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Xbox One to only work in certain countries at launch

F

FiveMinuteHero

Member
Does it tell you BEFORE you pay for a game that you may not be able to download it?

Imagine spending £40 then when you press download it doesnt let you. THE RAGE.
 
R

RobbieH

Member
If we disregard what support said for a second and only go by what the disclaimer says:

  • "Requires account on Xbox Live in an Xbox One-supported Xbox Live country (not all Xbox Live countries)."
  • "Xbox One-Supported Xbox Live Countries"
  • "Xbox One games are for activation and distribution only in specified geographic regions. See game package and/or retailer product information, for each game’s specific geographic regions."

Activation is the key word. So, any Xbox One console or game used in a country not listed won't work as the initial game authentication depends on the Xbox One Live servers. Could you, uh, run across the border and authenticate it in a listed country? Maybe, but the "specified geographic regions" seems to go beyond PAL / NTSC. If you initially authenticate a game or account in a listed country and go to another listed country you'll probably be fine, but with the 24 hour ping in a non-listed country...fuck knows.
 
E

Eusis

Member
I do wonder if they seriously want to try to divvy up PAL. Is that even legal there?

The more I think about it the more the DRM seems to be a bad idea for, well, everyone. It's too much effort for marginal gain, and is a fine example of why sometimes simplest is best. In NA it's OK, there's only three countries to worry about, and Japan's similar in effectively being a region to themselves, but Europe? Nevermind that NA IS spread out so probably only Japan is dense enough for reliable internet and has the other advantage of not being a ton of countries in a relatively small space with different languages to account for, yet it's also the region that probably next to no one wants the X1, even the loyal Xbox fans must be miffed and thus whittled down.
 
matt360

matt360

Member
PuppetMaster said:
As an expat living in Asia these kinds of policies just makes my blood boil

Just when I though my disgust with MS had peaked, they reveal something like this...
Click to expand...

I feel ya, man. I've been a Gold subscriber since the very beginning. I've got a US model 360 with a US account here in Japan. Up til now, it hasn't been a huge problem, but it's been getting worse over the last couple of years with new services and apps being useless here.

I can live without Netflix, but what really pissed me off was when MS had that big XBL sale a few weeks back with tons of titles heavily discounted and I couldn't buy a single one of them. And now Fable 3 is free for Gold subscribers in the US and a few other territories, but fuck you if you live in Japan.

Microsoft can seriously go and get fucked.
 
M

Maximilian Kolbe

Member
Saw this in chinese xbox forum
http://www.xbox-skyer.com/showthread.php?t=422428

Joseph: Thank you for contacting Xbox Chat Support. My name is Joseph. How may I help you today?


ash: Hi, I wanna ask something about Xbox One region specification. Microsoft has posted the distribution region here:http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/pre-order-xbox-one/disclaimer

ash: And I notice it says:Xbox One games are for activation and distribution only in specified geographic regions.

ash: what does this activation mean?

Joseph: Hello there Ash! What is your inquiry about the disclaimer on the upcoming Xbox One?


ash: I have to stay in China for work, so I only have my American console and account

ash: it is mandatory that I must use American VPN to play Xbox One at the place where Xbox One is not officially released?
Joseph: I understand your concern Ash. The geographic or region specific for Xbox Live is about the marketplace on the Xbox itself. Even if you live in China, you can still play games there it is just some contents are not available in China.


ash: Thank you, I see, but must I use American VPN?

ash: Or I can just use local network in China, which has Chinese IP of course...
ash: Will Microsoft detect IP address?
Joseph: Well, you can use VPN if you do not want to migrate your account's region to China because our servers detects IP address of your current location.


ash: So you mean if I do not use VPN, I can not play Xbox One in China? What if I bought a HongKong console?
Joseph: You can still play Xbox One in China. You just have to migrate your account's region from United States to China. The only thing that will change is the contents from the Marketplace.


ash: Could you tell me what does that activation mean? When I use my American console and want to play some retail games, activation is required when I first play a game?
Joseph: The activation is for the specific games on the marketplace. Meaning, when a game is only set for United States only and is not available in China you cannot purchase the game even if you have a U.S region.


ash: what if I bought a game in America, play it on American region console, but in China, using local network?
ash: Can i play it?
Joseph: If it is a game disc, it should work but if you purchased it online or will purchase it online from the marketplace using a China IP address you will receive an error and cannot download the content.
ash: Ok, thank you very much!

