Microsoft has backed away from used-game restrictions for its next-generation console, changing course Wednesday on its plan to require that users connect the Xbox One to the Internet once each day to verify their rights to the games played on the device. The reversal comes less than two weeks after the company initially explained how the technology would work, and it effectively matches the rules announced for Sony’s PlayStation 4, the main competition when both products go on sale later this year.
“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,” wrote Don Mattrick, president of Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business, in a post on a company blog.
