Xbox One's 'Family Sharing' Plan Detailed

9th August, 0 replies

Xbox One, Planet Muck, Xbox 360

After a long wait and a metric tonne of speculation, Microsoft has finally shed some light on the touted 'Family Sharing' plan that was first announced back when the system still featured daily online checkups and measures to limit used games.

In an official Xbox News post on Xbox.com, it was formally announced that the Xbox One will be adopting a game-sharing plan similar to that of the PlayStation 3's game sharing, only with more benefits and fewer restrictions. According to this new plan, all household members who share an Xbox One will have access to all the digital content and features that have been purchased or used on said system. For example, if you have access to Xbox Live Gold and have downloaded a copy of Below or any other game available on the Xbox Live Arcade, then those features (such as Skype, the various sports features, and game recording/sharing) will be available to all other members who share the use of that console. That means that, if your friend comes over but doesn't have an Xbox Live Gold account, he can still watch Netflix and Hulu on your system, since you have access to those features. He can also play your downloaded titles.

In addition to this plan that allows your family to enjoy the use of your games and features, you can also do the same by taking your account to a friend's Xbox. Once you've logged onto your account on another person's Xbox, those same features will be shared. There is one small caveat, however. On your home console, an unlimited amount of 'friends or family' can take advantage of your features and options even when you're not there and logged in, but at a friend's place, you need to be logged in on your account for the others to be able to access your benefits and features.

As an added bonus, your current Xbox Live Gold subscriptions will carry over to Xbox One consoles, and you will be able to access both simultaneously.

All in all, Microsoft has taken many steps forward towards making up to the gamers they'd angered with the Xbox One's initial policies. They cut out used game limitations, have dropped the occasional check-ins, and have moved forward to offer gamers more leniency when it comes to digital game sharing by lessening the blow of Xbox Live Gold's costs. That said, there are no defined limitations to how many consoles can be in use.

This is all very good news and it's definitely edging me towards an Xbox One purchase, but it's hard to shake the feeling that this proposed feature is basically the exact same thing I've been getting on my PlayStation 3 for seven years. Here's hoping Microsoft learns from Sony's mistakes and finds a way to keep users from abusing it.

Source:

gamrreview.com/news/90363/…

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