XBox One[80]

[Giorgio]

German data protection commissioner expresses privacy concerns about Xbox One
http://www.polygon.com/2013/5/27/437045 ... s-xbox-one

Peter Schaar, Germany's federal commissioner for data protection and freedom of information, is concerned about the privacy implications of the Xbox One, Spiegel reports.

Microsoft announced the console last week, touting the always-on capabilities and the new Kinect's ability to listen and respond to commands even when it appears to be powered down. The new Kinect can also identify users, track heart rate and muscle movement and see in the dark.

"The Xbox [One] registered all sorts of personal information about me," Schaar said (via Bing Translator). "Reaction rates, my learning or emotional states. You are then processed on a remote server and possibly even to third parties. Whether it be deleted ever, the person concerned cannot influence."

Unlike with the Xbox 360, the Xbox One requires a Kinect to function, though Microsoft's hardware program manager John Link told Polygon that "there are settings, obviously, in the console to be able to change the settings of how your Kinect is used, if you're interested."

Microsoft responded in the wake of the announcement saying that privacy is a "top priority" for the company. You can check out Polygon's impressions of the new Kinect in a video from the day of the next-gen console's unveiling.

We've reached out to Microsoft to see how the Xbox One and Kinect will handle user information, including whether the information it collects will be transmitted to third parties, and will update this report as more information becomes available.

[MiTT3NZ]

Not a fan of Cliffy B at all, but he's right, nobody actually "owns" consoles and games according to the letter of the law. That's what happens when bureaucrats run the planet.

[Axm]

Not a fan of Cliffy B at all, but he's right, nobody actually "owns" consoles and games according to the letter of the law. That's what happens when bureaucrats run the planet.

[MiTT3NZ]

That's a bit of a typical internet comment though, in't it? Like he specifically stated, he doesn't support the idea, he's just pointing out the facts (which isn't obvious to a lot of people) It's not just games and consoles, but most software in general.

And no, ptuck874, you don't. Most of the time games don't display a user end license agreement, that's just the way it is, and there aren't many people who're willing to put in the time, money and effort to take the issue to court.

[Bluecast]

This constant use of "typical internet comment" is becoming the new typical weak counter point on the internet. So really that's the typical internet comment.

[MiTT3NZ]

Okay then, replace "typical internet comment" with "typical example of a smartarse attempt at a point that will go nowhere due to the fact that we all exist in the inconvenient realm of reality which will not change in spite of the strenuous attempt at wit from someone who probably doesn't go outside enough to even consider returning a video game to the shop upon disagreeing with the end user agreement even if the option was available to him something that he probably didn't take into consideration because thinking outside the box usually requires looking outside the box and being outside the box which in this case is his bedroom".

Yeah, I think "typical internet comment" is much shorter.

[Axm]

--

[Axm]

Okay then, replace "typical internet comment" with "typical example of a smartarse attempt at a point that will go nowhere due to the fact that we all exist in the inconvenient realm of reality which will not change in spite of the strenuous attempt at wit from someone who probably doesn't go outside enough to even consider returning a video game to the shop upon disagreeing with the end user agreement even if the option was available to him something that he probably didn't take into consideration because thinking outside the box usually requires looking outside the box and being outside the box which in this case is his bedroom".

Yeah, I think "typical internet comment" is much shorter.

<3

[AnimeGamer183]

PS4 save us all.

PS4 is letting used games up to publishers. So we may see similar problems on both sides.

And I thought this Gen was bad. Hey, atleast my most anticipated game from next gen, is on Wii-U, can ya guess?

X

[Who Really Cares?]

It's easy to defend greed when you own two Ferrari's

Create a series that sells over 20M and you could buy one

And as Mitz and Cliffy B him self said he was just stating a fact at the end of the day.

phpBB [video]

[Kenny]

It's the same with movies too. Technically you don't own them, per say. You just obtain a license to own a copy of your own. The license being the VHS, laserdisc, DVD, digital file, ect.

I might've missed it, but what was his point though? This is the whole used games argument? The real issue is paying for a used game at full price and not being able to buy cheap old games second hand anymore. Is never had picked up games like Prince of Persia if I had to pay 30 or 60 bucks instead of the 3 I ended up shelling out.

[Who Really Cares?]

Just been answering what people have been tweeting in general since last Tuesday. But he mainly thinks publishers should get some money from used sales in stores.

But then that doesn't take into effect stuff like ebay or simply selling games to mates hell at the moment we don't even know if we can just lend a game to a friend without them having to pay. At one point it was said a fee would be needed then another said they simply couldn't play it without the disc in the console and so on.

Its causing issues before its even official so really they should just say fuck it and stick with the online passes.[or we should just wait till its all laid out for us]

[Who Really Cares?]

Kinect can be deactivated

Jeff Henshaw, the group program manager for Xbox Incubation, has told CNET in a new interview that users will be able to switch the camera off.

"If you want privacy, we’ll give you modes that ensure your privacy," he said.

