In the wake of a nightmarish PR campaign, it looks like Microsoft has finally come to its senses and has completely reversed some of its controversial Xbox One policies. Let’s take a look.
- Xbox One owners no longer need to check in to the internet every 24 hours.
- They can play any disc based game while being completely offline.
- Trading, Sharing and lending of games will be similar to how it works on the Xbox 360.
- An internet connection is only required while the Xbox One is being set up. It’s a one time requirement.
- Xbox One would require the disc to remain in the tray in order for a game to be played. You can’t share downloaded games, so basically everything works exactly how it worked on the Xbox 360.
- Region Locking has been removed
Don Mattrick, president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business stated, “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“.
He further added, “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.”
After a public beat down at the hands of its main competitor during E3, it’s good to see that Microsoft has finally seen the light and has decided to do the right thing. It’s also good news for Indian gamers as now we have the option to import the Xbox One since it won’t be available here at launch. The console wars just got more interesting this gen.
For more on E3 2013, check out IVG’s coverage of E3