xbox one

A month ago, we asked which next-gen console you were planning to invest in. Over 6,000 people responded and 51 percent threw their money and support behind Sony's PlayStation 4. That left 34 percent planning on the Xbox One, and only 7 percent who were budgeting for both.

A lot has happened since we checked in on your gaming sentiments. Microsoft took some shots over its announced policies of requiring an always-on Internet connection and putting restrictions on the used-game market for the Xbox One. Sony even got in a good video ribbing of its rival's used-game … Read more

At least one Microsoft employee -- or somebody posing as one -- is none too happy with the company's about-face on the Xbox One.

In an anonymous Pastebin post on Thursday, a self-dubbed "heartbroken MS employee" vented on Microsoft's decision to remove at least two of the more controversial features in the Xbox One. On Wednesday, Microsoft announced that it would jettison the requirement that the Xbox One connect to the Internet. The company also said it would loosen the restrictions on used game sales.

In response, the Pastebin poster tried to highlight the vision behind the Xbox One … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Tostilocos: Tijuana street food hits the mainstream.

- Sixteen San Diego Comic-Con exclusives that have the Internet talking.

- Microsoft pulls a 180, reverses Xbox One always-on DRM and used games policy.

- Microsoft on Xbox One reversal: Dude, E3 held us up.

- "Sound City" is a documentary directed by Dave Grohl about the fabled eponymous recording studio in Van Nuys, Calif.

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Microsoft says its decision to reverse its stance on Internet-connection requirements and used-games limitations was held up by last week's E3 gaming expo.

Speaking to All Things Digital in an interview published Thursday, Microsoft Xbox Chief Product Officer Mark Whitten said the company's E3 presentation was "the first time we had a chance to really lay out our program," adding that Microsoft believed it could explain the "complete story" at E3 and get to see what consumers "liked and what they didn't like."

In other words, Microsoft wanted to use its … Read more

Microsoft may have just backtracked on its derided policy that had restricted game sharing in its Xbox One console that goes on sale later this year -- but don't count on the company to revisit other unpopular features of the upcoming console.

In an interview with CNET, Marc Whitten, the chief product officer for Xbox, said the company has "no plans" to lower the $499 price tag for the console, even though Sony's rival PlayStation 4 will debut at $399. He echoed previous statements from the company that the Xbox One will offer features not found … Read more

Microsoft changed its controversial stance on always-on connectivity and game DRM on Wednesday, a reversal that comes after more than a week of harsh criticism from consumers, press and especially competitors.

The move comes just a few months before the console is set to hit store shelves, and is widely-viewed as reactionary. Rival Sony, which priced and further detailed its PlayStation 4 console at E3 last week, made waves for not having DRM on its games, as well as coming in $100 less than Microsoft's $499 Xbox One.

Of course, it's not the first reversal by Microsoft following … Read more

We've still got about five months before the new Xbox One and PlayStation 4 launch in North America, and already blood has been spilled.

From Microsoft gathering an arguably more impressive stable of exclusive games, to Sony revealing the lack of restrictions on PS4 games and a $100 lower price -- to Microsoft now doing a complete 180 on its DRM policies, this next console launch may be one of the most exciting and brutal yet.

And I can't wait to comfortably watch from the sidelines, praising Thor I'm not in either of their shoes.… Read more

Relief, disbelief, and some leftover bitterness surround Microsoft pulling a 180 on its Xbox One "always-on" policy.

Gamers have taken to forums, comment threads, and social media to express how they feel about the tech giant flip-flopping on the series of rules and restrictions that would have required Xbox One gamers to connect their consoles to the Internet once a day to prevent game piracy.

Microsoft announced Wednesday that it was backtracking on this much-derided policy, causing a flood of user reaction.

On Xbox's Facebook and Twitter accounts, tens of thousands of users have commented on the … Read more