14 DAY TRIAL // Without a doubt, the biggest piece of news this week was Microsoft's 180-degree shift in terms of used games DRM, the 24-hour online checks, and the digital-heavy future of its Xbox One console.
While the next-gen device seemed to remain cemented in its forward-thinking but not so consumer-friendly strategy, Microsoft decided to scrap everything and adopt, instead, the same system used by the current-generation Xbox 360.
The official reasoning for this sudden and quite drastic shift was that Microsoft saw the response to its strategy among its loyal fans and, based on their overwhelmingly negative feedback, decided to maintain the status quo.
While that may seem nice and will certainly please plenty of die-hard Xbox fans who were ready to jump ship to the PlayStation 4, it's almost certain that Microsoft saw the goodwill generated by Sony for its PS4 simply by not following in the footsteps of the Xbox One, towards used games limitations or mandatory online checks.
Microsoft, let's not forget, is in the console business to make money and, after beating Sony, more or less, in one console cycle by releasing the Xbox 360 first and at a lower price, it saw that roles were quickly being switched around, with the PS4 being rumored to appear ahead of the Xbox One and with a lower price tag.
This dire situation was enough to make the company scrap its idealistic digital future for the Xbox One and maintain the status quo, hoping that consumers will get past the 100 USD/ 100 EUR difference in price.
While gamers and Xbox fans in particular will look at this sudden change as a victory, it's more like a step back considering that Microsoft was trying hard to take the industry forward and adopt a Steam-like mentality for the console space, even if it came at the cost of no more used games.
Only time will tell if Microsoft made the right choice, so let's hope that, no matter the winner of the next-gen console war, both gamers and the industry benefit.