Microsoft Lifts Bans On Those Who Got Early Xbox Ones

[Steven Bogos]

Microsoft Lifts Bans On Those Who Got Early Xbox Ones

Andre Weingarten, who received his Xbox One way, way early [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/129487-Xbox-One-Ships-Early-Microsoft-Bans-It], was also given a V.I.P pass to Microsoft's official launch event.

You may recall the curious tale of Andre "Moonlight Swami," Weingarten, who, due to a warehouse mix-up received his Xbox One almost a month earlier than its release date. As most people tend to do these days, he immediately took to social media to brag about it, at which point Microsoft pushed the "off" switch [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/129487-Xbox-One-Ships-Early-Microsoft-Bans-It] on his console, banning it from connecting to the internet. Boo Microsoft.

However, Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb stressed that the ban was only temporary, and now, true to his word Moonlight Swami is back online, and he's still a little earlier than the general population. Yay Microsoft! Hyb said that the ban on Weingarten, as well as the 150 or so other lucky gamers that managed to snag an early console, was simply meant to keep them from posting video of a service still under construction at the time.

Weingarten says he'll be streaming Call of Duty: Ghosts, Madden NFL 25 and NBA 2K14 from his Twitch TV channel [http://www.twitch.tv/moonlight_swami] as soon as he's able, so stay tuned for the first Xbox One footage from your average Joe. Weingarten was also offered a seat at tomorrow's worldwide Xbox One launch event in New York, where he'll be a V.I.P guest of Microsoft.

"I knew I'd be able to get online again; Major Nelson (Hryb's Gamertag) thought it would be Thursday at the latest," said Weingarten. Check out his first video of Xbox One footage, a comparison of Call of Duty: Ghosts footage from the Xbone and 360 versions of the game, above.

Nice to see Microsoft pull a 100% "good guy Microsoft" move among the sea of negative press that seems to be washing over them these days.

Source: Kotaku [http://kotaku.com/the-guy-who-got-his-xbox-one-early-is-unbanned-1468491262]

Permalink

 

[RicoADF]

If they banned him from playing his console completely then bad Microsoft and exhibit A of why always online consoles are a dumb idea. They have no right to stop you from playing your legally bought games at ANY time period.

 

[J Tyran]

They have no right to stop you from playing your legally bought games at ANY time period.

They do have the legal right to deny acsess to their own servers or ban people from using their services though, if a device or game needs them and you bought it with full knowledge that it needs those services you are shit out of luck.

Hence the false comfort of people wanting to cling onto little circular pieces of plastic in the belief that they "own" the game.

 

[Yopaz]

Nice to see Microsoft pull a 100% "good guy Microsoft" move among the sea of negative press that seems to be washing over them these days.

I hardly think letting people use the product they paid for and got temporarily banned for using is 100% good and more what should be the bare minimum of what we should expect from a company, but I don't know these days. Seems like we're quite willing to let companies screw over customers.

 

[jackpipsam]

The reasoning makes sense.
They technically shouldn't have had the product and if it all isn't up and running of course Microsoft doesn't want videos of that going around.

Since it's a temporary ban, no harm was really done.
It's logical.

 

[RicoADF]

They do have the legal right to deny acsess to their own servers or ban people from using their services though, if a device or game needs them and you bought it with full knowledge that it needs those services you are shit out of luck.

Hence the false comfort of people wanting to cling onto little circular pieces of plastic in the belief that they "own" the game.

I said they had no right, not that it wasn't legal for them to do, although the legal side depends on where you live as in some places it would be illegal too.

 

[Saulkar]

As long as they did not brick his system, which I cannot tell given that every single source I have read has claimed one or the other or outright remained ambiguous, then I can understand them not wanting risk people posting images of a service that may not be fully up to date and temporarily banning access to XBL (after downloading Day 1 patch which could not conceivably disrupt it in such small numbers).

If they did indeed disable the box, which should no longer need to be always online, then I am in full opposition as I do not consider games and game consoles exempt from any other products such as TVs, Cars, Tools, and general machines when it comes to your right to use as you see fit after full purchase. Machines that actually require a constant online/satellite connection are a grey area however and something that I am ambivalent about.

 

[josemlopes]

As long as they did not brick his system, which I cannot tell given that every single source I have read has claimed one or the other or outright remained ambiguous, then I can understand them not wanting risk people posting images of a service that may not be fully up to date and temporarily banning access to XBL (after downloading Day 1 patch which could not conceivably disrupt it in such small numbers).

If they did indeed disable the box, which should no longer need to be always online, then I am in full opposition as I do not consider games and game consoles exempt from any other products such as TVs, Cars, Tools, and general machines when it comes to your right to use as you see fit after full purchase. Machines that actually require a constant online/satellite connection are a grey area however and something that I am ambivalent about.

What is it so hard to understand? Some people got the console earlier then intended, everything was set up to be working on launch day (not before), the buyers knew that as intended they were supposed to get the console only on launch day, for the period of time untill the launch day their consoles were banned from XBL because as intended they were only supposed to gain access at launch day.

In Steam you can pre-load a game before its actually out, it doesnt mean that you can play it untill then though. The buyer knew that when he pre-ordered the console he was supposed to get it at launch day, not before and as such thats what he got, a fully functional console at launch day like everyone else, no less and no more.

 

[Saulkar]

SNIP

I made it painfully clear what I did not understand. All the sources I have went to either claim that the console was bricked OR claimed that he merely got banned from XBL or were entirely ambiguous.

