Microsoft Caves To Public Pressure Over Xbox One

By Mike Wheeler

Having recently announced to huge fanfare the release of the Xbox One gaming console, Microsoft has back tracked on two of the most controversial aspects of the device.

By Mike Wheeler

Having recently announced to huge fanfare the release of the Xbox One gaming console, Microsoft has back tracked on two of the most controversial aspects of the device.

The first Microsoft console to hit the stores after seven years, it drew complaints from fans because you had to have an internet connection to use it, and there would be no backward compatibility for your games – in other words games bought for your Xbox 360 wouldn’t work on it, so reselling and sharing games would be impossible, not to mention that publishers would slowly faze out 360 versions of games, leaving fans of that console in no man’s land.

Today Microsoft’s head of Interactive Entertainment Business announced a U-turn on his blog stating:

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. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One. So, today I am announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360. Here is what that means:

  • An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games – After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.
  • Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.

In other words, he is saying that they got it wrong and they have listened to the people that matter – consumers who buy their product.