XBox One’s startling step back towards sanity

Months after its initial announcement, Microsoft has finally stepped back from the brink.

In the aftermath of a lukewarm (at best) E3 reception, Microsoft’s President of Interactive Entertainment Business Don Mattrick announced the reversal of the embattled XBox One’s most onerous DRM features. No longer will consumers require a regular Internet connection to authenticate and access their purchased offline games. Also reversed was the former policy on used titles – games on physical discs will once again be free to trade, play, and sell or purchase used, just as they currently are on the XBox 360.

In other words:

We’re sorry!

The full list of changes confirmed is thus:

  • A one-time Internet connection upon initial setup is the only mandatory authentication for the XBox One.
  • The XBox One will have no regional limitations.
  • There will be no system-side limitation on playing, sharing, renting or selling used disc-based games.
  • Disc-based titles must be in the system tray during play.
  • Titles may be downloaded directly over XBox Live on the day of release.
  • Downloaded titles cannot be sold or shared.
  • Downloaded titles may be played online or offline, just like disc-based titles.

For the full press release, click here.

All in all, it makes for a remarkable backwards step in this day and age, and one of the most notable reversals in recent gaming history. All the same, it’s not a complete reversal – there’s no word about the always-on Kinect, and that feature may potentially run afoul of a proposed government privacy bill if recorded data is ever transmitted over the Internet.

Microsoft’s decision may assuage many customers alienated by some of the XBox One’s more unpopular features. Now it’s time to see how their gaming lineup works to attract them.