Exclusive Q&A with Marc Whitten on Microsoft DRM tool

by Christopher Grant { Jun 26th 2008 at 3:08PM }

Maybe it was our constant pestering, week after week, month after month, asking everyone at Microsoft what was going on with the DRM situation on Xbox Live – read: some consoles which had been repaired or replaced had lost the ability to play certain XBLA games or view some Xbox Live video content without being signed into Xbox Live – but sometime after announcing the pending release of the DRM tool, we were given the opportunity to speak with Microsoft's Marc Whitten, general manager of Xbox Live, about some of the outstanding questions we had. Anything we missed? Leave your own questions in the comments and we'll try and get the best ones answered.

Joystiq: What took so long? And how long has Microsoft been cognizant of the problem and did the RRoD situation exacerbate this situation?
Marc Whitten: This update is in response to the requests for this from our community. Xbox LIVE members have been asking for an easier way to transfer licenses, and we've been working hard behind the scenes to make this happen. We know the license transfer process has been difficult... I experienced it first hand when I upgraded to an Xbox 360 Elite, but we think this new DRM tool will be great and worth the wait.

How does the tool work? Can we reauthorize content from console to console, or enable on multiple consoles (ala PS3)? If so, how many consoles?
The process is really easy. The Xbox.com DRM tool lets you consolidate all of your downloaded content licenses to one console. So let's say you downloaded UNO from Xbox LIVE Marketplace and an episode of South Park from the Video Store on your Xbox 360, and then upgraded to an Elite down the line and downloaded more games and videos on the new console. In this scenario your content would be licensed to two consoles, and by using the DRM tool you could then download your older content licenses to your new console. With this tool you can transfer licenses from multiple consoles to a single console.

Currently the DRM switch process can take up to 20 days with the help of Xbox Tech Support. Is DRM switching with the new tool instantaneous? If not, how long does it take content to switch over?
I don't think it is still taking that long with our tech support team. We rolled out some changes to support a couple of months ago to give our support agents better tools to handle license transfers, and things have gotten better there. But in terms of the Xbox DRM tool-it is really fast. You can transfer your licenses in a matter of minutes.

What level of control will players have over their ownership of these games? Gamertag centric? Console centric?
Both. You will continue to own any games purchased from your account or Gamertag. Basically, if you bought it on your Xbox 360, this tool will help you move the licenses over. It is that simple.

Can gamers "sell" or "trade" their XBLA games using this tool?
This tool was created to make license transfers easier for our community, not to allow for selling and trading of games.

Assuming Microsoft will be in the games space for awhile, are there plans to let gamers bring XBLA games "forward" to a new console or "sideways" to another product line (think Xbox 7120, Zune, or "Xboy")?
I think you might be getting ahead of yourself here. This tool is only designed for the Xbox 360.

Will this tool also control DRM on PC Live Arcade games? (ps - Where is that anyways?!)
This tool is only for DRM content on your Xbox 360 like Xbox LIVE Arcade games and TV shows.

Is the "tool" Web-based only on Xbox.com or will there be a console-facing counterpart through Xbox Live?
Right now this tool is just on Xbox.com.

Is the DRM tool capable of fixing all downloadable content issues, from XBLA titles to content downloaded for specific games (something like Rock Band, Guitar Hero music for example) to things like Xbox Live Marketplace videos?
All games and entertainment content can be transferred except movies downloaded from the Xbox LIVE Video Store. Movies can't be transferred because they are only available for rent. But everything else-- TV shows, music videos, Xbox LIVE Arcade games, map packs, etc, can be transferred by using this tool.

Tags: BreakingNews, DRM, DRM-tool, Marc-Whitten, Xbox-Live

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

T @ Jun 26th 2008 3:22PM

Okay, so if I take all of my content from my current 20GB drive, and transfer it over to a 120GB drive...then I can relicense it and I'm good to go?

How about limited time content (such as the GHIII "Dream On" DLC)? Does that content transfer over just the same?

whymog @ Jun 26th 2008 3:35PM

I'm pretty sure if you acquire limited-time content, like the GH3 version of "Dream On," your account can always redownload it.

jayeffaar @ Jun 26th 2008 4:01PM

You don't need to re-license if you're transferring stuff between different drives on the same console. Never needed to.

The problem only occurred when switching consoles.

Mr. Cantu @ Jun 26th 2008 4:48PM

jayeffaar is correct.

jayeffaar @ Jun 26th 2008 4:04PM

Wow. I don't think he gave a straight answer to any of the questions.

The guy definitely has a future in politics.

Mr. Cantu @ Jun 26th 2008 4:51PM

You're being sarcastic right?

lysernix @ Jun 26th 2008 5:36PM

Noticed the same thing... the guy dodged left and right... reminded me of the tech support people that no matter what you tell them listen for only key words and give you a prepared response. This "exclusive interview" could have been skipped by MS just issuing a FAQ/press release which is essentially what this is.

Don't get me wrong... Kudos to them for releasing the tool... but its been a LONG time coming - and they act like they're doing us a huge favor. They didn't own up to squat and stopped well short of admitting the short-comings of their offering which is only just adequate.

danny. @ Jun 26th 2008 4:07PM

Content transfer to Xbox 720 confirmed?

Mr. Cantu @ Jun 26th 2008 4:50PM

You're being sarcastic right?

Mr. Cantu @ Jun 26th 2008 4:50PM

doh! not a reply to you danny. Stupid reply system!

murph @ Jun 26th 2008 4:11PM

Yay! I will be moving all my licenses to my skihouse (no internet) X360 this winter...and then praying my home internet never goes down. Finally, all my RB DLC will be available offline.

copa @ Jun 26th 2008 4:25PM

"we think this new DRM tool will be great and worth the wait."

Worth the wait? What an asshole.

This is like Sony telling its customers, "You know, it took us 2 years to give you the in-game XMB that you should have had on day one, but WE think it's worth the wait!"

PeacefulOutrage @ Jun 26th 2008 5:10PM

Interesting way to look at it, the in-game was never a promised feature, and neither are a lot of features on the 360 today.

I do admit that the repair licensing was a problem they needed to fix. But all the hate seems unwarranted.

PeacefulOutrage @ Jun 26th 2008 5:11PM

that would be in-game XMB.

PeacefulOutrage @ Jun 26th 2008 5:20PM

Kizzle @ Jun 26th 2008 6:59PM

Agreed, this guy sounds like a real prick. That "only once every 12 months" pretty much negates half the good this tool will do anyway - transfer stuff to a console once, then if it dies again within a year (which isn't exactly out of the question) or you upgrade to an Elite, you're fucked.

Thanks for nothing, assholes. Remind me to only buy downloadable content on Sony consoles during the next generation.

Bakkster @ Jun 26th 2008 8:20PM

So why do we still need to re-download each piece of content individually? The tool says I have 200 game licenses. Many of these are XBLA game demos and other free stuff, but I'm not looking forward to downloading all of my Rock Band DLC (or anything for that matter) again.

Sure, it's appreciated, I guess. Seems like just the first step, though, and one that should have been there already.

ccc @ Jun 26th 2008 8:48PM

Being someone that waited over 6 months to get my content relicenced this is great news but, having almost 70 arcade games and growing I am more conserned with the question of this content moving forward with a new console. Read this and take note MS. Thats what we want, but great job with this. Now I may get an elite even though I already have the 120 hdd just to have a black machine.