Our voices heard: Microsoft backpedals on DRM

I just wanted to make a quick note before posting my main blog article for the day. Microsoft has just come out with a new statement announcing the discontinuing of their planned software policy to institute online DRM and mandatory check-ins with Microsoft's servers every 24 hours. Now I admit I've become a rather cynical gamer these days, but at least for this brief moment I'll take my victory. I'll take my victory and run with it.

This proves that our voices can be heard. This combined with PS4 preorders selling out instantly while the Xbox One dragged its heels in the dirt effectively forced Microsoft into making this move before the boycotts even needed to begin. For once it seems justice has been served.

Still, I'm left feeling a little bit like it's a hollow victory. Because of Microsoft's gross mishandling of their next-gen console, Sony was allowed to divert our attention away from sneaking in PS+ subscriptions for online play. At the end of the day, we didn't gain anything. We only lost something while maintaining other features that we should have always had on our consoles to begin with. Nonetheless, it's a small loss in what otherwise could have been a much worse future for gaming.

At this point though, the bad blood is already there, and Don Mattrick can't simply take back the things he said just like that. The damage has been done and it's going to take more than giving back a few features we should already have as a gesture of good faith. Maybe now is the perfect time to start offering Xbox Live for free? That could be a great start.

Yeah right, I can keep dreaming.