Microsoft Urged to Reinstate Xbox One Policies

Although most of the gaming industry, fans and retail stores praised Microsoft’s decision to give up some controversial policies for its next-generation console, it seems that not everyone is happy with the move.

A new online petition calls on the company to bring back the Xbox One policies, insisting that they are the future of entertainment.

The petition can be found at Change.org and calls for signatures in order to get back “the Xbox One we were promised at E3.” To be sent, the petition needs 10,000 signatures and has already gathered over 8,600.

The initiator insists that Microsoft made a mistake when it gave in to fans’ criticism and withdrew its digital rights management policies. The petition’s intro says that consumers were uninformed when they rallied against the policies, which were then withdrawn because Sony took advantage of consumers’ uncertainty.

Microsoft’s original DRM policies required users to connect to the Internet at least once a day and imposed restrictions on secondhand games. Sony’s PlayStation 4, on the other hand, does not have any of these restrictions, which gave the console a significant edge ahead of Xbox One.

Sony also benefits from the fact the PlayStation 4 is more conveniently priced. The PS4 will retail for $400, while the Xbox One is expected to cost $500. It is therefore very unlikely that Microsoft will change its mind again and reinforce its DRM policies, despite the new petition.

The Xbox One has been seeing a boost in pre-orders after the policy reversal. Best Buy has just run out of Xbox One consoles for pre-orders and has halted online purchases until it replenishes its stocks. The next-generation console is still available at Amazon, GameStop, Wal-Mart and other retailers.

The console is expected to be featured at European trade show Gamescom in Germany next month. Microsoft is rumored to hold a press conference at the show to reconfirm the core message behind the Xbox One. If confirmed, this will be the first time Microsoft holds a press conference at Gamescom. The event will take place August 21-25.

What do you think of the new petition? Does it have any chance to change Microsoft’s mind about the Xbox One DRM policies?

[Image via cnet]