Microsoft Won’t Back Down On Used Games DRM Policy

Microsoft has been emphasising that it is listening to the community and its concerns about the Xbox One. Yet they have absolutely no intention of moving on their policies regarding the Xbox One’s used games, something that is going to make their image go from bad to worse.

The whole controversy with used games right now is that retailers have to pay an activation fee on them which they then pass on to customers with higher prices for used games. Furthermore as all used games are digital they have to be revoked from the original account holder to be re-allocated to the new account holder which means the Xbox One has a requirement to connect to the internet every 24 hours as a result of this need to revoke and reallocate.

On the other hand Sony’s used game policy is the same as we have on current generation consoles. That is you take your disc to the store and sell it, or you can easily lend it to your friends just by giving them the game.

Microsoft’s Phil Spencer told Game Informer that :

“We listen to the community and we will respond to where the business, the creators, and the gamers are going. But I don’t want to people to take that wrong. Our policy is our policy, and we’ve stated it”

In essence this means that game developers and businesses like the idea of the extra activation fee, so it stays irrelevant of what gamers think. Or put more bluntly Microsoft couldn’t care less what the consumers who will buy the consoles think, but they have still heard your concerns.

To me Microsoft have shot themselves in the foot because their attitude towards the people who are buying the consoles, aka the consumers, is terrible . While most people might of tolerated some rubbish thrown their way  from Microsoft just to maintain their Xbox account, I think Microsoft are driving a lot of people to the point of jumping ship to Sony’s PlayStation 4, even though that means leaving all your Xbox Live progress and game achievements consigned to the Xbox 360.

What do you think about the Xbox One used game saga?

Image courtesy of Microsoft