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Since it was released in late 2005, I've managed to work my way through four Xbox 360 consoles. I'm hardly negligent with them; they simply met with fates that were out of my control. The first unit, for example, had to be sent back to Microsoft in December of 2003 due to a problem with the GPU and artifact issues. This Xbox lasted me quite some time and I ended up selling it to a friend so that I could purchase and Elite. I transferred all of my data from my old hard drive to the new 120gig drive and went on my merry way (though this time I purchased the product replacement plan through Gamestop, you know, just in case a problem were to occur). Less than a month after I made my glorious purchase, the unit decided it didn't want to function anymore. Every attempt I made to turn the unit on was met with an eerie silence that indicated, to me, that the unit was, in fact, a corpse. Fortunately for me, I had that product replacement plan and within a day I had my third Xbox 360 unit sitting bright and shiny on my entertainment center for me to play with. Again, I bought the PRP from Gamestop, but I was sure that this time nothing would happen, that somehow this unit had been blessed by the quality assurance fairies and it would never break.
How wrong I was.
In August of this year, I had to return the unit to Gamestop (again) for yet another Elite, this time due to the fact that the drawer simply wouldn't open and close consistently. I'd press the eject button and it would just sit there. Pressing it about thirty more times would yield the result I wanted, but then I was forced to struggle with the fact that it wouldn't close and when it would close, it would pop open again, as if to taunt me. That little fucker. Suffice to say, this leads me to present day and my fourth Xbox 360. They say the third time's the charm, but I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and hope that it's really the fourth.
Now, I didn't pen this piece so I could complain about the Xbox 360. I could certainly go on doing so, but I don't think it's necessary. Instead, what I'm going to weave for you is a tale of misery and madness that all stems from a simple three letter acronym:
DRM
For those not in the know, DRM stands for "Digital Rights Management" and it's a way for Microsoft to insure that the different transactions you make through Xbox Live marketplace remain your property. In idea, it's a fantastic concept, but in practice it is anything but. Let me first start by putting a few facts into perspective.
I own eighty Xbox Live Arcade titles, as well as tons of televisions programs and downloadable game content including, but not limited to, Rock Band song packs and every Obvlivion expansion. While these are digital properties, I am still entitled the right to play them on the system that I own, both when I'm logged into Xbox Live and those times when I'm not logged in. However, during this current Xbox Live debacle, in which Xbox Live has been up and running with about as much grace and panache as a dying skunk, I realized something very interesting – I couldn't play any of the games I had downloaded, was unable to watch any of the programs I had purchased, nor could I play any of the downloadable content that had been added to my games. Initially, my thoughts were that I had a corrupted hard drive, but one call to Microsoft's incredibly inept team of "tech support" would lead me to several conclusions, each one designed to make me angry as a consumer.
To better understand DRM, we need to see just how it functions. Most people believe that it is tied into your gamertag and credit card with which it is purchased and these people would be somewhat correct. However, it is tied to one other factor and this factor is one that has caused me so much pain and suffering – the downloaded content is tied into the serial number of the Xbox 360 unit from which it was downloaded. This means, as long as I am online, the content is playable, but once I'm offline, I'm officially screwed. Of course, being naïve about this, I decided to contact Microsoft directly and see what could be done to correct the situation at hand.
Now keep these factors in mind while you read this:
1. Gamestop NO LONGER offers a product replacement plan and their return policy is thirty days.
2. I registered the new units as I bought them.
3. All content I downloaded was under my gamertag and my credit card.
With this information in mind, let us move on to the phone call. On Saturday, December 29th it all began amicably enough, with the tech asking me what I needed and seemingly attempting to help me. I explained the situation – I could not play my Live arcade games offline and didn't know why (which is true, as I hadn't know how DRM worked at the time). Thankfully, she explained the whole system to me and granted me the knowledge to understand why these games weren't functional – I had downloaded them when I owned different systems. The operator then began to explain that all they had to do was shift the licenses to my new Xbox 360, which gave me a chance to breathe a sigh of relief. In fact, this process would only take a few minutes! Then it happened.
Tech: "I'll need you to provide me with proof that the system you currently own is yours and that the other one is gone."
Me: "And just how would I do that?"
Tech: "Just fax us the receipt from the transaction from Gamestop."
