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So the Xbox Series X has one time DRM for disc based games? Even single player? [Answered at Threadmark]
- Thread starter Deleted member 17990
- Start date
If I recall it's this
- You MUST be online to finish Xbox Series setup. I don't think you can use the system without it ever going online at least once for initial setup.
- OG Xbox & 360 Games need online to download. They also need a one time check if you bring them over from a HDD.
- Games themselves are dependent on what's on the disc. Some Smart Delivery include a base of one of the games and you download the other, some only include part of the game. You can tell by which games say "internet required"
- If a full game is on the disc you can play it offline if all the game data is there.
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It's definitely less offline friendly than the PS5, but it's not any worse than what was already there on Xbox One barring the smart delivery which is just situation dependent (typically mostly relates to the size of the game).
You can absolutely install and play XB1/XSX games offline after the initial setup.
- You MUST be online to finish Xbox Series setup. I don't think you can use the system without it ever going online at least once for initial setup.
- OG Xbox & 360 Games need online to download. They also need a one time check if you bring them over from a HDD.
- Games themselves are dependent on what's on the disc. Some Smart Delivery include a base of one of the games and you download the other, some only include part of the game. You can tell by which games say "internet required"
- If a full game is on the disc you can play it offline if all the game data is there.
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It's definitely less offline friendly than the PS5, but it's not any worse than what was already there on Xbox One barring the smart delivery which is just situation dependent (typically mostly relates to the size of the game).
You can absolutely install and play XB1/XSX games offline after the initial setup.
Good point. That would seem to disprove the idea that you can't install a game offline.
I understand that. So let us assume that the Xbox Series X/S has to be online once for the initial installation of a backwards compatible or Xbox Series X/S game, so with that out the way, what takeaway do you want us to walk away with outside of that fact?
Not true. NBA2K21 and Overcooked All You Can Eat are both XSX discs.
You seem to have created a thread to get outraged about something that seems not to be true and has obviously never affected you.
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Sorry for asking a question about something that I was hoping to get an answer for.
I don't think this is true but we might need more testing, either way this doesn't really affect me tbh
Someone has posted the very answer you seek in the thread and you are ignoring it. You can install and play games made for the Series console without being online.
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Okay thanks! I'm curious since its an xbox one game it will probably require something due to emulation. Are there actually Xbox Series X disc games? Is The Medium on disc?
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I had no idea honestly not sure why people are complaining about the thread, feel free to ignore it or report to a mod.
Unplug your router, reset/reformat your Xbox, come back here with what you find (sneak preview: the console won't get past setup without an online check-in with Microsoft's servers, it'll be a brick without an internet connection).
It isn't the same technically, you are right.
I should have said:
"
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.
"
What does this have to do with the thread? Yes, Xbox Series requires an internet connection for initial setup. (no one is debating this point) That does not mean it requires the internet to install and play XSX disc based games.
For those that don't get the significance of that second tweet - if Microsoft ever turn off the activation servers for Xbox One or Xbox Series X you won't be able to do reformat or do any repairs. It's planned obselesance/deliberately denying people the right to repair.
So still 11 minutes to go to install Witcher 3 but the installation is past the "ready to start" point. If I try to start it now I get a message that says "This game isn't ready yet, go online to finish installing it" but the playing partially installed games might require online to do it. I'll update again once it's 100% installed.
Sorry for the delay but I have the answer to your question. I uninstalled DMC V:SE, went offline and restarted my console just to be sure. Put in the disc and installed it while in offline mode and it was able to launch without asking me to go online or anything. For transparency I'm not in any preview dashboards or anything and am using the latest public release for the Xbox Series X. I would like to test other games to make double sure but only have DMC V:SE which is the only physical Series X game that I have that isn't Smart Delivery.
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I can confirm that this is exactly what happens for all physical Xbox One games on Series X and received confirmation from my local Xbox PR rep that this is expected behaviour.
(To be clear, I got this confirmation near launch when we had a thread about this back then and the PR contact was my contact for the Series X review program)
Please stop spreading FUD. I understand the way Xbox handles setup may not work for everyone. But to start going on a rant that MS is going to start bricking old consoles...for reasons.... It just console wars garbage.
