New Xbox is called Xbox One, airing live right now.

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I think you have to "Gift" it? Am I correct? Also, my understanding of Steam is that SP games function offline, and and games in general frequently cost less than sixty dollars.

If you've already installed a game, you cannot gift it. They've got a big FAQ thing up explaining how it works better than I could. Gifting and trading is a pretty big part of Steam though. My only problem with it is that in some cases, when special events are going on, you can end up with things you didnt know you had.... and it wont necessarily tell you this. I looked at my inventory earlier today to find there's a whole game in there I didnt know I even had. Definitely a surprise.

And before anyone jumps in with "HAH! You cant lend games to friends on Steam! That's an advantage the Xbox One has!", typically, the ability to lend games isnt even NEEDED. The prices are typically so absurdly low that in many cases it's easy to just outright buy multiple copies of something (and STILL be paying less than you would buying just ONE elsewhere), to give to friends if needed.... or even better (and more commonly) they'll often offer "multipacks" which is numerous copies of the game, usually 2 or 4, for a much discounted price, so that you have extras for friends. Generally this is done with multiplayer games.

.....not to mention it's a PC. Game loaning has NEVER been done on PC with most games (which means that PC gamers are generally used to it, unlike console gamers which are used to the opposite). Generally though it makes up for this by there being lots of good stuff that's either super-cheap or outright free. Honestly, I cant remember the last time I payed 50 or 60 for a single game on there, but I CAN remember lots of less-than-15-dollar ones that I got WAY more gameplay out of than their 60-dollar console counterparts.



.....there was something else related to this whole thing that I was going to mention, but now I cant remember what it was. Bah. I hate when that happens.

I did. Streaming services and digital versions of movies and music is way inferior quality-wise to the disc-based versions.
I don't see discs disappearing for at the very least another decade.

Microsoft decided to remove the obligation to connect every 24 hours.

http://kotaku.com/microsoft-is-removing-xbox-one-drm-514390310

http://www.redmondpie.com/microsoft-rev ... supported/

Not just that... they are fixing most places

I'm kind of sad to see this change happening. I was looking forward to the new features this would have brought. Here's a good bit describing what we're losing now:

Your game library won't be digital

Steam is awesome. It keeps games organized, creating a digital library of all of the PC games you've purchased, even if you picked them up via retail. When it was revealed that the Xbox One would be following with a similar system, we were so happy we felt like we were almost ready to abandon our ties to used games and being able to play games offline. Just put a game into your Xbox One, redeem a code, install it, and bam--it's in your system. Lose your copy of Halo 5? Your old Grand Theft Auto VI disc is scratched to hell? Whatever, just download it again. It's all digital. It's all in the cloud.

The idea that every game, digital or not, would be absorbed into a digital library is fantastic. And now it's gone. With the changes to the Xbox One's systems--namely the ones that allow used games and game rentals--it isn't as easy to tie a game to an account. Your digital games will still be digital, just as they are with the Xbox 360, but games you buy in the store will be locked onto the disc.

You can't share your library with 10 family members

Another benefit of the constant internet connection (and digital game library) was the ability to share games with up to 10 family members. While the details weren't laid out perfectly, the jist of it was that you'd have a list of other people that could essentially borrow a game at any time. If you had a copy of Call of Duty: Ghosts on your Xbox One but no one was playing it at the time, your cousin in Missouri could download and play it. And your uncle in Minnesota could be playing your copy of Ryse at the very same time. Sadly, this feature is being cut as well.

But... we actually don't understand why. Sure, your retail, disc-based games couldn't apply--they wouldn't be actively tied to your account--but what about your digital downloads? And why couldn't shared games work with 10 family members as long as they connect every 24 hours? There's always a chance Microsoft could add this back into the mix, but as of now, it's gone.

There's no gifting purchased games online

If you want to give an Xbox One game to a friend when the system comes out in November, you can just give an Xbox One game to a friend. Like, you'll be able to drive to their house, hand them a game, and then drive away. Easy, right? Well, it was going to be easier at one point. Originally, Microsoft was going to allow you to transfer your digital license to someone who has been on your friend list for 30 days. This essentially meant that you'd be able to trade games with friends online. There were limitations, of course, but it was a cool idea.

Thanks to the newly-lifted restrictions, this is no longer an option. Instead, the future is going to look a lot like the current-generation does. This is cool, but we liked seeing Microsoft take a step forward and embracing the digital future. Again, we see no reason why this couldn't still work for digital titles, since things bought through Xbox Live are tied to your account, but no matter--it's dead, for now.

