With its E3 press conference just four days away, Microsoft made sure today to clear up as much confusion over the Xbox One’s approach towards used games and the sharing of games before any representative ever stepped on stage at The Galen Center.
In a new post on Xbox Wire, the official Xbox newswire, Microsoft revealed that sharing games with friends and family will be possible even if those individuals want to play them on separate consoles. There are just a set of rules and procedures that need to be taken in order to do so.
The first manner of doing so on a separate console is to sign into one’s Xbox Live account on the device through the Xbox One’s cloud service. Once done, the cloud will recognize all games under gamers’ ownership and allow them to play those titles on that console. But the catch is that those games must be installed to the console first.
Microsoft then stated that just because titles are linked to Xbox Live accounts doesn’t limit access to anyone else playing on that account owner’s home console. According to the comany, all “friends and family, your guests and acquaintances get unlimited access to all of your games.”
Sharing games with family members is also welcome and encouraged according to the Xbox One’s policies. All accounts will have a “shared games” library that will allow for “up to ten members of your family” to play them.
When it comes to sharing the disc-based version of games or trading-in and reselling them, Microsoft has a different tune. These actions will be left up to the discretion of the games’ publishers and them alone. Microsoft then added that Microsoft Studios itself will allow for gamers to do all of this.
Should other publishers follow suit, the console maker will not charge any type of “platform fee” to retailers, publishers, or consumers for these transfers. Letting a friend borrow a disc-based game will also come without a fee, but it is a one-time deal, must be allowed by the publisher, and can only be given to those who have been on one’s friends’ list for over 30 days.
“Third party publishers may opt in or out of supporting game resale and may set up business terms or transfer fees with retailers,” read the post. “Microsoft does not receive any compensation as part of this. In addition, third party publishers can enable you to give games to friends.”
For companies like GameFly, their business will be unavailable for the Xbox One, at least initially. Microsoft revealed that at launch, the Xbox One will not support the renting of games, but is “exploring the possibilities with our partners.”
“As we move into this new generation of games and entertainment, from time to time, Microsoft may change its policies, terms, products and services to reflect modifications and improvements to our services, feedback from customers and our business partners or changes in our business priorities and business models or for other reasons,” stated the piece. “We may also cease to offer certain services or products for similar reasons.
“In the months ahead, we will continue to listen to your feedback as we meet with our partners in the ecosystem to bring additional detail about our policies.”
One other announcement from Microsoft unveiled that all games for the Xbox One will be available both at retail and digitally through Xbox Live on the same day.
The move to eliminate all of this confusion that has surrounded the new console since its reveal approximately two weeks ago is likely so Microsoft can avoid the floodgate of questions from all the media regarding the topics in Los Angeles next week. It will also allow for everyone — the company especially — to focus on other reveals regarding the Xbox One so to build hype for the device during Microsoft’s press event on Monday at 9 AM PST/12 PM EST.
How do you feel about these policies? Are they fair? Outrageous? Give us your thoughts in the comments.
How do I feel about these policies? Two words: Anti-consumer bullshit.
PS4 has my $, all they have to come out and say “We are not doing what Micro$oft is doing”, and low and behold I will be purchasing my first non TV Sony product since PS1.