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Oct 27, 2017
7,461
Is it true? I was talking with someone on an xbox series x video comment, and they said that you can't install a disc version of the game without completing the installation online.

I'm surprised this isn't being talked about more.šŸ¤· Can anyone else confirn?

Edit: Thanks to Oscar for answering, I have put his reply as a threadmark.
 
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Kazooie

Member
Jul 17, 2019
5,054
It is true for at least Xbox One games. We still do not have pure Xbox Series X physical release, so impossible to say for now. If this is also true for Series X exclusives, I will never buy an Xbox Series X.
 

DarthWalden

Prophet of Truth
The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
6,030
It's true for Xbox 360 and OG Xbox games.

The disc is literally just DRM which allows you to download and play the container file you download.
 

Mecha

Shinra Employee
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
2,479
Honduras
It is true for at least Xbox One games. We still do not have pure Xbox Series X physical release, so impossible to say for now. If this is also true for Series X exclusives, I will never buy an Xbox Series X.
Don't we have some non Smart Delivery XSX games already like CoD and NBA 2k21?
 

EagleClaw

Member
Dec 31, 2018
10,733
There is no one time DRM.

But it is true that you might need to download some series x files, but day one patches are a normal everywhere



EDIT:
What i meant to say:

There is no one time DRM.

But it is true that you might need to download some series x files.
I would also never play a game without day one patch. Sometimes even content is missing in games without day one patch or there are game breaking bugs that occur after investing several hours into the game.
So for me there is no difference.
 
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Azerth

Prophet of Truth - Chicken Chaser
Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,204
It is true for at least Xbox One games. We still do not have pure Xbox Series X physical release, so impossible to say for now. If this is also true for Series X exclusives, I will never buy an Xbox Series X.
Isnt the medium obly on xsx and pc
 

Lime Blockade

Member
Aug 4, 2018
417
It is true for at least Xbox One games. We still do not have pure Xbox Series X physical release, so impossible to say for now. If this is also true for Series X exclusives, I will never buy an Xbox Series X.
There's DMC V:SE which isn't smart delivery, but that had a day one update to add Ray Tracing.
 

Musubi

Unshakable Resolve - Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,671
It is true for at least Xbox One games. We still do not have pure Xbox Series X physical release, so impossible to say for now. If this is also true for Series X exclusives, I will never buy an Xbox Series X.

Was The Medium not a physical disc?
 

Kazooie

Member
Jul 17, 2019
5,054
There is no one time DRM.

But it is true that you might need to download some series x files, but day one patches are a normal everywhere
Day one patches are not the same. They are optional. I have plenty of Xbox One and Switch games with day one updates which I could play perfectly fine always offline.
 

Kazooie

Member
Jul 17, 2019
5,054

EagleClaw

Member
Dec 31, 2018
10,733
Day one patches are not the same. They are optional. I have plenty of Xbox One and Switch games with day one updates which I could play perfectly fine always offline.

Well, that is also true.

I'm not sure about switch, but i believe on xbox and playstation you have a huge list of games that wouldn't play completely fine without the day one patch, or might even miss content.

I would say for xbox or Playstation you need atleast internet for the day one patch, so not much changed with the series x if the series x files aren't on disc.

But there is no one time DRM, like using the disc one time.
The discs don't have their own identification code.
 
Oct 29, 2017
7,503
The support page says you can play games offline. It doesn't specifically say whether you can install a game from a disc offline.

Xbox Support


That would be news to me if you can't install a game from a disc when the console is offline (except for BC which was mentioned above), but I honestly don't know firsthand because my console has never not been online. Someone has got to know for sure. :)
 

Mrflood

Member
Oct 25, 2017
734
This came out a few times during launch. From what I remember, it needs to connect online to capture the latest conig file for each game. However the game can be installed from the disc.

Also, is this really a big deal? This isn't DRM but a necessity due to how the emulation works. The lack of discussion around this is because it's not an issue for most players.
 
OP
OP
Oct 27, 2017
7,461
This came out a few times during launch. From what I remember, it needs to connect online to capture the latest conig file for each game. However the game can be installed from the disc.

Also, is this really a big deal? This isn't DRM but a necessity due to how the emulation works. The lack of discussion around this is because it's not an issue for most players.
If Sony lets you install a disc offline without online necessity why not Microsoft?
 

Jiraiya

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,306
Well with PS5 you can install and play disc games offline without online needed. Not even patch needed.

Sony and Microsoft do it differently. You can see this in the BC is being handled. I do believe Microsoft's solution to this whole thing is more software based than Sony's.
 

Kazooie

Member
Jul 17, 2019
5,054
Also, is this really a big deal? This isn't DRM but a necessity due to how the emulation works. The lack of discussion around this is because it's not an issue for most players.
It is a full deal breaker. I have bought all Xbox systems. I won't buy an Xbox Series X if this also holds for Series X games. I want to be able to play my games completely independent of Xbox Live availability.
 
