Microsoft's Xbox One Game Licensing Detailed in Writing
To be clear... here is Microsoft's stance on game licensing:
Buy the way you want—disc or digital—on the same day: You’ll be able to buy disc-based games at traditional retailers or online through Xbox Live, on day of release. Discs will continue to be a great way to install your games quickly.
Access your entire games library from any Xbox One—no discs required: After signing in and installing, you can play any of your games from any Xbox One because a digital copy of your game is stored on your console and in the cloud. So, for example, while you are logged in at your friend’s house, you can play your games.
Share access to your games with everyone inside your home: Your friends and family, your guests and acquaintances get unlimited access to all of your games. Anyone can play your games on your console--regardless of whether you are logged in or their relationship to you.
Give your family access to your entire games library anytime, anywhere: Xbox One will enable new forms of access for families. Up to ten members of your family can log in and play from your shared games library on any Xbox One. Just like today, a family member can play your copy of Forza Motorsport at a friend’s house. Only now, they will see not just Forza, but all of your shared games. You can always play your games, and any one of your family members can be playing from your shared library at a given time.
Trade-in and resell your disc-based games: Today, some gamers choose to sell their old disc-based games back for cash and credit. We designed Xbox One so game publishers can enable you to trade in your games at participating retailers. Microsoft does not charge a platform fee to retailers, publishers, or consumers for enabling transfer of these games.
Give your games to friends: Xbox One is designed so game publishers can enable you to give your disc-based games to your friends. There are no fees charged as part of these transfers. There are two requirements: you can only give them to people who have been on your friends list for at least 30 days and each game can only be given once.
With PS4, you can lend one copy of your game to a single friend if you own one disk by handing it to them. You obviously cannot play it at the same time, since your friend has the disk. On Xbox One, a list of 10 of your friends or family members that you choose can play any of your games at any time. You lend them out digitally. All of you can play them at the same time, since no physical media is required.
I am not sharing my opinion about this, but will leave that up to you guys to decide. I am simply sharing the facts. There has been a great deal of misinformation around the Xbox One, although obviously that is Microsoft's own fault for not nailing this down sooner. Regardless, it appears that Microsoft is listening to consumers and is trying to find a better solution.
[Editorial comment:] This thread is an Xbox One thread, so I thought it was appropriate to share here. In this thread, there is no reason to make this about one console versus the other since both devices have their appeal to different people. Some folks will choose to purchase one or the other, or both, or none at all. That doesn't mean we must have a console war where we debate which one is the better device.
If any of you guys wish to debate that, we have a thread specifically for that, which you can find here: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/gaming-forum/244926-xbox-one-ps-4-a.html. Please do not derail the thread by arguing one console over the other in this thread. Thank you.
