Xbox One Reportedly Won?t Charge Used-Games Fee

[Friggnchickn]

According to this story on gamerant.com quoting Polygon, Xbone won't be charging fees for used games. This kinda goes against some of the other reports we've heard.

Read the full story here: http://gamerant.com/xbox-one-used-games-controller-buttons/

 

[Pink Gregory]

This seems more likely than the other speculations I'm hearing, though I can imagine that some kind of online-authentication thing will still be needed.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

That seems a lot better, but then the question arises about why there was so much confusion over this at Microsoft? Why couldn't they give a straight answer before, and why are there so many conflicting reports?

 

[Friggnchickn]

That seems a lot better, but then the question arises about why there was so much confusion over this at Microsoft? Why couldn't they give a straight answer before, and why are there so many conflicting reports?

Their PR seems to be trying to copy Apples PR by holding back the details. Although instead of creating a positive hype around their product, it's created cynicism. Although that cynicism might not be everyones perception. If you like COD & NFL, it's the greatest console ever made!

 

[madwarper]

That seems a lot better, but then the question arises about why there was so much confusion over this at Microsoft? Why couldn't they give a straight answer before, and why are there so many conflicting reports?

There is the saying, "Any press is good press."

So, even if we're bashing their console, we're still talking about it.

 

[Zeh Don]

What Microsoft themselves have confirmed is that games must be installed onto the HDD - this is mandatory. After this, the disc is no longer needed. This casts quite a big "no way" onto this rumour.

If the disc is no longer needed, then I would be free to sell this disc to a company like EB Games (I'm Australian) at which point it would go into their collection of copies.
If the code doesn't update until it's resold and used by a new purchaser, then I could potentially hold onto my game for quite a while afterwards - granting me free access to the game, despite having sold it and used the value to buy a new game.

While this situation then might seem ok, it's also entirely unnecessary to then validate that content.
At current, if I lend my Xbox 360 game to my friend, I can't play it anyway because I no longer have the disc. If I re-sell the game, I can't play either. This rumored new system enables me to continue playing the game after I've sold it until someone else uses it.
Microsoft wouldn't make a new system that grants users this type of access, while requiring them to create 300,000 servers... to do absolutely nothing for them. Literally, Microsoft would see no benefit to this system of any kind.

So, no, don't believe it, sorry. The Always Online internet connection is there for a reason - used game codes, and requiring Microsoft Partners to "de-authenticate" codes creates the necessity, and creates a benefit for Microsoft in doing so: used game profits. This rumoured system does neither.

 

[Friggnchickn]

I think technically there is still a fee for trade-ins. It's M$'s percentage of pre-owned games sold at the authorised resellers which in turn increases the price of a pre-owned game. This system tracks the game. I can see the benefit of this to stop piracy tho.

Zeh Don - I thought the same thing about trading in a game & still being able to play it on my console until it's been sold. I'm betting the reseller will immediately scan the game which will tell M$'s cloud it's been traded in and then deactivate it from the console.

 

[Zeh Don]

...I'm betting the reseller will immediately scan the game which will tell M$'s cloud it's been traded in and then deactivate it from the console.

Oh I completely agree, but if that's the case then the link the OP provided cannot be right in any capacity. The Microsoft Partner MUST be the one who removes the code, otherwise the entire system falls down. And, if they're removing the code, then the pre-owned fee is back on the table - it just gets passed onto customers as apart of the cost of the game.

The end game of all of this is simple: used games are more expensive, individual sale is removed and Microsoft and Publishers take the lions share of the sale as a result. They've killed the second hand market.

 

[Ickorus]

Each Blu-Ray disc for an Xbox One game is embedded with an encryption code that?s read by the console. Xbox One installs a game, code-and-console information uploads to a Microsoft database, and the database checks in automatically from time to time to confirm that the game hasn?t exchanged hands.

When it does ? when a disk being installed is ?used? ? the game simply deauthenticates itself on the original owner?s console and conforms it to its new home.

From the explanation given it sounds like they could have done it which makes me think that they've just gone back on their plans due to the huge negative backlash.

Maybe I'm just being cynical but that's my thought.

 

[Gorrath]

Each Blu-Ray disc for an Xbox One game is embedded with an encryption code that?s read by the console. Xbox One installs a game, code-and-console information uploads to a Microsoft database, and the database checks in automatically from time to time to confirm that the game hasn?t exchanged hands.

When it does ? when a disk being installed is ?used? ? the game simply deauthenticates itself on the original owner?s console and conforms it to its new home.