Oct 29, 2017
7,503
Also, is this really a big deal? This isn't DRM but a necessity due to how the emulation works. The lack of discussion around this is because it's not an issue for most players.

Sony and Microsoft do it differently. You can see this in the BC is being handled. I do believe Microsoft's solution to this whole thing is more software based than Sony's.

OP is asking about current gen disc games, not BC. (Right?)
 

Mrflood

Member
Oct 25, 2017
734
If Sony lets you install a disc offline without online necessity why not Microsoft?

MS is using emulation vs native hardware support. This. Requires every game to be "wrapped" into a container specific to that game. This wrapper contains the ideal configuration for seamless play. Or allows them to introduce things like resolution/fps boosts without the need for an official patch.

I believe they reason they simply weren't pre-installed was not to waste valuable HDD space. In the future, it would be cool if they allowed a one-time download for the wrappers.
 

hanshen

Member
Jun 24, 2018
3,879
Chicago, IL
I'm guessing that it is being talked more because most people on this forum with xbox series x have internet access.
Also I doubt many people wanted to play the version on the disc given how much modern games rely on day one patch to be playable.
 

Mrflood

Member
Oct 25, 2017
734
Sorry, I may have miss understood. I don't believe this is required for current gen games. (as long as you have the x/s disk)
 

G_Shumi

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,180
Cleveland, OH
I feel like we had this same thread a couple of weeks ago:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/what-the-hell-was-even-on-the-disk-physical-game-rant.387134/

Either way, I'm still gonna repost what I posted on there:

Xbox One and Xbox Series X check for the latest version/update of the game and either installs or downloads the game. If you're offline though, then the game will install from the discs, as it should normally do. All of the data is still on the discs, except for any updates and/or patches that have been released after the physical game was already shipped to stores.

Because MK11 (the topic was specifically about Mortal Kombat 11 in that thread) is downloading the latest version, and the next-gen version at that, it's just doing what it's programmed to do. That's what Xbox's Smart Delivery is all about.
 
OP
OP
Oct 27, 2017
7,461
I feel like we had this same thread a couple of weeks ago:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/what-the-hell-was-even-on-the-disk-physical-game-rant.387134/

Either way, I'm still gonna repost what I posted on there:

Xbox One and Xbox Series X check for the latest version/update of the game and either installs or downloads the game. If you're offline though, then the game will install from the discs, as it should normally do. All of the data is still on the discs, except for any updates and/or patches that have been released after the physical game was already shipped to stores.

Because MK11 (the topic was specifically about Mortal Kombat 11 in that thread) is downloading the latest version, and the next-gen version at that, it's just doing what it's programmed to do. That's what Xbox's Smart Delivery is all about.
If you see my first post why does it say that you still need to finish the installation online for xbox series x games? Not Bc games.
 

dlauv

Prophet of Truth - One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,515
Well with PS5 you can install and play disc games offline without online needed. Not even patch needed.
You can do this with X1 discs. It's how DF did their original Syndicate video. but not anything with smart delivery or 360 or x1 games.
 

iareharSon

Member
Oct 30, 2017
8,947
I'm actually not sure, since I've always been online in some capacity. What's your underlying point ultimately?
 

DarrenM

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,714
Most games have a day one patch now, so this is really a non issue for me. I can't see myself ever installing a game while offline, on either XSX/PS5. I'd want to have the latest version before I play.
 

sangreal

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,890
Doing something online, no matter how inconvenient or even stupid or wrong, doesn't make something DRM. This would be pointless from a DRM perspective
 

ghibli99

Member
Oct 27, 2017
17,903
I'm kinda at the point in my life where I feel like if there is ever a time where I still want to play a game that is on a system that requires authentication from servers that are no longer online (which means for something like Xbox being talked about here, won't be for a damn long time), that I probably didn't really want to play it in the first place. It's also hard to imagine outside of something catastrophic occurring in this world (in which case, why am I worried about games?) that I would be in a situation without internet. It's kinda like how I've become increasingly like that about older generation titles. I play and seek them out less and less as the years go by. I mean, I barely have enough time to play new(ish) releases, so the old stuff matters less to me. I definitely see the concern/worry, but I do wonder in actual practice, how much/little it will matter in the long run. This isn't an area I have much expertise in, so take this with a grain of salt.
 

Windu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,656
Xbox will install Xbox one and series x/s games offline like normal. Of course most games need patches these days. Original Xbox and Xbox 360 games don't run off the disc. The disc is just used for a license key and it grabs the files from the digital store, so those will need to be online to download and install.
 

Mrflood

Member
Oct 25, 2017
734
Multiple people have now indicated you can indeed install and play XSX games offline. (based in the DF tests)

Not sure what else you're looking for.