Get down and dirty with Xbox 360's DRM / license transfer tool

Since 2005, just about everyone that's ever had a RRoD or upgraded Xbox 360 asked for it, and strangely enough, our requests have been answered: Microsoft's pushing out its new web-based DRM tool in lieu of the usual spring Dashboard update. The intention is simple -- make your life a little easier when it comes to managing the worthless, arcane, irritating DRM that wraps the various bits of content (namely games and shows) one downloads from Xbox Live. If you have no idea what we're talking about, no need to worry yourself; but those familiar with the acute pain of being unable to manage content licenses across your Xboxen will be mighty relieved to see this light at the end of the tunnel.

Read - Joystiq interview with Xbox Live GM Marc Whitten
Read - The official home of Microsoft's Xbox 360 license transfer tool

[MRCUR @ Jun 26th 2008 8:42PM]

Finally MS... Finally... I'm not liking this once a year rule though, but I guess I'll live.

[michas_pi @ Jun 26th 2008 8:43PM]

One step closer to sanity.

I hope they get rid of DRM altogether one of these days.

[heffeque @ Jun 27th 2008 10:36AM]

What fore. DRM exists because people actually buy stuff with DRM. Just download the stuff by P2P and that's it. If you want to actually reward the musician for his work, go to his concerts.

[Flashpoint @ Jun 26th 2008 8:47PM]

The big powerful companies have DRM.

I've got Limewire, Frostwire, Bittorent and whatever else they release to make things easier for me.

Not so easy for the RIAA to put together enough manpower to search for someone who wardrives and wiijacks with an EeePC and a 500 GB hard drive.

[Shane @ Jun 26th 2008 9:17PM]

So, is wiijacking stealing people's Nintendo Wiis?

[Colin B @ Jun 26th 2008 9:27PM]

Gah Flashpoint you are such an immense tool it blows my mind. Literally every post you have is an attempt to brag about how cool you (think you) are. Give it a rest, will you?

[Juaquin @ Jun 26th 2008 10:04PM]

What the hell does Bittorrent or an EeePC have to do with the XBOX360? It's only vaguely related because of DRM, but this is a completely different kind of DRM.

I'm pretty sure MS will waive the "once per year" thing if you explain to them the circumstances (RROD, etc) just like they'll allow you to re-authenticate a copy of Windows.

[craig#2 @ Jun 27th 2008 2:33AM]

Colin B: I'll back you up on that one.

@Flashpoint: Sit on it, Potsie!

[teej @ Jun 27th 2008 9:58AM]

Colin B/craig: utter agreement.

[superdoppler @ Jun 26th 2008 8:54PM]

I think Microsoft has done a nice job with the 360. And at least they aren't trying to charge us every time they make an upgrade like some other company.

[JAmerican @ Jun 26th 2008 9:13PM]

Looks nice but complicated for no reason. Why can't they just link it to your account?

[MRCUR @ Jun 26th 2008 9:19PM]

All you have to do is start the tool on Xbox.com and then turn on the console you want to transfer the licenses to. Pretty simple if you ask me.

[JAmerican @ Jun 27th 2008 12:36AM]

What would be simpler is if they transferred it to your account. Period. That's simpler.

[Georgi @ Jun 27th 2008 8:55AM]

It IS linked to your account; that's why you can play it as long as you are signed in.
This new tool allows you in a way to UN-link it from your account so other people on the same console can play the game without having to sign in online with your account.

What surprises me is that they would still let you play the games on your original console as long as you are signed in online,
which is great for me because I've been thinking of buying a new Xbox for the living room with HDMI, then move my current one to the bedroom.
This means that I will still be able to play my games in the bedroom as long as I'm online. (which would be easy since I'll be using that Xbox as media center extender and it will always be online)

[Joel Stephen @ Jun 26th 2008 9:26PM]

damn I hate DRM

[Incriminified @ Jun 26th 2008 9:27PM]

This tool would certainly play into the rumor that MS would be going the route of 3rd party hardware manufacturers. Just in case anybody thought they released it because people were asking for it ;)

[grull27 @ Jun 26th 2008 9:31PM]

I did it but it sucks because you have to choose each item and download them one at a time. It's very tedious!

[nxtiak @ Jun 26th 2008 9:59PM]

You can only do this ONCE every TWELVE months.
So if your 360 RROD more than once a year, or you buy a new console, you're SOL until the 12 months are up.

[Chris @ Jun 26th 2008 10:26PM]

No support will take care of it if you get RROD. But if you buy a new console then yes you will have to wait.

[BigD145 @ Jun 26th 2008 10:03PM]

Get rid of the DRM. Completely. Utterly. No more. I refuse to pay for DRM.