Furthermore the XBOX is a console, a physical item, not a piece of software like your Steam reference in which downloading the software early has the benefit of spreading out and alleviating server stress. I do not and will not ever accept a companies ability to dictate my usage of my physical property remotely. Not my bike, not my tv, not my computer, not my camera, not my game console. If I purchase a car before its release date and get it earlier than I should why should I be prevented from using it if the insurance and plates were properly issued? I can understand being cut off from a service such as XBL, not a physical product.

In summery: Sources are bork, bork, bork, but I get the overall impression that the console was still playable offline in which case I have no beef but I will never yield to a companies desire to control my access to a physical item remotely including bricking a console.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

They have no right to stop you from playing your legally bought games at ANY time period.

Now only if we could make this a reality with PC games. Steam games being the prime example as to why you cannot play your brought games earlier.

Or even sometimes games you buy on launch day because, you know, fuck working out how timezones and calendars interact.

 

[Revolutionary]

People seem to be under the impression that they initially 'bricked' the system. All they did was ban him from xbox live, and again only temporarily, Microsoft are trying to gain our trust back and people just aren't giving them a chance.
Let's not pretend that Sony or Valve aren't capable of similar bans.

 

[FalloutJack]

Zip

It DOES come bricked, and then you have to do a shitty online thing to make it unbricked like a good little puppy doing tricks for a little treat. In Playstation or Steam, when the console's out or the game is released (meaning that it is, you know, READY and complete), you play it. Novel concept, I know, but I digress.

 

[Dessembrae]

Zip

It DOES come bricked, and then you have to do a shitty online thing to make it unbricked like a good little puppy doing tricks for a little treat. In Playstation or Steam, when the console's out or the game is released (meaning that it is, you know, READY and complete), you play it. Novel concept, I know, but I digress.

And with the playstation when you say "(meaning that it is, you know, READY and complete), you play it." I assume you meant to say "you play it. After you download the obligatory 300mb patch"?

 

[josemlopes]

Zip

It DOES come bricked, and then you have to do a shitty online thing to make it unbricked like a good little puppy doing tricks for a little treat. In Playstation or Steam, when the console's out or the game is released (meaning that it is, you know, READY and complete), you play it. Novel concept, I know, but I digress.

Dont people understand what the term "bricked" means? You cant unbrick a bricked device, the meaning of bricked is that the device is permanently unusable (AKA you might as well throw it in the trash and buy a new one).


This goes both ways, a lot of people have been claiming that their PS4s got bricked or something while most of the times all it needed was some troubleshooting.

I know this can all be semantics but when a device is actually "bricked" its kind of a big deal since it means that the owner got his money worth of nothing while having something not working properly at the moment is something that can still be fixed and much less of an issue for the owner.

 

[FalloutJack]

Poit

Ummm...no? I'm hearing otherwise on that account.

Narf

Clearly, we're expanding the definition. Besides, the joke of it is that the system IS garbage.

 

[Eri]

How is that "good guy" Microsoft? He should never have been banned to start with. Nor anyone else.

 

[Revolutionary]

Zip

It DOES come bricked, and then you have to do a shitty online thing to make it unbricked like a good little puppy doing tricks for a little treat. In Playstation or Steam, when the console's out or the game is released (meaning that it is, you know, READY and complete), you play it. Novel concept, I know, but I digress.

condescending much?
Uh No, what I was saying that the ban that Microsoft implemented AFTER this guy installed the Day one patch which removes the corpulent DRM that everyone reviled in the post-E3 controversy was temporary. Anyway that ban that was implemented AFTER he patched and that ban was only a temporary profile ban. And please don't tell me it's unreasonable to temporarily ban people when the media hasn't even had Embargo lifted yet (at time of banning).

Also saying that games always work straight away on PS3 and PC is bollox, I have a pc, I am primarily a PC gamer, I know that that is rubbish. Sim City. I have a PS3, I know that some games just straight up don't work without 100MB patches. Also the PS4 isn't 100% functional at this point with more functionality coming at a later point, and a Day 1 patch needed for some functionality.

"Blu-ray Disc and DVD player: Users can enjoy not only gaming on their PS4 system, but also Blu-ray and DVD video contents (at first time use, users must connect to the internet to activate this feature)." - Source
(This is just one of many features that have to be patched in)

Please calm down. Can't we all just buy what we want?
I can't even pretend to care that much, I have no interest in either Next-Gen console at this point. I just want people to stop treating MS as if they're evil. I mean, they ARE, but so Is every bloody corporation. I'm just sick of the double-standards, if we continue to abuse MS even when they're trying to be good they'll just give up and be giant cock-smears all the time, and that's not good for anyone.

My final words

 

[Infernal Lawyer]

They have no right to stop you from playing your legally bought games at ANY time period.

Now only if we could make this a reality with PC games. Steam games being the prime example as to why you cannot play your brought games earlier.

What? Stop me if I'm on the wrong track, but are you honestly complaining because you PRE-ORDERED a game, and Steam lets you download it early so you don't have to wait for it to download after the launch date?

I'm sorry, but that's a right false equivalency right there. People getting their console early is a mistake made by the distributors, Steam letting you pre-download your games is an intentional FEATURE. Would you be happier if you had to wait until launch to download that massive 20GB game, just because the game you paid for wasn't on your computer yet? I seriously doubt it.

 

[Dessembrae]

Poit

Ummm...no? I'm hearing otherwise on that account.

Weeellll technically you don't "need" it, unless you want to use the following functions:

Remote Play (using the vita)
Second Screen (vita, android/iphone devices)
Record, take screenshots, and upload gameplay.
Broadcast and spectate gameplay
Play as you download
Multi log-in (max 4 accounts on one system)
Party (Voice chat)
Face recognition and voice commands (PS camera needed)
Background music player
Blu-ray Disc and DVD player

and of course Online Multiplayer.

so you may not "technically" need to patch the system but well...