Let's Try That One More Time Microsoft

So, this week in gaming news with something that I hope should surprise no one, Microsoft just announced that they will be changing the DRM "features" for their newly announced next-gen console, the Xbox One. Let's find out why!

That last bit was sarcasm by the way. If you read my last post about it, or pretty much anything related to gaming news, you should have some knowledge on what Microsoft has done and why. Basically, the Xbox One was going to have to be connected to the Internet at least once a day and there was going to be a few hoops you had to jump through if you wanted to play a used or loaned game. Now though, that seems to have changed.

First off, the DRM features. Microsoft is now saying that those functionalities have been removed. What used to be a daily check in is now a one-time deal. Now there will be a one-time check-in when the system is first set up. This should give any majority offline players a sigh of relief. Now you don't have to worry about timing out on connection issues when you only wanted to play your single player RPG. Now, I'm just assuming but, I'm sure the system is going to try to connect whenever it knows it's online. It's going to have to if Microsoft keeps pushing their cloud gaming concept. Here's a more detailed look at just what exactly Microsoft is doing about this.

Second, is the used game policy. Microsoft has said that the policy for the Xbox One now looks more like it does for their current console, the Xbox 360. That is, you'll be able to trade-in, loan, and just generally re-use a game disc as many times as you feel like. How this will affect the One's family sharing feature or mandatory disc installment remains to be seen.

Now obviously, some issues still exist. The most prominent being the always-on Kinect device. But this, at least, is a step in the right direction. A big, giant, running jump in the right direction. It is actually surprising that Microsoft decided to make these changes. It's good to know that speaking out on the Internet can get actually get you somewhere these days. If you ask me if this changes my mind about buying an Xbox One, the answer is a resounding... maybe?