Microsoft Xbox One Always On, Used Games, and Privacy Policies Clarified

Since the unveiling of the Microsoft Xbox One, a lot of rumors have surfaced and been dispelled from places other than Microsoft’s Xbox brass until now. Microsoft has finally let us know exactly what they except of the consumer when the Microsoft Xbox One is fully detailed at E3. The details are mainly on how used games will work, if you need an always on internet connection, and some of the privacy policies that will be in effect.

Microsoft Xbox One Always Online Connection

First let us go over the always online rumor. This started awhile ago with the rumor that the new Xbox One would be completely useless unless you had a constant broadband connection to feed it. The rumor was dispelled as it will not need an always on connection but without any details and the truth now is that it is somewhere in between. The Xbox One will require a connection every 24 hours. Microsoft is quoted on their website putting this,

“While a persistent connection is not required, Xbox One is designed to verify if system, application or game updates are needed and to see if you have acquired new games, or resold, traded in, or given your game to a friend. Games that are designed to take advantage of the cloud may require a connection.”

“With Xbox One you can game offline for up to 24 hours on your primary console, or one hour if you are logged on to a separate console accessing your library. Offline gaming is not possible after these prescribed times until you re-establish a connection, but you can still watch live TV and enjoy Blu-ray and DVD movies.”

So basically Microsoft wants to make sure they know everything going on with your Xbox One and made it able to accept a mobile connection just so you can connect and have them verify your account and system. Microsoft also gave us details on the recommended type of connection along with the verification of mobile connections.

“For an optimal experience, we recommend a broadband connection of 1.5Mbps. (For reference, the average global internet connection speed as measured recently by Akamai was 2.9 Mbps).  In areas where an Ethernet connection is not available, you can connect using mobile broadband.”

Now the question I have about this is they want a 1.5 Mbps yet if you can’t get an ethernet or broadband connection who is to say that you will be able to get that fast of a connection though a mobile device? What happens if you do not have a mobile device that can generate that connection much less pay for the tethering service that so many carriers atleast in the US charge extra for. They did go on to say that while you need to connect to Xbox Live once every 24 hours that you will be able to watch movies and use your TV service if you have it connected though the Xbox One.

Microsoft Xbox One Privacy Concerns

The next issue at hand is privacy. If you do happen to keep your Xbox One online all the time some people have brought up if the Kinect that will ship with all the consoles will also be on watching you all the time. Microsoft had to say this,

You are in control of what Kinect can see and hear. By design, you will determine how responsive and personalized your Xbox One is to you and your family during setup. The system will navigate you through key privacy options, like automatic or manual sign in, privacy settings, and clear notifications about how data is used. When Xbox One is on and you’re simply having a conversation in your living room, your conversation is not being recorded or uploaded.

You are in control of when Kinect sensing is On, Off or Paused. If you don’t want the Kinect sensor on while playing games or enjoying your entertainment, you can pause Kinect. To turn off your Xbox One, just say “Xbox Off.” When the system is off, it’s only listening for the single voice command — “Xbox On,” and you can even turn that feature off too. Some apps and games may require Kinect functionality to operate, so you’ll need to turn it back on for these experiences.

You are in control of your personal data. You can play games or enjoy applications that use data, such as videos, photos, facial expressions, heart rate and more, but this data will not leave your Xbox One without your explicit permission. Here are a few examples of potential future scenarios:

• A fitness game could measure heart rate data to provide you with improved feedback on your workout, allow you to track your progress, or even measure calories burned.
• A card game could allow you to bluff your virtual opponent using your facial expressions.

I personally did not think Microsoft would be trying to watch or collect data about me when I am casually sitting in front of my console but I guess it is a good thing to know that they have thought ahead to make sure everything is customization to keep the consumer happy about how the Xbox One is used and when and what it is recording for your entertainment experience.

Microsoft Xbox One Used Game Policy

Just as big of a concern as the always online connection is how used games will work with the Microsoft Xbox One. The short of it is that you will be able to do this but not just quite like it was the with Xbox 360, PS3, and other previous consoles. Microsoft has on their website this about it,

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.

This statement to me seems like only certain places you will be able to do this and the next person be able to use it. The days of selling to a friend, over craigslist, or eBay could be over. I’, sure the big retails such as Gamestop will be authorized to trade or buy back your games but it might be an extra step or not possible to sell to a stranger, this is something we have not got clarification on and just my opinion. Now having said that here is what Microsoft did say about the Xbox One and “sharing” games between friends and family.

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.

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.

Also just as a side note you will be able to buy games just like the Xbox 360 on launch as either disc based or digital download. I haven’t seen anything that says if you buy a game though Xbox Live if you will be able to trade it in or if it is like Steam and you own it forever.

While not everyone will be happy about this and personally the whole having to connect every 24 hours still seems a bit of overkill when all over the world you have places with no access to a fast mobile internet connection or a broadband based connection it needs to change. While I did not share the privacy concerns other had because I would just unplug the Kinect if I was that worried, its still nice they went ahead and addressed it. The last issue of used games is clearer but I think we still need more information if we are going to be able to accept it since currently it still seems vague. Hopefully when E3 rolls around soon we will get even more details about these things.

Let us know what you think of the Microsoft Xbox One and official word from Microsoft on these issues!

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