Joseph: You are very much welcome Ash. If you know how to use VPN then it would be fine.


ash: The next question is about activation, if i play retail disc game, will microsoft require activation only once or periodically?
Joseph: From what it is stated, it is only when you are connected to the Internet. You should connect the console at least once per 24 hours. That should not be a problem since you are always connected to the Internet.


ash: does disc game require region specific IP activation?
Joseph: Not necessarily unless it is for a specific region only but we want the games to be available to most of our customers so that should not be also a problem.


ash: so you mean I can play disc game on my console using Chinese IP address
ash: in most cases...
Joseph: No, when you migrate back to U.S you just have to migrate your account back to U.S and it should be just fine.


ash: I don't want to migrate my US LIVE account to Chinese. Following is my case

ash: console:American
ash: game:disc game America region

ash: account:American Xbox LIVE account

ash: where I am located: China
Joseph: Okay I understand that Ash. If I may ask, how long are you going to stay there in China for work?
ash: network:Chinese local network

ash: can i play it>
ash: maybe 4-5 years...
Joseph: I understand. If that's the case you have to migrate your account to China if you want to purchase some contents while you are still there but if you have game disc with you then that should be just fine.


ash: so game activation won't require IP address for disc game? right?

Joseph: Yes, that is correct.

ash: I am worried when I am playing disc games, suddently there is a window pop up saying you can not play this game in this region...

ash: Great, thank you very much no more query

Joseph: If that is the case, when that pops up it means that the server is detecting your IP address as China and the game is set to U.S. You can just use VPN to avoid that.


Joseph: You're very much welcome Ash.
ash: have a nice day
ash: ~~
Joseph: Would there be anything else I can help you with while we are on chat?
ash: no more question from me, I appreciated your help
Joseph: You're welcome. Thank you also for bringing up the inquiry to us.
Click to expand...
 
H

Hanmik

Member
ok... or no this is not okay, where is the Press..? why the fuck has nobody from the so-called gaming press asked Microsoft about this yet..?

I would ask if I could, but Microsoft does not want to answer any of my questions..

it would be nice to get some clarity into this matter..
 
FeiRR

FeiRR

Banned
Yagharek said:
Someone post this to XBox Team
Click to expand...

That Encarta. I remember people having fun over their entry on Poland with pictures of peasants and Fallout-ish landscapes only.

Oh, I found it.

image003.jpg
Click to expand...

The guy on the right must be a Witcher developer :p

Joseph: If that is the case, when that pops up it means that the server is detecting your IP address as China and the game is set to U.S. You can just use VPN to avoid that.
Click to expand...
Great. A good VPN subscription is about $10 a month. They just keep on delivering...
 
E

Eusis

Member
JoeTheBlow said:
Those poor support people, they will be so busy over the next 5-8 years.
Its like MS haven't even thought about the customer support costs of this thing at all.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I hadn't fully thought about that. Seriously, it's probably THE reason the heavy DRM of the X1 won't catch on like people expect it too, it's a lot of effort for relatively little gain, it's just that apparently right now there's enough assholes at Microsoft with heads stuck up their ass to try all sorts of stupid shit, or at least people that want to grow Azure and one way to do that is to make sure every X1 uses it.

... Actually, yeah, I kind of expect that one. SOMEONE with no real investment in gaming wants to push other Microsoft services with it, and that's one way, especially if everyone has to subscribe to XBL this time, that may even be why at least the initial batch of X1s comes with a year of online.
 
P

Picobrain

Banned
Jesus my head is going to explode after reading this. Why it’s so hard to answer to this question
Console: US
Game: US game on disk
Account: US
Where I live: China
Can I play my game? Yes or no?
 
M

Maximilian Kolbe

Member
Picobrain said:
Jesus my head is going to explode after reading this. Why it’s so hard to answer to this question
Console: US
Game: US game on disk
Account: US
Where I live: China
Can I play my game? Yes or no?
Click to expand...

"Joseph: I understand. If that's the case you have to migrate your account to China if you want to purchase some contents while you are still there but if you have game disc with you then that should be just fine.


ash: so game activation won't require IP address for disc game? right?

Joseph: Yes, that is correct."

That's why support reply
 
Arjen

Arjen

Member
This is such a clusterfuck. But live has always been weird.
I live in Holland but had a US account.
So i connected to the US marketplace while not being able to use half of the stuff.
Had to buy US MS points to buy stuff.
It took them 7 years for me to be able to switch from US to a NL account.
 
F

FiveMinuteHero

Member
Joseph: If that is the case, when that pops up it means that the server is detecting your IP address as China and the game is set to U.S. You can just use VPN to avoid that.

