Consider this the last straw in me never buying an Xbox One. It's not that I feel bitter about any of these policies Microsoft has been cramming at us, but it's just that the thing might not even work where I live. Of the 21 countries that will support the Xbox One, Japan will not be one of them, at least for quite some time.
The Xbox Support Twitter page has stated in responding to questions from posters that the Xbox One "would not have the full experience" in unsupported countries.
@Crofna Unsupported countries would not have the full experience, and may not work. ^PC
— Xbox Support (@XboxSupport1) June 12, 2013
Not to worry about traveling abroad, though, because you can still play your Xbox One when you come home, as the Xbox Support page puts it.
Only problem for me is that abroad is home. If they insist I play my Xbox One only when I head home to visit the folks, I might get a week or two of playing my $500 machine once a year. The problem with a totally digital future is how easy it will become to lock out complete regions of the Earth.
What about our soldiers abroad? Will they no longer have "the full experience?" No more importing rare and fun Japanese games. Lost gems and Holy Grails will become a thing of the past.
What if the Xbox One finally becomes available in Japan, but I get locked out from trying to play American games through it since my IP address won't match the country I want to buy games from? Xbox Support says the best option is to wait for the Xbox One to become available in the region, but will playing a console abroad even be possible?
It's totally possible Microsoft will want me to pay upwards of $90 for a video game not even in my native language, because that's what video games cost out here. Steam already blocks me from major Japanese publishers like SEGA and Capcom, and I can't even access the American Origin site. What's to say Xbox Live will be any different?
Microsoft's message to ex-pats is to simply move back home if you want to play their machine.
Not that it matters. I'll already be enjoying my Wii U and PlayStation 4 restriction free, as confirmed by Sony, by the time Japan finally gets the Xbox One. Sorry, but this is the straw that breaks the camel's back. I'm not dropping $500 on something that "might not work." No way, no how.
