Weekend Wrap-up: Xbox One loses DRM, Instagram adds video
This week wasn’t quite as jam-packed with news as last week, but we still had enough going on that I couldn’t squeeze some pretty big Apple news into the headline.
The news I’m referring to is that Apple’s TV “hobby,” the Apple TV, now has access to HBO GO and WatchESPN, as well as a few other streaming services. For the Apple faithful who have been Airplaying the HBO GO app from an iPhone or iPad, native Apple TV support has been a long time coming.
The really big stories, though, came from Microsoft and Instagram.
After enduring a month of heavy criticism from the gaming community, and a moment on Late Night where Jimmy Fallon proclaimed that the PS4 was the only used game player, Microsoft reversed course. Game discs will no longer have DRM attached to them that automatically blocks used game sales unless a publisher “enables” the feature — now, games will work the same as they do on the Xbox 360. You’ll be able to install a game on your hard drive, but to play it, the disc must be present in the tray at all times. And if you want to lend a game to a friend, you’ll be able to.
And hey, have you heard about that app that lets you take a short video clip and share it with your social networks? I could be talking about many different apps, but one of the more recent ones, Vine, now has a pretty formidable competitor in filtery photo app Instagram. That’s right — not only can you take still, vintage-looking selfies and shots of clouds and food, you can also do 15-second video clips, too.
We did write about a few other things this week. For all of the backlash surrounding the Xbox One’s restrictions, would you believe there are some people who are sad to see them go? Also, we took a look at some of the great iOS games you should be playing this summer. And if you thought Ashton Kutcher was totally going to fail in his portrayal of Steve Jobs, you might want to take a look at the Jobs trailer and reevaluate.
Thanks for stopping by and getting all caught up. Check in next Saturday afternoon for another wrap-up.