Saying that after 'confirming' that US games will be activated and work in China ....

They have no idea what they are saying. They need another document to explain the previous one.
 
Q

Quasar

Member
Can't say I'm surprised. After all it was well known that Xbox Live and the Marketplace was not being run in all countries. So of course xbones in those countries would not be able to ping DRM servers there.

I am a bit surprised the list to start with is so short though. And even with the japanese market acceptance of Xbox I'm surprised Japan isn't on the list.
 
P

Phat Michael

Banned
Arjen said:
This is such a clusterfuck. But live has always been weird.
I live in Holland but had a US account.
So i connected to the US marketplace while not being able to use half of the stuff.
Had to buy US MS points to buy stuff.
It took them 7 years for me to be able to switch from US to a NL account.
Click to expand...

Mate do you mind outlining how you switched from US to NL account? How was it done? Did you lose your gamerscore/ XBL saved games etc?

Id like to shift from AUS to UAE (Dubai) - is there a guide or can you let me know how to do it? Thanks.
 
P

Phat Michael

Banned
Just saw this disclaimer about changing regions on your XBL account:

"Content you’ve already bought

Before you move your account, make sure that you’ve downloaded any avatar items, games, game add-ons, and video content that you’ve bought. No digital content is guaranteed to work after the migration, and there are no refunds if items stop working because you change your account region.

Content you’ve bought may continue to work on any Xbox 360 device if the content has a valid license. If that content gets deleted or you change consoles, you may be able to redownload the content and reacquire a license for it in the new region, but some content (mostly video content) is only allowed in certain countries and regions. This content may be blocked in your new region because of licensing or regional restrictions.
"
 
M

Maximilian Kolbe

Member
FiveMinuteHero said:
Joseph: If that is the case, when that pops up it means that the server is detecting your IP address as China and the game is set to U.S. You can just use VPN to avoid that.

Saying that after 'confirming' that US games will be activated and work in China ....

They have no idea what they are saying. They need another document to explain the previous one.
Click to expand...

Really,some games for 360 already checking your ip,MMO mostly
So i know xbox support really doesn't mean anything confirmed,but this is not "They have no idea what they are saying"
 
S

shink

Member
I think it's no use getting any information from Xbox Support. None have this information and they are all making it up as they go along.
 
S

Seik

Banned
Phat Michael said:
Content you’ve bought may continue to work on any Xbox 360 device if the content has a valid license. If that content gets deleted or you change consoles, you may be able to redownload the content and reacquire a license for it in the new region, but some content (mostly video content) is only allowed in certain countries and regions. This content may be blocked in your new region because of licensing or regional restrictions.
"
Click to expand...

That is some hardcore conditional shit. :lol
 
Tizoc

Tizoc

Member
lupinko said:
The earlier posts say it's geolocked when logging into the verification servers, so it won't work for you.

So MS told you to basically go either PC, PS4 or Wii U next gen.
Click to expand...

Da fuck? So much for wanting to play Killer Instinct lol.
 
K

King Beyond the wall

Member
The DRM restrictions and region locking got me thinking, do you guys think that people under 18 will not be allowed to play or install games which are rated 18? I can imagine a group of 15 year olds all picking up the new cod then being told they cannot install it or download it to the hard drive.
 
P

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
King Beyond the wall said:
The DRM restrictions and region locking got me thinking, do you guys think that people under 18 will not be allowed to play or install games which are rated 18? I can imagine a group of 15 year olds all picking up the new cod then being told they cannot install it or download it to the hard drive.
Click to expand...

How would they tell the age?
 
M

Maximilian Kolbe

Member
King Beyond the wall said:
The DRM restrictions and region locking got me thinking, do you guys think that people under 18 will not be allowed to play or install games which are rated 18? I can imagine a group of 15 year olds all picking up the new cod then being told they cannot install it or download it to the hard drive.
Click to expand...

It exist in Korea for both console i remember
But will most people actually type their real info like age?
 
M

MrBambinoDent

Member
MrKayle said:
sooooo which gaming countries aren't mentioned here?
Click to expand...

Are you really that ignorant? Gaming countries!!!! What does this even mean?
Do you really think such a few countries have people who are interested in this shit called gaming? I really hope you're joking otherwise i really don't wanna live in the same world people think this way live in!
 
H

hteng

Banned
as if screwing their NA customers aren't enough they are making it impossible for gamers from other regions to play on their console... so much for "made by gamers for gamers"
 
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