Argh. Original posting in wrong forum..

We've gone over this a few times before, but I keep seeing whining and complaining going on, on various forums. On Major Nelson's website, every Arcade game that gets released sees about 50% of the entire post count dedicated to people saying they refuse to buy said game "until the DRM issue gets fixed".

To refresh people on what the DRM issue is, that has supposedly been going on since the X360 started seeing RRODs, here's what's been happening:

• User purchases content/games for their Xbox 360, and content works fine.
• User has Xbox 360 die on them via RROD, or other method. User has to send Xbox 360 to Microsoft.
• User gets refurbished Xbox 360 back. Content is DRM locked into previous console with a "secret code", source: http://consumerist.com/355519/microsoft-has-no-answer-for-their-broken-xbox-live-drm . This forces user to stay online to use said content
• User's content then is unable to be used offline, forcing many, many people that have had to return their broken Xbox 360s, causing much rage in various posters on Xbox.com, and Majornelson.com, and is sometimes a frequent topic on NeoGAF.

The issue I'm having is that I really "don't get it" when it comes to the fact that everyone says that this is an unavioidable issue for Xbox 360 users, and is an even bigger travesty than the RROD issue, as the paid for content is no longer usable. Some have had their points returned to them by Microsoft.

 Here's the issue I'm taking with it, and maybe my solution is no longer workable, or what is going on:

On March 22nd, 2007 my Xbox 360 RRODed. I called Microsoft, and got a replacement 'box about 2 weeks later. Like the DRM-plagued X360 users, the Xbox Live Arcade games I own were indeed locked - I had the full versions of the said games saved on my HDD (which wasn't sent in). My gamercard even had the said games, with unlocked achievements proving that I indeed owned the game.

Not knowing what to do, the next time I went on XBL (I do not have it full time - I have to take my 360 to download content and games), I went to where I had downloaded the games, and saw the fact my gamercard had indeed downloaded the titles. I then selected to redownload the games (since I was able to re-download the games for free, since my gamercard showed I had indeed paid for them).

Since then, I have had none of the issues that DRM-fanatics have claimed: I play almost entirely offline, even the arcade games that were locked for a few weeks that I didn't have XBL.

So what has changed? If this is the fix, it seems that there are too many stupid Xbox 360 owners out there. KN had the same issue when he had his X360 replaced due to a DVD failure. I gave him the same steps I used, and it worked fine.

Am I not understanding the issue, or what is going on? I have yet to see anyone in the MS forums complain about the DRM issue.

Any ideas?

I'm always online, so when I sent mine in, it didn't matter.

DRM in general is hated by people and anything which appears to be a problem related to DRM becomes a major bitchfest ... Personally, I dislike DRM and am disapointed that few companies realize that it is impossible to produce an unbreakable DRM system (you have to produce an encryption format which allows the receiver to "read" a message without allowing the receiver to "read" the message) but I won't waste time complaining about it.

If the problem is as easy to fix as you claim it is then I think that these people's complaints are unreasonable though ...

It probably like Happysqurriel wrote, a lot gamers hate DRM and it quick to criticize it just like Starforce copy protection.

I will take a guess and say you didn't get the problem because you didn't send your HDD...

Ail -

I can fully understand why someone would have DRM issues if the HDD (which stores your information that's critical to retaining games).

However, when you get your box from MS, it says in bold letters "do NOT send your HDD into us. You must keep it".

So is this just an issue of gamers being very, very, very stypid?

File this one under "Inadequate idiot-proofing will piss off idiotic customers."

One thing I don't get. If fixing the issue is as simple as re-downloading the data, why is MS refunding points to some users instead of instructing them to re-download their games?

That, I dont know,famous.

if things like this aren't resolved properly, then digital distribution will never take off imo. or it will take off, then crash and burn.

people just need a reason to complain... I see nothing wrong with needing to re-download it especially for free. Otherwise there would be massive issues with people getting stuff for free and prices would have to be jacked up to compinsate