From the explanation given it sounds like they could have done it which makes me think that they've just gone back on their plans due to the huge negative backlash.

Maybe I'm just being cynical but that's my thought.

I think you might be right about that. It's possible that the reason for the wildly different accounts on how this is all going to work stems from MS not even having fully decided yet how it's going to work. THey are leaving things vague enough so that no one can all them out on blatant flasehood, while also cultivating speculation and rumor. THis way they can see how we'll react to various announcements and adjust thei plan accordingly.

Either that or their incompetence at rumor control is staggering.

 

[Dragonbums]

That seems a lot better, but then the question arises about why there was so much confusion over this at Microsoft? Why couldn't they give a straight answer before, and why are there so many conflicting reports?

My guess was that they were absolutely going to do this. The guy who said it was someone who was obviously close to the Xbox One's development.
However after seeing the universal backlash against no BC along with the used game fiasco, they are opting to back track that particular feature.

 

[chozo_hybrid]

That seems a lot better, but then the question arises about why there was so much confusion over this at Microsoft? Why couldn't they give a straight answer before, and why are there so many conflicting reports?

My guess was that they were absolutely going to do this. The guy who said it was someone who was obviously close to the Xbox One's development.
However after seeing the universal backlash against no BC along with the used game fiasco, they are opting to back track that particular feature.

I'd agree with that, the whole situation stinks. When they saw how much people hated it, that's when the contradictions started.

 

[Mr.Mattress]

Each Blu-Ray disc for an Xbox One game is embedded with an encryption code that?s read by the console. Xbox One installs a game, code-and-console information uploads to a Microsoft database, and the database checks in automatically from time to time to confirm that the game hasn?t exchanged hands.

When it does ? when a disk being installed is ?used? ? the game simply deauthenticates itself on the original owner?s console and conforms it to its new home.

Oh gosh, from what I just read, it sounds like there can be no such thing as a Used Game on the Xbox at all!

It destroys the original game on the original account if the game and it's code are present on a different account entirely! No one's going to destroy their own game, unless they really don't like it. This isn't as bad as charging a person, but this is still pretty bad!

 

[Friggnchickn]

Each Blu-Ray disc for an Xbox One game is embedded with an encryption code that?s read by the console. Xbox One installs a game, code-and-console information uploads to a Microsoft database, and the database checks in automatically from time to time to confirm that the game hasn?t exchanged hands.

When it does ? when a disk being installed is ?used? ? the game simply deauthenticates itself on the original owner?s console and conforms it to its new home.

Oh gosh, from what I just read, it sounds like there can be no such thing as a Used Game on the Xbox at all!

It destroys the original game on the original account if the game and it's code are present on a different account entirely! No one's going to destroy their own game, unless they really don't like it. This isn't as bad as charging a person, but this is still pretty bad!

Giving us the option of deleting the game would make sense. I wouldn't want Aliens: Colonial marines to hang around on my HDD
If they automatically delete the save data then I would be pissed.

 

[Erttheking]

Wish Microsoft would just tell us yes or us.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Wish Microsoft would just tell us yes or us.

Like Nintendo did with the Wii U. They just said "no, we're not blocking used games"

 

[JayRPG]

Wish Microsoft would just tell us yes or us.

Like Nintendo did with the Wii U. They just said "no, we're not blocking used games"

Or like Sony said "no, we didn't even consider blocking used games"

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

I read something on Wired that seems to disprove a lot of rumors too but its a little vague. It also says the console doesn't need to check in every 24 and it says kinect is only needed for kinect things. Unless the console doesn't have a power button in which case, kinect would be the only thing to true it on (fucking ADD wired interviewer should have pressed for more details). They also said games would be tied to a console specific gold account and any account on the xbox can play a game. Its confusing because it also sounds like the disk has to be in the tray to play it even though its all installed on the box. Your article seems do indicate you can play the game without the disk so long as someone else hasn't played it. So you take a game to your friend's house and it deactivates the install on your home console and then reactivates it when you put it back in your xbox. I guess that's fine. Its not like its different from how we do it now

Here's the link to the wired article but its a few days old though: http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2013/05/phil-harrison-xbox-one/

Wish Microsoft would just tell us yes or us.

Like Nintendo did with the Wii U. They just said "no, we're not blocking used games"

So did Sony, but with caveat that can't stop publishers from using serial codes the first time you put in the game. At least they aren't helping publishers block used games