Microsoft has rolled back a much-criticised requirement that its upcoming Xbox One gaming console be regularly connected to the internet and made clear that there will be no limitations on sharing games.
Microsoft has been criticised for vague statements about whether it will allow?Xbox?One buyers to play secondhand software. Gamers also expressed distaste for a requirement that the console be connected to the internet once every 24 hours.
Don Mattrick, president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment business, said in a blog post Wednesday that an internet connection?will no longer be required to play games on the?Xbox One after its initial setup, and users can share and play games like they have on the?Xbox 360.
Mattrick said the changes are in response to feedback Microsoft received since unveiling plans for the console in May.
"You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you," he wrote. "Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world."
In a shot aimed at Microsoft, rival Sony announced during last week's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles that its upcoming PlayStation 4 will not require a regular internet connection to work and that the company won't try to restrict used game sales.
Both consoles will go on sale later this year, the Xbox One at $599 and the PS4 at $549(these are australian prices).
When Microsoft finally announced its policies regarding Xbox One game-sharing, used game sales and connectivity requirements, gamers were not happy at all. While some people thought Microsoft?s new policies would help usher in the future of console gaming, a much more vocal group found them restrictive and anti-consumer. The?critics?were loud enough that Microsoft ultimately decided to reverse course and cancel all of its controversial plans. Was this the right move? Implications for the Xbox?s future aside, the short-term impact of Microsoft?s decision is already being felt: Just one day after Microsoft announced the removal of DRM and connectivity requirements, pre-sales of the Xbox One jumped ahead of Sony?s PlayStation 4 on Amazon.com.Since Microsoft and Sony each made their E3 announcements, preorders of both the standard edition PlayStation 4 and the launch bundle have topped Microsoft?s Xbox One on Amazon.com, as ranked by the site?s best-sellers list in the video games category. Now that Microsoft has announced that Xbox One consoles will not need to connect to the Internet once every 24 hours and that games can be shared or resold without restrictions, the Xbox One catapulted above both PS4 bundles and is now the top-selling item in Amazon?s video games category.
Microsoft?s Xbox One will launch this coming November for $499, which includes a limited edition controller and a Kinect sensor.
When Sony announced the PS4 price at E3 last week, the crowd went wild at the shockingly low $400 price tag. What about the PS4 release date, though? Unfortunately, Sony kept mum on that topic, and just stuck with the vague ?Q4 2013? timeframe. Meanwhile, European retailer Media Markt has now supposedly outed the launch date as November 13. Whoops!
This week, a member of NeoGAF posted a photo taken at an Amsterdam Media Markt revealing the release date. Even if this is based on legitimate information, the PS4 might have a staggered roll-out across the world with North America, Europe, and Asia receiving the consoles on different dates. As far as we know, other locations could even see the PS4 launch as early as October. As the battle between Sony and Microsoft heats up, it wouldn?t be surprising to see the PS4 launch as early as Sony can muster.
While the world gears up for next-gen consoles, Sony clearly plans on supporting the current generation for years to come. Kotaku is reporting that two new PS3 models, CECH-4205B and CECH-4205C, have just been filed for certification in South Korea. Don?t assume that means we?ll be seeing a price drop any time soon, though. Fergal Gara of Sony Computer Entertainment UK has gone on record as saying that ?The PlayStation 3 is a system where it hasn?t been particularly easy to get the costs down, and ?there?s no plans as yet? for a price drop.
The PS4 has been selling like hotcakes on Amazon, and now Sony Computer Entertainment of America CEO Jack Tretton is saying that there won?t be enough PS4s to meet demand. The perceived prestige of selling out all of your initial stock on launch day is just too alluring for major companies at this point. It?s unclear if the supply constraint worries are legitimate, or completely fabricated for PR purposes. If I had to guess, it might be a little bit of both ? a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy.
The PS4?s apparent pre-order success comes despite the move towards requiring a yearly $50 PlayStation Plus membership to play online multiplayer games. It?s true that the previously free multiplayer is now behind a pay wall, but the once-premium auto-updating feature will be available for all PS4 owners. As always, video services like Netflix and Hulu Plus won?t require PlayStation Plus either. At $10 less than Xbox Live Gold, this sure seems like a better deal for everyone.
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Source: http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/78937437.html
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