As many people do, I threw the receipt for the unit our after it was no longer needed, a mistake that would come back to haunt me in the end. However, there was no point in having it – the warranty for the unit kicked in from Microsoft when I registered the unit and Gamestop only takes returns for thirty days (on defects) and the reciept was well over three months old.
Me: "I don't have it anymore. I returned it three months ago and there was no need to keep the receipt. I have a warranty though you guys, as I registered the unit when I got it."
Tech: "Unfortunately, that's not good enough sir. We need some kind of proof that the system is yours. Without that, we can't escalate the call to the next tier."
Me: "Yes, but everything I purchased is under my gamertag and my credit card. You can see that, right?"
Tech: "Yes sir, I can see that."
Me: "So what is the problem here? The system is registered and you have all the proof you need that I bought the content. I simply want to play it offline."
Tech: "There is nothing I can do about that sir. I won't escalate the call unless you can prove the unit is yours and that the old one is gone."
Now, I know they can check serial numbers easily enough, as they did it once before when I called to make sure a dead unit had made it back for a customer. This person flat out denied this and wouldn't help me. Realizing I no longer had the ability to use the $1000 plus dollars I've spent on downloadable content, I lost my fucking mind and tore into this person – not because I didn't understand their policy, but because it didn't make any fucking sense. Suffice to say, I was left with no answers, spoke to three supervisors and am still stuck with games I can only play if Xbox Live is up and running.
I made a second call about a day later that yielded the same result. With no way of proving that this system belonged to me, my only option was, get this, to hope it breaks on me and ship it into MS for an under warranty repair! If the unit was not repairable, the tech said, they would send me a new unit and change the licenses on my DLC purchases.
Seriously, who the fuck is running that place? I understand that they want to insure that you aren't stealing content to give to your friends, but tying the download to a system that is practically guaranteed to break right out the box had got to be one of the most absolutely ridiculous ideas ever conceived. It's already tied to MY credit card, tied to MY gamertag – that should be sufficient. Instead, they decided to add a third element to the mix, one that would make it next to impossible to play games offline without being able to prove that the system sitting in my entertainment system is, in fact, my property. In the realm of stupid ideas, DRM is one of the stupidest and while it might be effective, it is for the wrong reasons. While it may have been prudent for me to keep hold of the receipt, the fact of the matter is that I shouldn't have to OR they should TELL YOU TO DO SO IN CASE THIS HAPPENS! I re-read the service agreement for downloadable content and while the license is not transferable from one system to the other (meaning mine to yours), it IS transferable from my system to my system should the system malfunction – after all, I paid for the damn content. What a load of crap.
Microsoft could have taken the high road in this, doing whatever it takes to excel when it comes to customer satisfaction. What I was asking for was simple – I simply wanted the ability to play my games offline. However, they chose the low road and are continuing to do so by giving the finger to each and every customer who has had to return a system for any reason. Seriously, check out the Xbox forums or check out gamefaqs.com. You're going to discover a plethora of people who are in the exact same boat, floating aimlessly forever in a pool of nothingness, while Microsoft dives into the vast money bin they’ve collected from these faithful users over the past several years. They're like the Scrooge McDuck of the gaming world! It's sickening, it's poor customer service and I honestly think it's a deplorable practice.
Do I have a solution to the problem? No, I really don't. Considering they can monitor the credit card and gamertag of the download, that should be enough, but apparently it isn't. However, tying the download to a serial number is ludicrous and not spreading consumer awareness of how DRM works is just plain dumb. Microsoft got their money for the download and apparently they don't care if you've been inconvenienced, so they aren't lifting a damn finger to come up with a solution. Even the esteemed "Major Nelson" has said that they really aren't concerned with the problems of DRM – meaning that they are aware that there are problems, they simply don't give a damn. Honestly, if you're downloading games off of Xbox Live or if you plan on downloading that song pack for Guitar Hero, you might want to think twice about it, because one day Xbox Live is going to go down like it has this past weekend and you won't be able to play what you paid for. Sure, I'm online most of the time, so it really isn't the end of the world, but the fact of the matter is that we, as consumers, paid for this content and we should be allowed to use it online and offline, with an easier way to transfer the license should our systems break. Until that happens, I will NOT be downloading anymore content and I think you should do the same, that is, unless you ENJOY being fucked over.