[vigilante.killer @ Jun 26th 2008 10:13PM]

Then don't buy an Xbox360.

[Zorque @ Jun 27th 2008 12:02AM]

Aren't you special. DRM on consoles very rarely affects the end user, considering you don't have the ability to do things like copy files you can on a PC, so your little moral crusade doesn't mean anything here.

DRM that actually restricts you unfairly sucks, but if it's completely transparent what are you complaining for?

[jb007 @ Jun 26th 2008 10:46PM]

I'm only going to say this once:

1. Yay Microsoft for finally becoming more user acessable.
2. This is FAR too late. Really, really, really, really, really really late.
3. Did I mention that this is coming way too late?

[Reid @ Jun 26th 2008 10:48PM]

Spring dashboard update? It's summer, not spring.

Fortunately I have zero DRM'd content on my 360 (and close to zero on my computer).

[Carl Vitullo @ Jun 26th 2008 10:53PM]

I think you mean "Archaic", not "Arcane".
Archaic means old, outdated, whereas arcane means "That which is kept hidden and secret."

[Ed @ Jun 26th 2008 11:47PM]

"Arcane" would be an adjective modifying "DRM" - not sure where you're checking definitions, but maybe take a peek at dictionary.reference.com's definitions of arcane from about a dozen different dictionary sources and see if most of those don't apply to DRM just as well as "outdated" might. (I'm not even sure I agree that DRM is "outdated" - though I think it should be retired for reasons having nothing to do with its age.)

[Owen @ Jun 26th 2008 11:34PM]

Microsoft really knows how to provide users with a false sense of security.

[Neil @ Jun 27th 2008 12:38AM]

Just tried to do this.

Typical Microsoft buffoonery.

The web interface is fine, and works well enough.

But then you have to go to your Xbox and sort through a massive list of everything you've ever downloaded, from demos to full games, and sort out which were actually full games, then individually re-download ever single thing. If you're like me and have a few dozen purchased games, the process could take hours.

It's tedius and ill-conceived.

And the 12-month limit and not applying licence transfers to videos is insulting.

Sorry MS, still boycotting Xbox Live's draconian DRM.

[Matt @ Jun 27th 2008 1:54AM]

It applies license transfers to videos you own, just not rentals. (At least that's what it's supposed to do, haven't tested it though.)

I'm guessing the 12 month thing is because of licensing between Microsoft and the content providers. That is, there probably exists two companies, A and B, such that A doesn't care how many times a piece of content is transferred but B requires it not be done more than once every year. And since the whole point is consolidating the licenses, they had to go with the longest required wait period. Of course, company B may be Microsoft itself.

BTW, did anyone figure out how to view their purchase history online? I see a link on the DRM page, but it just leads to billing.microsoft.com where I am unable to find such information.

[engadget @ Jun 27th 2008 11:24AM]

Matt,

Billing shows your purchase history for the past 12 months. You can manually change the URL to go back an additional two months. Anything past 14 months is either flush from or inaccessible through billing.microsoft.com.

You can view your entire download history on your 360 by going through Account Management -> Download History. Then you can proceed to painfully & slowly re-download/re-authorize your content, one item at a time, as long as the lowly six-item download queue isn't full.

I'm hoping that the next dashboard update will allow you to checkbox download history items for background downloading en masse, although I suspect that Microsoft will keep things cumbersome to prevent some portion of people from subjecting themselves to it more than once.

[izikavazo @ Jun 27th 2008 1:30AM]

HAHAHA, Xboxen. Classic

[ASSEMblerEX @ Jun 27th 2008 3:35AM]

This is awesome. Now I can keylog your info and transfer all your games to my system for free.

Microsoft is so great!

[tekdroid @ Jun 27th 2008 4:08AM]

get down and dirty sure seems like an apt description.

[ShadowKain @ Jun 27th 2008 8:58AM]

THANK GOD, somebody finally is doing something about this...

[FastRX8 @ Jun 27th 2008 11:42AM]

@ Ryan Block -
I just wanted to commit on the use of "Xboxen" (Brian Reagan reference).
Very funny. Had me rolling. Thanks.

[Justin B @ Jun 27th 2008 11:49AM]

This is awesome. It's about time. Thanks for the update engadget!

[Miguel @ Jun 28th 2008 2:18AM]

its a step closer but still too much to bear. I have 536 items in my download history, though only about 100 i guess i am going to update the license. Like hell im going to download all those over again! To download your licenses to your new console:
1. Make sure you're signed in to Xbox LIVE with this account: *********.
2. Go to Xbox LIVE Marketplace and select Account Management, Download History.
3. Select an item and then select Download Again.
4. Repeat step 3 for each item in your download history.