After two weeks of backlash and internet outrage over some of the Xbox One’s new policies, Microsoft changed course and appeased gamers around the world. After first showing off its new console in May, Microsoft said that the Xbox One would need to be connected to the internet once every 24 hours to play games and would severely limit loaning or selling used games. Last Wednesday, Microsoft reversed its stance in a move some are calling the Xbox One-Eighty, eliminating both of these requirements from its new console. But Microsoft also eliminated some truly future-thinking innovations, like online game sharing and disc-free game swapping. While we lost some of these cool new features, many are calling this a win-win for all parties involved: gamers get to use the Xbox One in the same way they’ve come to love their Xbox 360, and reports say pre-order sales have skyrocketed in the days since the reversal. The Xbox One – now more gamer-friendly – hits store shelves this November for $499.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.