Microsoft's Xbox Series X DRM Shows It's Not Serious About Game Preservation Despite What Phil Spencer Says
Xbox boss Phil Spencer claims that the industry should do more to preserve its history and its games. He made his comments in a recent interview with YouTube channel Kinda Funny (via PC Gamer).
“I really wish as an industry we’d come together and help preserve the history of what gaming is about, so we don’t lose the ability to go back,” he said.
“I think about what the Paley Center did for TV. Paley early on saw the TV industry was getting ready to literally throw away the tapes that these old TV shows were on, and he said, ‘Hey, I want to archive those because at some point, somebody will want to go back and watch the Ed Sullivan show or something, and those things shouldn’t be thrown away.’ As an industry I would love it if we came together to help preserve the history of what our industry is about, so we don’t lose access to some of the things that got us to where we are today.”
While Spencer’s comments are admirable, they seem tone-deaf and disingenuous when you consider the Xbox Series X and the DRM it’s laden with.
Xbox Series X Games Can’t Be Played Offline
According to a video from YouTuber and game developer Modern Vintage Gamer, the Xbox Series X is unable to play games without connecting to Microsoft’s servers. He tried games off a disc like Rise of the Tomb Raider as well as Hitman 3 and both refused to work offline.
While Microsoft recommends keeping your Xbox Series X as your ‘Home Console’ in its settings, it’s a solution that’s described as a ‘band-aid’ as it doesn’t seem to work with every game as it should.
