(CNN) -- Reacting to "feedback from the Xbox
community," Microsoft is appearing to reverse course and change two key
components to policies for its new Xbox One video game console.
All disc-based games can
be played without ever connecting online, and the 24-hour connection
requirement has been dropped, according to an update to a May post concerning questions about the new device, due to be released this fall.
Additionally, there will
be no limitations to using and sharing games, Don Mattrick, president of
the Interactive Entertainment Business division, says in the post.
People will be able to share, trade or resell their games in the same
way they do for Xbox 360 games.
The changes indicate
Microsoft is having second thoughts about some of its future plans with
the Xbox One. The post read, "Update on June 19, 2013: As a result of
feedback from the Xbox community, we have changed certain policies for
Xbox One reflected in this blog. Some of this information is no longer
accurate."
The company has been
taking a public berating since it announced restrictions to used games
and their requirement for an Internet connection. Consumers have been
reacting with anger over the policies, but the tipping point may have
been when Jimmy Fallon, host of NBC's "Late Night," pointed out that
only the PlayStation 4 could freely play used games, which created more
confusion.
The flogging became worse
when Sony took to the stage at this year's Electronic Entertainment
Expo (E3) trade show and pointedly did not include such restrictions for
the new PlayStation 4. A YouTube video produced by Sony
made fun of the used-game restriction by showing how people could share
games on the PlayStation 4 -- by just handing them to another person.
The new Xbox One
used-games policy only affects disc-based games. Titles downloaded
through Xbox Live cannot be shared or resold. Also, disc-based games
must have the disc inside the console to play.
The changes being made
also affect its proposed family sharing policy. Since Microsoft is
allowing players to have the flexibility to use games offline, it will
not be launching its family sharing plan, which would have allowed up to
10 family members to log in and play games from anywhere.
However, Marc Whitten, chief product officer for Xbox, told CNN the company still believes very deeply in its digital vision.
"So much of what we've
built around our digital ecosystem still works," Whitten said. "It's
what we building in how you can use your games. Our online vision and
the Xbox One architecture really power the complete new experience in
how the Cloud changes everything and we're massively invested in this."
He also said the flexibility the company added for physical-disc play will not change for the life of the Xbox One.
Whitten said there are
no changes surrounding the addition of Kinect with the Xbox One. He said
the company believes the motion sensor/controller is critical to
building out the next generation experiences gamers are craving.
The Xbox One will cost
about $100 more than Sony's PlayStation 4 ($499 versus $399), but
officials at the Redmond, Washington-based company believe their console
will be worth the value.
"While we believe that
the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for
both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both
physical and digital content," Whitten wrote in the blog post. "We have
listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you
want the best of both worlds."
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