Xbox One games will require a one-time activation code to use, Microsoft told us following the May 21 reveal of their latest console. However, players will still be able to trade and sell games online – although we are not clear on the details.
Speaking at the big event in Redmond, Microsoft vice president Phil Harrison provided some clarification about the next generation console’s used game policy, and explained that there will be a solution for people who want to trade games with their friends.
Here is how the system seems to work: when you purchase a game for the Xbox One, you will get a unique code that you will enter when you install the game. The code can only be used once, and you must be connected to the Internet – similar to installing a Steam title on PC. Once you use the code, the game will be linked to your Xbox Live account. Other users on the console will also be able to play the game, according to Harrison.
However, if you decide to take a game to a friend’s, you will have to pay a fee. We aren’t talking about an activation key, of course – we are talking the actual price of the game. Harrison says to think of it as purchasing a new game.
“The bits that are on that disc, you can give it to your friend and they can install it on an Xbox One. They would then have to purchase the right to play that game through Xbox Live. Let’s assume it’s a new game, so [yes], it will be the same price.”
Of course, this doesn’t mean used games are dead. Harrison told us players will be able to sell their Xbox One games online, but no further information was given.
Regardless of how the final system works, it isn’t likely to please GameStop, the world’s biggest buyer and seller of used games, but it would be a tantalizing way to share games with your friends and family members.
