Stock Informer

Microsoft Change of Heart on Used Games

Posted Sun Jun 23 2013


Microsoft U-Turn over pre-owned games

After much criticism Microsoft has changed it's policy regarding on pre-owned games for the upcoming Xbox One console.

Game discs will be able to be freely shared or traded with anyone. Previously it was stipulated that discs could only be resold through authorized retailers and only given away to someone who has been a friend on your Xbox Live list for a minimum of 30 days. The console would also need to connect to the internet at least every 24 hours for games to be played regardless as to whether they were disc based or downloaded.

The idea behind this original policy was so that gamers could seamlessly switch between games, downloads and video calling to save time, however concern was raised amongst the gaming community for users without a persistent web connection.

Sony previously took full advantage of the row at the E3 video games expo happily announcing that the PlayStation 4 would have no such limitations would drew big cheers from the audience. This obviously concerned executives at Microsoft who listened and acted with this announcement. Weather long term damage to the reputation of the Xbox brand remains to be seen.

Pre-orders of the Xbox One increased dramatically on Amazon.com and regained top spot in the charts after the announcement proving the decision was popular amongst users and increased the probability of stock shortages after launch in November 2013.