So what happens when a Switch game requires a firmware update? Or when a cartridge requires a massive download because the publisher didn't want to put all the game data on a cart? I feel like a number of issues with the console are glossed over here......and given how quick Nintendo has been to shut down online services, it probably shouldn't be.
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Actually not sure about switch updates, I think there's now an option to play without the update but not sure on that.
Facts ain't FUD. It's a fact that if Microsoft choose to turn off the servers then people won't be able to set up older consoles and it's a fact that online setup is completely unnecessary.
ResetEra loves the term anti-consumer but seems to not really understand what anti-consumer looks like.
Microsoft still has servers running on games like 20 years old I don't think that specific criticism is ever going to be an issue, especially with their bc stance. It still sucks for those users who need offline setup and activation or don't have steady internet access but the specific criticism about server activation is silly when they have the best track record in the industry for supporting older platforms online connectivity.
The FUD would be
I don't think that's their intent. If anything it's DRM.
That's not "fact". The "facts" are the MS would likely release a patch prior to shutting down any servers that would remove the requirement.... But that doesn't play into your MS is evil narrative....
Of all current consoles i am pretty sure the one maintaining BC back to the OG xbox is not the one you should fear doing that first
The only reason microsoft "would choose to turn off the activation servers" is if it ever gets bankrupt, in which your console probably wouldnt be worth much to hold on anyway. And if the online check is really unnecessary nothing stops them from releasing a patch before "turning off the servers" to not require them anymore.
Miyamoto coming to my home and smashing my switch would be pretty "anti-consumer" but the chances of that happening are on par with your scenario
Finished installing Witcher 3 and I still get the same " This game isn't ready yet, go online to finish installing it" message. Looks like you do need to go online at some point to actually be able to play games from disc (at least on Xbox One backwards compatible games)
Good on you for testing. That said, it's well known that all previous gen games require the internet to download an individual "wrapper" for the emulation.
As per the tests with Digital Foundry, Xbox series discs should not require online. **Smart Delivery may be an exception
I tested Witcher 3 because that's actually the last game I bought a physical disc for lol. So I'll be of no help trying Series X native games.
You could essentially say the same thing about Steam -- "Well if the DRM servers get shut down then you'll be completely locked out." But that assumes that Microsoft/Valve are just going to disappear without a trace, and not put in some kind of way to bypass the DRM or load necessary executable updates through a USB stick. I'm relatively sure that both companies are going to outlive all of us, and even if they don't they will probably hack out a way to keep your games running properly.
Answered by xbox dev
Xbox dev here.
Some very precise clarifications when installing various types of content from discs
- OG Xbox/Xbox 360. Need to be online to install as the disc is just a key that allows you to download the game and emulator (same as on Xbox One).
- Xbox One games. Need to be online one-time during install to download specific config files (separate from actual game patches).
- Smart Delivery games. Depends on how much is actually on the disc; if the X|S version is on the disc, then can install offline, but if it is a stub only, then the Smart Delivery portion is delivered as an upgrade patch. This does a hybrid install using bits from the disc and bits from Xbox Live.
- Native X|S games. Can install offline.
-Oscar
Some very precise clarifications when installing various types of content from discs
- OG Xbox/Xbox 360. Need to be online to install as the disc is just a key that allows you to download the game and emulator (same as on Xbox One).
- Xbox One games. Need to be online one-time during install to download specific config files (separate from actual game patches).
- Smart Delivery games. Depends on how much is actually on the disc; if the X|S version is on the disc, then can install offline, but if it is a stub only, then the Smart Delivery portion is delivered as an upgrade patch. This does a hybrid install using bits from the disc and bits from Xbox Live.
- Native X|S games. Can install offline.
-Oscar
In this distant future, which may not even happen this lifetime, when xbox one setup servers are disconnected, i wonder how many consumers will actually be impacted.
It'll only effect the handful of people who don't have newer systems to play their games on AND their old system loses its setup for some reason.
I think for a practice to be anti-consumer it has to actually negatively impact a significant number of consumers.
Compared to Nintendo and Sony who don't require online setup, Microsoft's server-based backwards compatibility policy has proven to be more friendly with regards to how consumers actually engage with legacy software these days. Most consumers don't keep their old consoles around forever, but would be delighted if all of their old software worked on their new consoles.
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I think you misunderstand of how discs work on other platforms. Xbox is the outlier here.
