Xbox One Xbox One Borrow/Loan Game Policy

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So1ace

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Currently it appears the Xbox One policy for borrowing/loaning games is "one and done". You can "gift" a game to someone but once that is done the game is theirs and cannot be returned. I know game development is a business but how does this do anything but discourage console owners? What if I wanted to loan a game to a friend to convince them to by a copy? Can't unless they use my console or they use my profile on theirs. And if I were to use the new system and gift the game I would need to purchase it again if I wanted to play. This policy is shortsighted and folly.

Here's an idea:
Allow for a game to be "licensed" to another person. When a game is loaned the owner (loaner) gives access to the game to a friend or family member on another console (borrower). While the game is licensed, the borrower has full access; the loaner has no access during the licensed period. When the borrower is done, he or she will return the license and full access will be restored to the loaner.
Optional features could include:
  1. License timer. The license is automatically returned after a period of time. (1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, etc.)
  2. Limit license frequency. After the game license has been returned it cannot be re-licensed for a period of time. (1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, etc.)
  3. Limit license reissue. A game can only be licensed to a person once, requiring it to be purchased to play again.

These are just a few of my thoughts on the subject. Please let me know what you think.
 
If people actually borrowed/loaned game for the reason to see if they wanted to buy it, that would be great. Most people don't do it that way, they play the complete game and then return it, and this is the reason for the DRM. The problem I see with your idea is the job of keeping track of the license, who is going to do it and do you expect MS to do it for free.
 
There's a few other posts that are similar to this floating around, with ideas of how game ownership can be managed better on the Xbox One. I think you definitely have some good ideas. The problem is, as gamers we're used to none of these rules. Everyone who proposes Xbox solutions, like you, still have like a paragraph of explanation and three rules to with it. It's still too much. What's wrong with, if you have a game disc, you can play it, if not, you can't. It seems to have worked pretty well so far, and last I checked the video game industry is generally profitable. Is piracy on the 360 really that bad? I don't think it is, but I do think this is just a money grab, and that's why even these somewhat better solutions are still not worth the complications to me.
 
Yes, I know piracy is bad, and the reason MS is making this available to developers. Money grab, now just who do you think is grabbing the money?
 
MS is technically already tracking the game license when they decided to require it to be "linked" to an account. Granted I don't have a deep knowledge of the programming required to maintain a system such as this would benefit MS, and by extension the developers.

Furthermore, the same system could theoretically be adapted to game rental companies as well. The rental companies own the game and the are simply licensing (renting) it out for a period of time.

In the end it is all DRM but it doesn't have to be black or white. I'm fine with grey just as long as we're given some flexibility to manage our digital rights as owners.
 
If you have a friend close enough to you (not meaning distance-wise) that you would loan a game to them, you would be better served placing that friend into your family list and they can use any game in your library that no one else, other than the owner, is playing at the time. Major Nelson stated that anyone in your family list has access to your entire library at all times and you have access to theirs. So sharing a game is much simpler on the One since you don't even need to be close enough to hand over a physical disc - and can even share XBLA equivalent games as well... something the current systems can't allow with their current DRM setup.
 
JWSpeed said:
If people actually borrowed/loaned game for the reason to see if they wanted to buy it, that would be great. Most people don't do it that way, they play the complete game and then return it, and this is the reason for the DRM. The problem I see with your idea is the job of keeping track of the license, who is going to do it and do you expect MS to do it for free.
Click to expand...

You can tryout games like that with the game demos already available for download on Xbox 360.
 
The OP is not correct this is not the lending/borrowing feature of Xbox One this is the giving feature.

You can lend at any time with up to 10 different family, 2(1 Owner + 1 Family) at a time with any game in your library.
 
Can't they just drop this whole thing and just go back to the Xbox 360 system, the no-restrictions system? Do they really need to pull something like this to reduce the piracy?
 
I agree that your ideas are far superior to how Microsoft's, but I have a sinking feeling that the end result will still be less-than favorable, and many gamers, myself included, are jumping ship. I still may pick up the One eventually, but I'll probably rarely buy multiplatform games for it.

The family list system does lessen the sting, but Sony still has the upper hand with their more relaxed policy.
 
BlackSolaris said:
Can't they just drop this whole thing and just go back to the Xbox 360 system, the no-restrictions system? Do they really need to pull something like this to reduce the piracy?
Click to expand...

The PS4/360 system is definitely not a no restriction system.

BitesizeCrayons said:
I agree that your ideas are far superior to how Microsoft's, but I have a sinking feeling that the end result will still be less-than favorable, and many gamers, myself included, are jumping ship. I still may pick up the One eventually, but I'll probably rarely buy multiplatform games for it.

The family list system does lessen the sting, but Sony still has the upper hand with their more relaxed policy.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry but if you are jumping ship why did you feel the need to join this forum?

The family share system is far superior for lending than anything the PS4 offers.
 
I think the part that worries me the most is what happens when I sell my console and later down the road decide to pick up another one. Will I still be able to re-download/install my games to my new console?
I can do that now with my 360 and it work great. Its one of the consoles best features as I've had 4 360's over the years.
 
LALucien said:
I think the part that worries me the most is what happens when I sell my console and later down the road decide to pick up another one. Will I still be able to re-download/install my games to my new console?
I can do that now with my 360 and it work great. Its one of the consoles best features as I've had 4 360's over the years.
Click to expand...

Yes, all your games are tied to your account and I'm sure they'll have a system to set a primary console for your account.
 
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