Microsoft Has No Answer For Their Broken XBOX Live DRM

[Dacalo]

Article

Reader Kevin's XBOX 360 suffered the usual Red Ring of Death, so he sent it in to be repaired. He got back a different XBOX 360 with a different serial number. That would be no big deal, except Kevin has purchased a bunch of content through XBOX Live... content that is no longer fully functional due to Microsoft's broken DRM.

Here's a quick summary:

* November 2007: Kevin's XBOX 360 is replaced, causing his content to lose full functionality. He calls Microsoft.
* Microsoft keeps Kevin on the phone for an hour trying different methods of restoring functionality to his content. Nothing works. They say they will call him back in two weeks.
* They do not call him back, so he calls them. Microsoft makes him repeat the steps he tried the first time he called. They tell him they will call him back in two weeks.
* This cycle repeats twice more before Kevin gets a call from Frank at XBOX escalations. It's now the second week of January.
* Kevin periodically speaks to Frank. Frank has no answers for him.
* February 7, 2008: Frank tells Kevin that there's nothing more he can do and, when Kevin asks when he can expect a resolution, Frank says "hopefully sometime in 2008."

We suggested that Kevin escalate his complaint. He did. This resulted in another call from Frank confirming that there was nothing Microsoft can do.

Wow, that is a serious flaw. MS touts Xbox Live service as an advantage and it boggles my mind how they didn't foresee this. It wouldn't be a big deal if the failure rate wasn't as high. How are you Xbox owners able to prevent this?

 

[Oyeve]

Thats weird. I have carried my HD to many friends xboxes and have been able to play my DLC stuff on their 360s. Mostly GH and RB songs.

 

[Queasy]

1) I'm not sure what they mean by "no longer fully functional" since you can still play the games you've downloaded. You just have to be logged into the gamertag that purchased them.
2) Yes, it is a problem. One that MS had a solution for at one point by calling a CSR and having them transfer the license to your new console. Unfortunately, they no longer allow that. Additionally, they just can't issue a credit because once a game has been purchased under a gamertag, that gamertag can't purchase the game again.

So, there is a flaw here that needs to be worked out by either allowing people to move the license from one console to another, allowing multiple licenses, or the ability to give credit to 're-purchase' games.

They fixed the issue with players under the age of 18 not 'graduating' to adults when they turned 18 with the last Fall Update. They'll probably come up with a solution to this in the upcoming Spring or Fall updates.

 

[RagingBITCH]

When you purchase content on Xbox Live it's linked to two things. The Xbox Live ID of the original purchaser of the content and a secret 'code' of some sort inside the Xbox 360 itself. You can use your content on any Xbox 360 anytime your are signed into Live using the original purchaser's Xbox Live account. You can also use the content offline or with any profile signed into the 360 the content was originally purchased on. This is particularly good for families who have multiple gamers with separate profiles. Any content purchased on the system is available to everyone who signs into the box online or offline. Well, that is until your box red rings.

In October of 2007 my 360 experienced a hardware failure and the red ring of death. I sent it in for replacement and after waiting over a month I was shipped a new replacement console. This new replacement console has a different serial number and as a result all of my downloaded content only works now when the purchasing profile is signed into Xbox live. Additional profiles on the system can no longer access the content. I can no longer access the content when I'm not signed into Xbox Live. So any internet issues with my system or Xbox Live (which experienced serious problems for most of last month) means I can no longer use the items I have purchased. As far as I'm concerned since the functionality I had before is now crippled my console has not been repaired.

That's widely known...it's not so much a flaw as it is purposeful design. If the content could be played by any gamertag or profile on any other box, then all someone has to do is transfer their GT to someone else's 360, download all content, and then that person has free versions of that downloaded content. (The original owner just goes back to their original 360 and retransfers his account back over)

I can see why he's pissed, but the fact that his internet goes out or XBox Live has a hiccup and blaming everything else on that is pretty stupid. There's nothing "Frank" can do to fix that.

 

[Thraxen]

Originally posted by: Queasy
1) I'm not sure what they mean by "no longer fully functional" since you can still play the games you've downloaded. You just have to be logged into the gamertag that purchased them.

