XBOX ONE and STEAM BOX

[Milla]

Just wondering why people get so worked up and angry at others over a games console

It's not just consoles. It's everything. People turn into evangelists for their own product choices. I have friends who have ongoing battles about Android vs iOS, Xbox vs Playstation, Windows vs OSX, Kindle vs Kobo/Reader/Nook, etc. As someone who doesn't really mind what other people use I don't take part, but there does seem to be a general urge to convert others to your own chosen product in people.

 

[SelimNiai]

http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/update

Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.

For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come. As is our heritage with Xbox, we designed a system that could take full advantage of advances in technology in order to deliver a breakthrough in game play and entertainment. We imagined a new set of benefits such as easier roaming, family sharing, and new ways to try and buy games. We believe in the benefits of a connected, digital future.

Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One.

You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.

So, today I am announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360. Here is what that means:

An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games – After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.

Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.

In addition to buying a disc from a retailer, you can also download games from Xbox Live on day of release. If you choose to download your games, you will be able to play them offline just like you do today. Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console -- there will be no regional restrictions.

These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded ***les cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray.

We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. 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. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.

Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you later this year.

As U-Turns go its a major one but a very good one for Xbox users.

 

[profitius]

http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/update

As U-Turns go its a major one but a very good one for Xbox users.

Major U turn alright. E3 turned out to be a PR disaster for them and no doubt they've been looking at the polls during the week but this will help sales.

 

[SelimNiai]

Major U turn alright. E3 turned out to be a PR disaster for them and no doubt they've been looking at the polls during the week but this will help sales.

Yep, I think the "I have a 360 but will buy a PS4 for the lack of DRM" group will now revert to being potential Xbox One owners.

 

[Draggs]

I bet 50 quid that they were going to do this all along.
How they can say that they listened to the fans, etc.

 

[dullonien]

I'm guessing that they were expecting Sony to do a similar thing, and tbh they might well have been until the poor reaction of the Xbox One. The PS4 E3 announcement seemed to be completely geared towards having the opposite stance of what MS had with the Xbox One, knowing that people would praise them for it.

I wondered how long it would take for MS to change their minds. It was an easy thing to do, and has potentially saved them a huge amount of lost sales.

All good for the end user.

 

[Larksea]

I think Sony may have in some way bluffed Microsoft into it. Sony patented some new software security/checking technologies/techniques aimed at locking software use down or countering piracy but have not actually enabled or used it for the PS4.

Xbox users can thank Sony for this MS back-down, if sony did do something similar initially then it would not have happened.

This at least will mean it wont be so much of a two horse race which is a good thing. But some damage has already been done I mean people would have already ordered the PS4 instead of the XO because of this and the fact the PS4 will be cheaper and more powerful should ensure it at least begins the next gen as the #1 console.

 

[admartian]

lol @ MS spinning this as "listening" as opposed to anything other than "caving in" or finally getting a reality check.

 

[profitius]

Valve has revealed the Steam operating system. They're going to make 2 more announcements this week which might include the steambox etc..



Valve Tackles Living Room Gaming With SteamOS

In the first of three announcements expected this week, Valve today revealed SteamOS, available soon as a free gaming OS for your living room.
"SteamOS combines the rock-solid architecture of Linux with a gaming experience built for the big screen," Valve said.
"As we've been working on bringing Steam to the living room, we've come to the conclusion that the environment best suited to delivering value to customers is an operating system built around Steam itself," the Valve website said.
SteamOS will be "available soon" as a free download, Valve said. The openness of the Linux platform will allow content creators to directly connect with consumers, and let users alter or replace any part of the software or hardware, it said.
Valve said a number of unnamed Linux-friendly game developers are already turning their attention to SteamOS, building new ***les to run on the system.
Valve also revealed new living-room-optimized features that will soon reach SteamOS and the Steam client, including in-home streaming. Just turn on an existing computer and run Steam as usual, and the SteamOS machine will automatically stream Windows- and Mac-based games over your home network.
Once connected, users can share their favorite ***les with family, each taking turns playing one another's games, while still saving individual game progress to the Steam cloud. But don't want Mom interfering with your first-person-shooter progress? Families will soon have more control over who has access to which ***les in the Steam library.
"SteamOS will continue to evolve," Valve said, "but will remain an environment designed to foster these kinds of innovation."
The company has been working to bring the PC to the living room for a year; Valve got a head start with the December release of Big Picture Mode for Steam, which utilizes a traditional video game controller instead of a keyboard and mouse.


http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2424738,00.asp

 

[profitius]

Valve has announced the steam box or steam machines as they call it. Hopefully it'll be a rival to xboxone and PS4.