Microsoft have utilized for a patent that, whereas not an ideal resolution for each gripe you’ll have with fashionable consoles and digital possession, could however be an amazing step ahead for anybody who has a listing of video games they personal on disc however have purchased (or are pondering of shopping for) a digital-only console.
The patent, first noticed by Gamerant, known as Software program Possession Validation Of Optical Discs Utilizing Secondary Machine, and whereas it goes into a whole lot of element about why it’s being utilized for and the way it works, it mainly boils down customers with the ability to insert a disc right into a console that has each a disc drive and an web connection, utilizing that web connection to validate the consumer’s possession of the disc, then permitting the identical consumer to obtain the digital model of the identical recreation on a second, digital-only console free of charge.
Right here’s Microsoft’s pitch for the applying, which recognises “the ‘really feel’ of dealing with the bodily online game media and/or the nostalgia related to the bodily online game media”:
Lately, a development in direction of producing and consuming digital online game content material has developed. Because of this development, many individuals now favor digital online game content material over bodily online game media. Accordingly, many subsequent era online game gadgets being developed are configured with out {hardware} elements for taking part in bodily online game media. Consequently, when an proprietor of a earlier era online game gadget purchases a subsequent era online game gadget, the proprietor is unable to play their bodily online game media on the following era online game gadget. As an alternative, the proprietor should repurchase the digital model of the online game content material for the following era online game gadget. This state of affairs is undesirable for a number of causes.
First, online game content material (bodily and digital) represents a major monetary funding to some folks. Though the digital model of the online game content material for the following era online game gadget could present extra content material and/or important technological enhancements, it could be tough for some folks to justify repurchasing a online game they already personal and have already performed or accomplished. Second, many homeowners of bodily online game media have emotional attachments to their bodily online game media. These homeowners merely admire the “really feel” of dealing with the bodily online game media and/or the nostalgia related to the bodily online game media. Furthermore, many of those homeowners view their libraries of bodily online game media and paraphernalia as helpful collections, equally to uncommon cash collections, baseball playing cards collections, and many others.
And it might work like this:
To deal with such challenges with taking part in earlier era bodily online game media on subsequent era digital online game gadgets, the current disclosure describes techniques and strategies for offering software program possession validation of optical discs utilizing secondary gadgets. In facets, a neighborhood community could comprise no less than a primary and second gadget. As an illustration, the primary and second gadget could also be linked to a neighborhood space community (LAN) that’s accessible by a number of customers. Alternately, the primary and second gadget might not be linked to the identical native community. As an illustration, the primary gadget could also be linked to a primary native community and the second gadget could also be linked to a second native community. The primary and second gadget could talk utilizing the Web or a distributed community system. The primary and second gadget could also be accessible through a standard consumer account, separate consumer accounts of a standard consumer, or separate consumer accounts of separate customers…
…Bodily media, corresponding to an optical disc, could also be inserted into the optical disc drive of the second gadget. The second gadget could also be licensed to entry digital content material, corresponding to online game content material, on the bodily media. The second gadget may be configured with a selectable setting or choice that allows the second gadget to validate consumer possession of the digital content material on the bodily media. For instance, when the setting or choice is enabled, the second gadget could possibly confirm to a separate gadget, corresponding to the primary gadget, {that a} particular consumer or consumer account possesses possession of the digital content material on the bodily media.
The applying was made in November 2020, which hey would you have a look at that, was the very same month the Xbox Sequence S, a digital-only Xbox console, was launched.