Report: No reactivation fees for used Xbox One games

Report: No reactivation fees for used Xbox One games
Conflicting reports so far regarding used games on the Xbox One

Questions remain regarding Microsoft's official stance on used games for the Xbox One, although one report claims there'll be no fee to reactivate the titles on users' consoles.

Earlier this week, it was hinted that anyone purchasing a second hand game would need to pay a re-authentication fee when installing the game in order to transfer ownership onto their console.

However, Polygon sources claimed once the new game is installed on the Xbox One, the old account will automatically become deactivated and the license will belong to the new owner.

This contradicts a report from MVC stating that gamers will have to pay up to £35 to activate new games, which would include the purchase of the game itself.

No specific scenarios

Publicly, Microsoft is yet to make its stance clear and it seems the exact policy is still being debated. A spokesperson said the confusion will be cleared up in a forthcoming announcement.

The statement read: "While there have been many potential scenarios discussed, we have only confirmed that we designed Xbox One to enable our customers to trade in and resell games at retail. Beyond that, we have not confirmed any specific scenarios. Another piece of clarification around playing games at a friend's house – should you choose to play your game at your friend's house, there is no fee to play that game while you are signed in to your profile."

Meanwhile the Polygon report said that although the console will not require a constant internet connection, it will perform an 'internet spot check' once every 24 hours to authenticate the game owner.

Perhaps Microsoft would be kind enough to lay out the official rules during its E3 keynote in a couple of weeks?

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.