I have 20 years worth of my favorite games of all time on discs, they can all be played and finished without ever requiring permission from a server, nor download anything, nor creating any account, or hoping the service still exists. I put the disc in, and play. In another 20 years, if my console breaks, I can just buy another one used, put a disc in, and play. That's how discs always worked for all my platforms, and it still does today. Including all forms of BC across PS1/2/3/4/5, GC/Wii/WiiU. My PC isn't like that, but piracy is simple on PC so I don't need discs.
It's not a big deal, since it doesn't impact most people, but it does add fuel to the fire when discussing game preservation.
Thank you for the clarity.
This would have probably bother me ...10 year ago. But seeing how 100% of my habits have migrated to have online dependencies, and seeing the value of this approach (we are getting an improved experience with that online connection, in the form of improved games with patches, improved performance system-wide, etc.) I have come to accept it as the new normal.
Thank you. This puts Xbox Series X very much on the table again for me.
Thank you, too!
How is that likely? When MS shuts down the online service for Xbox Series X, that would be well past the product life cycle and therefore there would be no reason for MS to invest the extra work to patch this out. Similar for Valve: If they shut down Steam, it's probably because they do not want (or cannot) continue that business. They will not invest money into something that offers them nothing in return just to make some former customers happy. That being said, Oscar and Lime have luckily confirmed that for XSX specific games, there is no reason to worry :).
No word about needed day one patches?
I have the feeling those happen more and more these days.
It was one of the reasons that i gave up on game discs and gone digital, ok also because it is kinda more convenient.
I think the only preservation is to have the updated game on a harddisk.
The only question is, what will i do with those games if the to harddisk linked console dies?
No clue how that problem can be solved without opening the doors for piracy.
The way I understand it, is for the "Xbox" discs, they only actually include the Xbox One info on the disc. You have to download the Series specific assets/version, and that requires an internet connection. You can still install and play games offline, but they'll only be the Xbox One version, not the Series S/X. This won't be a problem when Xbox One stops getting supported.
So on Xbox I don't believe you can currently install almost any disc based game with out a network connection because of the way BC and Smart Delivery work. Nearly everything coming to Series X on disc is an Xbox One title that can be upgraded to a Series X version.
I think as pointed out earlier in this thread DMCVSE may be the only Series X native title available on disc right now? Either way, Sony seems to be handling this differently. That's why stores like BestBuy carry a Xbox One/Series S|X version, a PS4 version and a PS5 version of games like Hitman 3. That said, I think the similarity in Sony and MS's approaches is I'm pretty sure if you stick a PS4 disc of Hitman 3 in a PS5 you would not be able to install the PS5 version of the game without a internet connection though where they diverge again is you would be able to install the PS4 version on a PS5 without an internet connection.
I think as pointed out earlier in this thread DMCVSE may be the only Series X native title available on disc right now? Either way, Sony seems to be handling this differently. That's why stores like BestBuy carry a Xbox One/Series S|X version, a PS4 version and a PS5 version of games like Hitman 3. That said, I think the similarity in Sony and MS's approaches is I'm pretty sure if you stick a PS4 disc of Hitman 3 in a PS5 you would not be able to install the PS5 version of the game without a internet connection though where they diverge again is you would be able to install the PS4 version on a PS5 without an internet connection.
Considering how there's still online services for 360 games and there'd been talks of finding ways to reactive online service for OG BC games, i don't think this is something we or our children should be worrying about
Personally I never needed the day one patches, I only tried a few games without it, but also I didn't play the games that were in the news for having a completely broken game on disc. Maybe those games still have value in history, like the Atari E.T. cartridge. A moment in time, where a certain studio really sucked, and made a broken game.
A lot of things have been proposed to solve this, like making the patches public downloads and installable without authentication, just like they do with firmware updates. It would still work, since the copy-protection remains intact, and the patch would be encrypted (as it is when downloading from the net anyway).
Another thing proposed is to guarantee to share the decryption key if they ever shutdown the servers. But that cannot really happen, it's a legal can of worms. The third parties would never accept and they are relying on the copy-protection of the platform.
The primary tool we had for game preservation throughout the decades have been basically cracking the game/console. At some point the digital downloads will have too much protection to make this feasible.
Russell here's your official answer from the source. Please add it to the OP or a thread mark. Case closed.