Update: The day-one patch Kotaku reported was clarified by Microsoft to include “some of the software that won’t be there,”…
Update: The day-one patch Kotaku reported was clarified by Microsoft to include “some of the software that won’t be there,” and that it wasn’t prompted by the DRM changes today. We’ve corrected the story below.
A day-one patch for the Xbox One will enable the offline mode Microsoft confirmed for the console today, backtracking on its originally announced digital rights management policies.
The patch will also include other software, Vice President of Xbox Live Marc Whitten told Kotaku.
Microsoft’s complete turn around on its digital rights management policies today for the Xbox One will require users to download a day-one patch.
In an interview with Kotaku, Whitten said, even though the console doesn’t release until November, a day-one patch will be required to enable the console’s offline mode.
The Xbox One will no longer require an Internet connection for offline games, and will not check for one every 24 hours, Microsoft announced earlier today.
The decision removes some of the Xbox One’s previously announced features. The family sharing plan, where users were said to be able to share games with nine other people is gone. Users will also no longer be able to play a game without the disc inside the system, meaning games can’t be downloaded from the cloud on someone else’s console.
Digital games can no longer be shared or sold.
On the upside, disc-based games can be traded and sold just as they are today with the Xbox 360. This leaves room for third-party publishers, like Electronic Arts and Activision, to include other restrictions.
Microsoft said the changes today were in response to community feedback.
The Xbox One will arrive this November for $499.
Source: Kotaku