The disc needs to be in the Xbox One even if you've installed game
The upside of needing to register and install every game you purchase at retail was the fact that, once it was registered and installed, you didn't need the disc anymore. You could throw it back in its box, toss it in a closet, and forget about it. It didn't need to be in the system--meaning the console would run quieter--and it didn't need to be checked in on ever again.

But now, because used games and stuff, you need to have the disc in at all times. Otherwise there's nothing to stop you from installing a game and then returning it, or giving it to a few friends so they can install it, too. It's a minor inconvenience, but an inconvenience nevertheless.

It makes cloud computing less attractive for developers

During the Xbox One's reveal, Microsoft made a big deal out of the fact that it's got 300,000 servers at the ready to help offload some resource-intensive processes normally crunched by console hardware. Granted, we were never really given any specifics as to how this will affect your games aside from "making them better," but it does free up resources, which could be put to use improving some aspect of a game.

Multiplayer games will undoubtedly still tap into Microsoft's cloud computing service, as will online applications such as Netflix or HBO Go, making for a smoother experience. But what about single-player games? With developers having no guarantee that Xbox One users have an internet connection, committing to the power of cloud computing might be a harder sell, as doing so would risk missing out on potential sales.

There's less potential for game price drops

When Microsoft announced that games would be tied to your Xbox Live account--not the physical disc--console gamers lamented the inevitable death of game rentals and trading. But PC gamers have lived in such an ecosystem for years, relying on license-based services such as Steam and Origin. While the downside of this system includes the very concerns many console gamers decried, the upswing is that it creates an environment in which game sales are frequent and substantial.

Now, we can't say with certainty that Microsoft's license-based plans would've led to cheaper prices for games, but it's not difficult to imagine the potential. Just look at Steam--every other week, there's a brand new game on sale for, say, $40. Because games will remain tied to physical copies, we'll likely see the current retail pricing strategies remain intact.

The end of days

There are, obviously, benefits to the Xbox's reversal. The system now supports game rentals, used game sales, and doesn't require an online check in. In other words, it's just like your Xbox 360, except with better graphics. If that's what you were fighting for, then you've won this battle--otherwise, this move might be a step back for the industry, no matter how bad it seemed at first.

As a PC user: Nope. We are used to cracking damaged games to repair them. If I buy myself a bicylce it is mine, and it is upon me who I want to borrow my bicycle. If I buy a game, and the developer damaged the game by purpose, then its ok for me to make it functioning again. Yes I know, that most developers, write something else into their policy to agree, but luckily I live in a country, where corrupt contracts are never binding, anyway how often you sign it. If the contract itself is against the law of my country, they can f**k off.

.....er.... that's not actually borrowing though. Or "repairing" for that matter. If I'm reading what you're saying properly.

"Borrowing" means that you have something, and you hand it to a friend, and for the duration of them having it, YOU do in fact NOT have it, until they give it back, at which point THEY do in fact NOT have it.

COPYING is a whole different story, and it does more damage than you might think. "Contract" or no. If you like a game, or a developer.... SUPPORT them by properly paying for the game. Because if people dont? That's what makes them shut down, as happens sometimes.

And really..... it's super freaking rare that PC games HAVE "horrible contracts" that interfere in any way, or features that interfere. That's not to say there ARENT any..... for example, anything that requires freaking Origin.... but still, it's pretty darn rare. I have 200+ games on my machine..... and MAYBE 4 of them have something obnoxious required that interferes. The other 196 dont.

What I mean is borrowing. Giving a personal friend of mine I personally know my physical Game CD, for him to install the game and play it, while I dont play it. During the last decade you have more and more PC games that dont let you do that, that want to steal your owners right by babbling nonsense into their policies like that I wouldnt have purchased the game, but only the right to use it and such nonsense. So as a PC-gamer you are used to inform yourself about cracking games or getting game keys, because of you buying a damaged CD that wont work as it should. Some of that games are even so dumb programmed, that if you buy a new PC you cant install your own game from the original PC anymore, because of their f*****g spyware reading out your hardware and IP and so knowing that the CD has been installed again on another PC and so refusing you to let you play with YOUR game YOU bought on YOUR PC.

If I buy a bicycle with a device that will destroy my bike, when I decide to borrow it to a friend then this is illegal s**t and I have every right to undo that and repair MY property, because the only one that has a right to decide what I want to do with my official bought property (not an illegal copy of it, but the original that I officially own) is me.