Dear Microsoft,
I would like to thank you for holding my downloadable content (DLC) hostage. I would also like to bring to your attention another flaw in your Digital Rights Management (DRM) model. Discussing flaws in your hardware design is a moot point these days, but it bears mentioning if your hardware did not break so often, I would not be in this sticky situation. Described below is yet another way you are hurting your loyal users who spend money well beyond buying the console and a few games.
You see, I am on my fourth Xbox 360, this one will not read discs anymore (and I had so hoped for yet another Red Ring of Death). I have gotten used to it telling me the disc is dirty, or to play the DVD, but now my 360 will not read any disc. I have used a cleaning disc, I have cleared the cache as Xbox Support has suggested – the drive is toast.
Because the DRM used on the Xbox 360 is based off of the hardware ID the content was downloaded on and one's Gamertag, I now must be online for your server to authenticate me, and unlock my content. In essence, all my DLC is being held hostage until I get online, get a new unit, or both.
Why? I am so glad you asked. After swapping my Elite hard drive to a 360 that does work, two of my Gamertags have become corrupted, seemingly in a blink of an eye. The hardware that the DRM is tied to cannot even play the games needed to use said DLC, and the Gamertags that my content is tied to are corrupt. A third Gamertag on the same hard drive, which has purchased nothing, is perfectly usable.
I’ve purchased over 70 GB of downloads; over 150 Arcade games have been reverted to demos, over 300 songs for Rock Band and Guitar Hero rendered mute, not to mention the countless other game add-ons. Thousands of dollars have been spent in the last four years on DLC alone. None of which I can use.
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Article comments
1 - anonymo
F*ck Microsoft