Category Archive: Entertainment

Xbox One / DRM Change

Peench | June 20, 2013 | COMMENTS:7 Comments »

So it seems that Microsoft made changes to the DRM policy for the Xbox One.  They’ve announced it as having listened to “us” but it unfortunately seems like we’re taking a step backwards.  Here is the announcement:

Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.

For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come. As is our heritage with Xbox, we designed a system that could take full advantage of advances in technology in order to deliver a breakthrough in game play and entertainment. We imagined a new set of benefits such as easier roaming, family sharing, and new ways to try and buy games. We believe in the benefits of a connected, digital future.

Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One.

You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.

So, today I am announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360. Here is what that means:

  • An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games – After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.
  • Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.

In addition to buying a disc from a retailer, you can also download games from Xbox Live on day of release. If you choose to download your games, you will be able to play them offline just like you do today. Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console — there will be no regional restrictions.

These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray.

We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.

Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you later this year.

Source.

I do have to say I’m a little saddened that rather than coming out and explaining what could have been a very good thing for gamers and instead have simply gone back to what we already had.  This response was pretty funny.  This Gizmodo article was also pretty good.  This MS Employee post is also interesting.

What do you think?

Category: Entertainment, Gaming, Microsoft

PS 4 Interface

Peench | June 19, 2013 | COMMENTS:1 Comment »

[pro-player type=’video’]http://video.gamespotcdn.com/d7/gsc/2013/06/169_ps4userinterface_ot_061313.ipod.mp4[/pro-player]

What do you all think? Looks a little like the PS3 interface matched with Facebook and Widows Phone 8.

Category: Entertainment, Gaming, Sony

Want to win an Xbox One?

Peench | June 15, 2013 | COMMENTS:No Comments »

DewRitosXboxOne

This fall, Mountain Dew and Doritos will give fans the opportunity to get their hands on thousands of Xbox One consoles through the biggest gaming promotion in brand history. To celebrate the partnership and a new generation of gaming, I have a couple of deluxe DEW/Doritos/Xbox One commemorative kits, complete with limited edition DEW and Doritos products. To enter, leave a comment below and tell me what Xbox One game you are most excited about. I’ll pull two random winners next week to win one of these exclusive commemorative kits.

More on http://www.dewanddoritos.com/

The rules: Deadline to enter is 11:59am Pacific on June 21, 2013. 2 randomly selected winner will be notified by e-mail or Twitter. One entry per person. Read this if you have questions about the Disqus commenting system. Contest is open to US residents only.

Note: If you do not have an e-mail address or Twitter name associated with your Disqus login, you must include your Twitter information in your comment to be eligible. Any winner who does not respond to my notification within 72 hours will forfeit the prize. For faster notification, follow me on Twitter where I can DM you if you won.  Source

Category: Entertainment, Gaming, Microsoft

‘This is the End’

LobbycastGeoff | June 14, 2013 | COMMENTS:No Comments »

this_is_the-end

I am not going to make many friends with this review, but i’m going to lay it out exactly how I see it.  Have you ever seen ‘From Dusk Til Dawn?’  I feel as though the statute of limitations on ‘Dusk’ has long since run out, so I am about to spoil that movie without spoiling this one.  In ‘Dusk,’ you have two different directors that pretty much split the movie down the middle.  You have the first half, directed by Quentin Tarantino, which is very indicative of his style and reminiscent of his other films.  About half-way through though, it turns into this crazy, over the top vampire movie, directed by Robert Rodriguez, and it leaves you feeling like “What just happened here?”  That is what viewers are in for when they step into ‘This is the End.’

I really enjoyed all of the cameos and the actors playing caricatures of themselves.  It was very funny and I laughed at a lot of the bits.  The stuff with Michael Cera?  Genius.  That said, you can only take that so far and the last half of the movie wasn’t nearly as fun and enjoyable as the first half.  I really don’t know how they could have avoided it, given the premise of the movie.  And speaking of the premise, I found myself wondering early on how they were going to end the movie.  They don’t give themselves much room on that account.  I wasn’t overly satisfied with the ending, but it is what it is.  They do the best they can trying to cap it off with a laugh.  A ridiculous laugh, but a laugh nonetheless.

If you love the people involved with this movie, by all means go see it in theaters.  Otherwise, it is a good one to catch at RedBox when they are out of the one  you went there to rent.

Ticket price: $9.00 matinee (courtesy of MoviePass)

Trailers:  The Lone Ranger, The Grandmaster, Anchorman 2, Kick Ass 2, We’re the Millers, The Heat, some movie about demon hunters that I missed the title of and Grown Ups 2

[pro-player type=’video’]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYlQOutbjZA[/pro-player]

Category: Entertainment, Movies

The PGL Lobbycast: Episode 224

LobbycastGeoff | June 13, 2013 | COMMENTS:No Comments »

[pro-player type=’video’]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fL1StTRH84[/pro-player]

 

Geoff and Jordan discuss the Microsoft and Sony E3 Media Briefings and The Critics Choice Awards, as well as a good round of The Weekly Whatchas. The music in the audio program is “The Bottom Line” by Big Audio Dynamite.

Category: Entertainment, Gaming, Microsoft, Movies, Music, Podcast, Sony, Television