Microsoft Addresses Xbox 360 DRM Issue

For the longest time Xbox 360 owners who have had to replace their faulty hardware or who have upgraded to a different model (to an Elite, for example) had to contend with the very unpleasant issue of DRM interfering with their actually being able to play Xbox Live Arcade titles or other content on the new console. Well, now Microsoft has finally done something about the situation, releasing a new DRM tool on Xbox.com. The tool allows Xbox 360 owners to quickly transfer the content licenses from multiple systems onto a single console.

Our friends at Joystiq have a quick Q&A with Marc Whitten, general manager of Xbox Live, who goes into further detail.

"The process is really easy. The Xbox.com DRM tool lets you consolidate all of your downloaded content licenses to one console," said Whitten. "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."