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Early Kinect Games Kill Buyers' Access To Xbox Live
Stoobalou writes "Microsoft's Kinect motion controller isn't due to ship until November 4th, but one retailer has jumped the gun, leaving a number of gamers with a bit of a quandary. The un-named distributor has sent what Microsoft describes as 'a very small number' of Kinect systems to lucky buyers who might not consider themselves quite so lucky if they try to use the device and its bundled games. Installing the games will require a firmware upgrade, which is nothing out of the ordinary, but in this case the upgrade hasn't yet been released. Attempting to install the non-existent update seems to fool the console into thinking you are trying to play a pirated game and locks the user out of Microsoft's Xbox Live on-line service."
Not to buy locked down hardware or software, particularly if it requires the permission of a remote server in order to be allowed to function.
The more honest buyers get hurt by any form of DRM, including these forms of draconian measures, the better.
I guess this is what happens when you get your big gaming store together hiring the most incompetent store employees in the world - 16 year olds whose first game was Halo. At that point, working for GameStop is more of an ego effect and bragging rights such as kinecting early here.
TFS is half of the linked article, which is a summary of an unnamed Joystiq story. One found here http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/28/psa-got-a-kinect-game-early-dont-stick-it-in/
And I know this is not really MS fault, just like it is not MS fault that if I upgrade a computer MS WIndows is considered a pirated copy or if I change computer MS Office is now pirated. It is the fault of the users that received a product and thought that it was usable.
"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
How terrible, XBox live has a system built in to prevent unauthorized firmware that may well be used for things like hacked games, game trainers and other things that would ruin the experience for other players who have not similarly modified their systems. I know people want to spin this as another "DRM is evil" type story but to use this would be over-reaching. Open platform or not it would be in the best interest of gamers to not have some people with the ability to cheat while other do not. Sure the unauthorized firmware bit can be used to hamper piracy but it's not the only reason to have such a system in place.
The retailers were told not to release the games until a specific date so that shipments could be assured to all stores at the same time for reasons I'm sure include preventing the usual mayhem involved in too few for too many. Microsoft was under no obligation to push the prerequisites to the servers until the date they told everyone the games could be sold. Yes, Microsoft may do a lot of things that aren't appreciated by the open/free software community but this really isn't ammunition for that cause.
Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once
Not being able to use the XBox isn't a bug,it's a feature!
Trying to use a gaming console for physical activity
That's how every early access to a Xbox 360 dashboard is, you can install it if your not on the "early access beta" list but your not going to be allowed to sign into Xbox Live! until the official release date. They can survive without Live! access until November 4th.
Do you realize that you do not need to purchase any DRM-encumbered content in order to enjoy playing online games?
Maybe I don't want to get teabagged in online games. Maybe I have friends or relatives who like to play together in front of one big monitor. But because only a small number of geeks have home theater PCs, games with local multiplayer tend to be released only for locked-down consoles.
It doesn't "lock" you out. The new dashboard is in beta stages. If you install it and your console serial isn't registered as a beta tester then you will be rejected from Xbox Live until the official release.
This has nothing to do with software piracy, get the facts right.
im not sure about Xbox Live because im a Playstation owner, but i know that some single-player games must "check-in" with the PSN before they fire up gameplay. If a user is locked out of the PSN this is an issue(heard of it happening) but what about Live? Will these unlucky users be banished from playing even single-player games in the event they are locked out?
Once again, another case where DRM is a bad idea.
Not only can pirates most likely still find ways to play the games, but microsoft will end up pissing off the REAL customers that paid for it.
WAY TO GO! :D
I went to the store and bought a shiny new gamepad at a great price. After plugging it into my Linux PC, I decided to play some Urban Terror online. Imagine my complete lack of surprise when the game loaded up and connected to my favorite server, just as it always does. No need to install "firmware updates" or anything like that.
I've seen this story going around the last couple of days. Most of us don't have early kinect games, seems like sites like engadget etc that got early access can't play and are making a mountain out of a mole hill. So you can't play your xbox for a couple of days, whoop dee effing do.
did you forget to take your meds?
So why should Microsoft suffer for the retailers mistake?
I'm sure that this is being solved on Microsoft's end, and will be remedied in good time. I mean, I'm not a big Microsoft guy either, but if this were a circumstance where the hardware had a defect and caused the system to short or something, and Microsoft were going to fix it, you all couldn't care less. Why's a software bug like this so different?
That way it can be properly prepared over the course of a week instead of having them wait 1 or 2 days for things to start work naturally working again.
It would be a net win for MS. They get consumer confidence without having to shell out the price for a free membership for the inconvenience, and the customer gets to feel warm and fuzzy.
When people lose access to their one source of killing free time, it is *amazing* how ansy they get. Be a person with a cable subscription, an XBox Like account, or an avid facebook user.
Once you start despising the jerks, you become one.
Your point regarding how impatient and dependent people get about online services is very valid.
However I stated the retailer should provide the extra membership. None of this is the fault of Microsoft (unless the product was purchased directly from them, which of course is not in this case).
The article refuses to name which retailer shipped early, but does anyone have any idea who did it? I know that just recently, Newegg had messed up and shipped out Rock Band 3 about a month before release.
Attempting to install the non-existent update seems to fool the console into thinking you are trying to play a pirated game
It's likely that the XBox update is working properly, but the production servers aren't set up to communicate with the new firmware yet. Unless the affected systems don't start working properly on the release date, this is just dumb antimicrosoftism.
... also, I can kill you with my brain.
Sounds accurate. Bricks can't play online with a different version of the software, either.
... because they cannot defend themselves.
They also are at the mercy of Microsoft. Making big waves could get them locked out of their xbox-account forever, and leave them with a costly paper-weight and coasters.
PC games tend not to have local multiplayer.
Not really the fault of the computer, however.
The lack of local multiplayer in PC games appears to be the fault of PC owners for not connecting a PC to the HDTV in the living room, which in turn appears to be the fault of PC makers for not promoting media center PCs or home theater PCs to the public.
Want to circumvent the release date? You get what you pay for.
Makes perfect sense to me, let the retailer eat the cost of their mistake. Either way it's a moot point now, the new dash is out today. I have to wonder if Microsoft always planned to push it out on Nov 1 or if they accelerated it a few days to help out the people stuck without XBL due to this.