That's a pretty big drawback though. Not only do you have to be logged onto your machine as the user that purchased the games, you must be online and signed into Live too. Remember that month+ where a lot of people had Live problems? Yeah, I couldn't play my XBLA arcade games for much of the time period due to this issue. I recently got an Elite and transferred all my content over. It also sucks if you have multiple people in your house that want to play the games under their own profiles. It works if you still have the original system, but not if you have to get a new one.

And I don't buy this BS that MS can't do anything about it. That's ludicrous. They've got a DB out there somewhere that somehow ties the games to the original machine. Just set up some system where users can tie the games to the new system. They could simply make it where you can only tie the games to one system at a time... OR they could be nice like Sony and let you put the games on multiple systems. Wishful thinking, I know.

 

[R Nilla]

Originally posted by: Queasy
1) I'm not sure what they mean by "no longer fully functional" since you can still play the games you've downloaded. You just have to be logged into the gamertag that purchased them.

Do you also have to be logged into XBL? If so, I'd say it lost some functionality--mainly the ability to play offline.

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
I can see why he's pissed, but the fact that his internet goes out or XBox Live has a hiccup and blaming everything else on that is pretty stupid. There's nothing "Frank" can do to fix that.

I don't see why XBL has to be part of the equation though--you can't have your gamertag on more than one machine at a time.

I suppose if you went onto someone else's XBOX and recovered your account, downloaded all the content, then never connected to XBL again with one of the machines, you might be able to have it on more than one machine at a time, but that machine would never be able to use XBL again if they wanted to keep using the content. Is this why they force you to log into XBL if the content is no longer on the original machine?

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: R Nilla

Originally posted by: Queasy
1) I'm not sure what they mean by "no longer fully functional" since you can still play the games you've downloaded. You just have to be logged into the gamertag that purchased them.

Do you also have to be logged into XBL? If so, I'd say it lost some functionality--mainly the ability to play offline.

That's why I said I'm not sure what they mean by no longer fully functional. The story makes it sound like Frank couldn't play the games he purchased at all. You can still play the game but there are some caveats.

 

[R Nilla]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: R Nilla

Originally posted by: Queasy
1) I'm not sure what they mean by "no longer fully functional" since you can still play the games you've downloaded. You just have to be logged into the gamertag that purchased them.

Do you also have to be logged into XBL? If so, I'd say it lost some functionality--mainly the ability to play offline.

That's why I said I'm not sure what they mean by no longer fully functional. The story makes it sound like Frank couldn't play the games he purchased at all. You can still play the game but there are some caveats.

I see what you mean.

EDIT: Nevermind, it actually explains the issue if you read the article, it quotes the actual person.

 

[randay]

so if i buy a new xbox360, and log into my own gamertag, all the stuff i've bought on the other xbox360 will no longer work for me? as in, i would have to buy them all over again even though im still on my same account?

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: randay
so if i buy a new xbox360, and log into my own gamertag, all the stuff i've bought on the other xbox360 will no longer work for me? as in, i would have to buy them all over again even though im still on my same account?

No. All the stuff you bought under your gamertag will work while your logged into your gamertag. When you are logged out, the XBLA games turn into trial versions.

 

[randay]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: randay
so if i buy a new xbox360, and log into my own gamertag, all the stuff i've bought on the other xbox360 will no longer work for me? as in, i would have to buy them all over again even though im still on my same account?

No. All the stuff you bought under your gamertag will work while your logged into your gamertag. When you are logged out, the XBLA games turn into trial versions.

that sounds reasonable. now i remember why i dont read the consumerist.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: R Nilla

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
I can see why he's pissed, but the fact that his internet goes out or XBox Live has a hiccup and blaming everything else on that is pretty stupid. There's nothing "Frank" can do to fix that.

I don't see why XBL has to be part of the equation though--you can't have your gamertag on more than one machine at a time.

I suppose if you went onto someone else's XBOX and recovered your account, downloaded all the content, then never connected to XBL again with one of the machines, you might be able to have it on more than one machine at a time, but that machine would never be able to use XBL again if they wanted to keep using the content. Is this why they force you to log into XBL if the content is no longer on the original machine?

Yes but you're not signing in with that original XBox Live account...you're signing in with a diff account. Unless you have the 360 verify all usernames are valid upon connection to the internet, that's not going to happen.