Xbox One won't need fee to play second-hand games, will need periodic online checks

Despite the official unveiling of Microsoft’s next-gen console - dubbed the Xbox One - details are still dicey about what kind of DRM (digital rights management) the console will be using to combat used game sales. It was earlier believed that the DRM will be left up to the game’s developers, however, once a game is installed on a console through a disc, the disc gets locked to that Xbox Live account. According to Polygon , though, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

According to the report, the Xbox One won’t require a fee to play games that have already been played on another console as earlier believed. Instead, it will use a regular online check to authenticate the game being played. Polygon cites sources familiar with the system. The company also seems to be working on special exceptions to the online authentication checks that could potentially be given to select people, such as those who are soldiers on active duty serving in war zones.

Still uncertain about the DRM

The Xbox One was unveiled in an event earlier this month. Instead of just specialising in gaming, however, the company has gone for an all-in-one approach with features on the new console aimed at taking over the living room instead of just offering a gaming machine. The Xbox One was unveiled during an event held by Microsoft last night.

The console uses many of the voice commands that were earlier introduced as part of the Kinect. There are quite a few new ones however. For example, saying “Xbox On,” will start the console and bring you to your personalised home screen. The console itself has many new features. You can navigate and watch live TV from your cable, telco or satellite set-top box through the Xbox One. This feature however seems to be US centric. We have no idea if it will work on Indian set-top boxes.

Check out our specifications review of the Xbox One.