Yeah there is a reason WiiU rarely gets mentioned in these conversations these days.

But I don't know...I am still struggling to see why this retail "choice" is better.

1. There was a fear that the games you own will dissapear when Microsoft decides to shut down the servers in 10 years - we know now that this wouldn't be true as a "no DRM" patch is being delivered digitally day 1. They could easily apply this if they are shutting down the service.

2. I'm sure you would agree that a digital game has advantages over a physical copy. Only downside is price and reselling. I think the trading method proposed by Microsoft was far superior to physical trading of disks. Well one thing to consider is that Microsoft was going to allow retail based pricing and sales for games that are digital is remarkable. Retail outlets like Best Buy have sales and will discount games like they do now. Xbox One was not going to make a difference between retail and digital bought games in terms of features yet allow me to buy games on clearance at the store or on Xbox One. If there is a sale at Best Buy, I buy there. If there is a sale on Xbox Live, I buy there. 

So again, this freedom thing you bring up seems a lot more limiting now.

Do disk based games sync their setting and saves in the cloud?

When I go to my friends place with a disk based copy of Halo 5, does his console know what my controller settings are?

Do I still have to use my USB dongle to transfer my profile? I mean, I may have been offline and I played a disk based game at a friends place...now when I go online Xbox Live doesn't have my achievements if I don't transfer them with USB dongle.

Edit - It gets worse and worse the more information we get.  

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/19/xbox-one-drm-marc-whitten/

"Another such piece of functionality the console's losing: digitally accessible versions of disc-based games. "You're gonna see your online content but you won't see your physical discs,"

Essentially I will never buy a disk based game because I don't want to fragment my library of games therefore I have to stick to Xbox Live pricing and can't get games that are on sale or clearence at best buy. What you call freedom, to me now is much worse.

I'm nog going to BS...those are some valid points when it comes to trading. Yeah if you want to rent games, or borrow games from people at work you may not know very well or want to mark as your family, your point stands.

I was talking to superchunk when bringing up the used games thing because I know for a fact he doesn't have a fear of DRM and loves "always on" products made by Google.

I am confused in this thread. For the GAMING industry the sharing with 10 people WAS NOT a good idea at all. Hence the reason Sony cut it from 5(or 7) to 2 people. Because people took FULL advantage of it. One person buys a map pack and 6 more download it for free. Or one person buys a game and 6 more download it for free. And yet BASICALLY say folks are being cheap and don't want to pay full price for games while SHARING the games with 10 other folks is supposed to be better...I don't get it. Yet by having them change this it will at least make things better for developers and stuff...just my opinion of course.

As for being backwards compatible we pretty much dealt with that this entire generation and it survived fine so I don't get why that is being brought up. Digital has it's advantages and disadvantages just like physical both have their uses. So let's not keep down playing them and just agree that one works for some people and one works for others.

All I have to say to this thread is get a job get gamefly, quit welching off your friends.

1) That was an irrational fear, I agree. But still a remote possibility.

2) Digital has advantages, but most you defined are still there. Sales will still exist and choice of how/where to buy still exists.

3) As for your settings/saves... that's the power of the cloud baby and logging into someone else's XboxOne. I'd bet that will stil be there and your profile will still be cloud based. This will likely become clear as MS redefines all this in the coming days/weeks. I mean Sony already does back-up saves on the cloud.

4) The edit is what I already said. Some of these digital features like sharing will still exist in a smaller form for digitally purchased games. You still have a choice. You can buy disc and be limited to the physical disc copy while gaining DRM-free true ownership OR you can buy digital and gain the benefits of a digital copy while losing true ownership.

That choice is the big difference.

Sounds like you just wanted free games, everyone knows that used games drive sales. I am glad to see the change.

the issue wasnt sharing for most core on this site as we too hate scratched discs.

The issue was this, what happens to my game collection once the generation ends and I can no longer verify those are my games on any console that I shoudl happen to own new or used (should I buy one in the distant future to replace my dead one).

I mentioned this earlier and this needs to be mentioned over and over until people get it. They said used games were bad, yet this was fine?

Double standards.

As far as game settings and game saves being transferred on disc based games. Sony does this right now for PS+ members. So I certainly do not see why this would not be included in Microsoft's cloud service

I don't want to argue with you anymore disolitude but doesn't the xbox360 already have this with cloud saves?

I have 2 consoles. One in my man-cave and one in my family room and regularly swap between them and all my game saves are taken care of. I'm not sure about settings but I think it's the same.