"We will have something similar for the Kinect with Xbox One. The system is designed to have Kinect be an integral part of the experience. It's not the case where you’ll be able to remove the camera altogether. But you’ll be able to put the system in modes where you can be completely secure about the fact that the camera is off and can’t see you."

This new comes after it was reported that Australian authorities revealed that they had privacy concerns surrounding the Xbox One.

"Microsoft's new Xbox meets the definition of a surveillance device under some Australian laws, so they need to be upfront and tell customers whether anyone else can intercept their information or remotely access their device," Civil Liberties Australia director Tim Vines told NineMSN.

"People should have the ability to turn off the camera or microphone, even if it limits the functionality of the machine. If Microsoft doesn’t allow that, then people should vote with their wallets and skip the next Xbox."

Are you worried about Kinect watching you?



AMD - Microsoft deal worth 3 Billion Dollars

An ex AMD employee has revealed that the deal between AMD and Microsoft for the Xbox One is worth more than 3 billion dollars.

Bob Feldstein, currently the VP Technology Licensing at Nvidia, outed the news on his LinkedIn account (Via GameChup).

"AMD provided a custom silicon solution to Microsoft for the Xbox One, a game console and entertainment device. This required the coordination of multiple functional teams within AMD, as well as regular customer meetings with leadership teams responsible for handling the challenges of complex, muti-year deals. This project is valued at 3+B Dollars."

AMD has also provided components for Sony's PS4.




Zynga's Words with Friends coming to Xbox One?

A new game may have been outed for Xbox One, in the shape of Zynga's Words with Friends.

Polygon reports that a title on the Xbox 360 home screen leads you to information all about the Xbox One tile; Opening this tile then takes you to a "What it does" tab and in there are a bunch of slides with features such as TV viewing, muti-tasking and Skype. Words with Friends is seen as part of the "Multitasking is a Snap," perhaps hinting that the game will be announced at this year's E3.

Words with Friends is a word game developed by Zynga for mobile and Facebook.




Mark Reign says Xbox One/PS4 are not a generation ahead of PCs

EA's chief technical officer Rajat Teneja and Epic Games' vice president Mark Rein seem to be in disagreement after the former said the new Xbox One is a generation ahead of PCs.

"These architectures are a generation ahead of the highest end PC on the market. Our benchmarks on just the video and audio performance are 8-10 times superior to the current gen," Teneja had previously said.

However, Rein has come out on Twitter to flat out deny these claims are true, saying:

"RT @developonline: EA: Xbox One and PS4 a generation ahead of PC http://www.develop-online.net/news/4428 ... head-of-PC … <-no they’re not. I call bullshit on this one."

You can't get much clearer than that, can you?

http://www.shopto.net/news/42900/Xbox-O ... 3-billion/

[Segata Sanshiro Jr.]

Thing is, he's kind of the high end of making games.

See this is the main issue with this, all of his posts and tweets and stuff. The guy has more then one Ferrari. Soooo yea this whole "Oh, I am teh sad, pulishers need teh munnies from teh used gamez, and piracy is teh worstest evil" is all bullshit. He's basically saying "We gotta gits moar munnies" while he's already sitting on a ton of it.

You won't hear Cactus from Dennaton saying that, actually he's helped people who pirated his game. You also won't see people from Klei, Falcom, Xseed or most smaller studios complaining. Used games obviously have an effect on the product, but its on par with piracy and is pretty negligible, actually both can offer up way more positives.

Falcom for example, was extremely happy with the sales of used games. Because people bought used copies of Trails in the Sky it was able to reach more people and each installation sold more then the last. This caused people to buy the digital versions and special editions and even QUADRUPLE dip for the PS3 re-releases. That basically hits every point, release a retail product in a limited quantity, offer a digital version that is transferrable on multiple platforms (including drm free version) release a physical package worth keeping and finally release a 2nd drm free copy to a home console.

You really don't need invasive EULAs that are written in a specific jargon and are purposely worded to make people just hit "next" yea its dumb people do it, but well thats half the point here, no single person wants to rock the boat even though in reality we all can because this has never actually been tested.

Cliffy B is basically not the guy to listen to when it comes to budgets or money because he's rich, he's a rich guy telling you he's losing money, boo fucking hoo. He's not actually hurting from not getting that money, he doesn't know what it IS to be hurting financially. If small companies like Level 5, Falcom, Bohemia and CD Red Projekt aren't complaining and they're working on the same level then Epic is doing something wrong.

Finally, yea buying a liscense, yadda yadda, I get it we don't own it but theres ways around that. Like DRM free software. Sure I bought a liscense for gabriel knight, I do whatever the fuck I want with it. I can go into the game and switch all of tim curry's dialogue to clips of him saying "MENTAL MINDFUCK" or that shitty song from that witch movie. I can change gabriels sprite to a badly drawn version of frankenfutur, I can take the game, burn it to a disc, cum on it, throw it out a window, and then just burn another one because while I don't own the "Game" ie I can't sell it, or use the characters or programming to make money, I still have freedom of how and when I want to use the product.

That what we need. Companies having the ability to just say "No soup for you" is bullshit.

[MiTT3NZ]

So we shouldn't acknowledge his statement of fact because he's rich?