, delivered, then took it back. IMO it's better to backtrack prior to launch than after

I won't be getting an Xbone but for sure getting a ps4.

by too little too late i mean that they first fucked us, and then were like oops. we actually want to make money, so let us ignore that we fucked you.. and just pretend it didnt happen.


i dont remember ps ever fucking the end user as much as microsoft wanted to with the xbox one..

*waits for steam box; mumbles something about PC master race*

I hope steam box wont just be "The Big Picture" steam has already going in beta, just with a dedicated controller and box. lamesauce

Honestly you guys are just whining about a companys plans for future gaming. They "fucked over you or the consumer." Okay they had a plan that may have changed the future of gaming but they Actually fucking listened and changed it. And about "ignore the fact that we fucked up and pretend that it never happened?" They came out with a release saying they changed there mind. I honestly believe people are just complaining and bitching over things that dont matter. How many games do you actually share, how many computer games must you be connected online to play? How many console games do you play online with friends or solo? How many games do you digitally buy? How many titles are microsoft releasing on opening day? I say everyone that has signed off xbox because it was a"Direct fuck the consumer thing is retarded". Anyone who has ever play World of Warcraft fucking despised paying to play monthly. Oh then wait PS4 you now have to pay to play online( guess they fucked repeat customers, being a major selling point). People are such women when it comes to the software/gaming world and the battle between Microsoft and Sony.

Most everyone in this community has played games that you have to be online to play such as Diablo3, WoW, Guild wars, Wolf has single player in older games, and offline play with bots was an option or closed network games. You may not want to have to attach your console to the internet but how many of you people signing off Xbox have yours wirelessly connected or through a lan cable? Oh what about the ps3 wireless as well? Wii??? psp, your phone, your tablets? Honestly that argument is over and done with as of a long time ago.

As for used game, and online connection thse were bad ideas but jeez how many of you never have had a bad idea in your life? How many of you make a mistake and automatically find everyone who you affected and apologized? I personally dont like xbox for a few other things but most likely will still buy it. Thats me, and you guys holding grudges over things that will now never come to pass... grow the fuck up...

Im pretty sure you missed the whole point Jester. Went right over your head.

Every xbox has sucked. the xbone will be no different. When PS4 releases, the console world will belong to sony again, just like when the PS2 was out.

i dont see how every xbox has sucked but if this whole thing went over my head then ill step out of this convo.

my idea of the console wars:

ps2 vs. xbox --> ps2 big win
ps3 vs. xbox360 -> xbox win only cuz of price
ps4 vs. xbox1 -> ps4 win because of all of this.

guys....

everyone company exists to make money....

of course msoft changed course cuz they realized theyd lose money, if it were sony instead of msoft, they would have done the same thing

the gaming systems are for your pleasure, msoft and sony arent making these systems for the fuck of it cuz they want people to have fun, no, it brings them a good great deal of money, not rocket sciennce

Oh, i didnt know that businesses were suppose to make money.

The whole point is, Microsoft should have already known all of what they were doing with the xbox one was going to piss people off. The fact that they didn't and changed everything after their big E3 announcement ( you can hear boo's in the croud ) and the fact that after they made the announcement they stopped talking to the press. It means they are out of touch with the consumers.

Sony on the other hand have been listening to their consumers from the get go.

All companies are out for one thing: money. But to make one company stand out from others with generally the same merchandise will be the connection with consumers and how they market their product.

Just for an example: Nvidia will release their first handheld console with the price point of $349. Consumers said "$349 is too steep of a price, but I will pay $299 for it." So what did nvidia do? They dropped the price to $299


Microsoft is abunch of smelly buttholes.