I don’t typically comment on things that haven’t been released, but the conversation surrounding the Xbox One (or Xbone, if you will) has become interesting, and the next few years of the gaming industry are starting to take shape, and not in a positive way. But before I get to the anti-consumer heart of the matter, there is one gamer reaction I want to address.
Upon hearing all of Microsoft’s anti-consumer plans for the Xbone, gamers are rushing to praise Sony and declare their allegiance to the next Playstation. Those horses need to be held, folks. Sony has not come down on the side of the consumer here. They have not ruled out the possibility of doing exactly what Microsoft is doing, or even worse. The only thing Sony has done is been more successful in keeping its plans secret. Don’t be so quick to crown Sony the king of the consumer - they may yet surprise you.
With that out of the way, let’s talk about the two smelly elephants in the Xbone room: always-on DRM and the restriction of used games, what they mean for the medium, and how we can put a stop to it.
