Late last year game consoles returned to the Chinese market after a 13 year hiatus. Both Microsoft and Sony took advantage, releasing the Xbox One and PS4, respectively. However, the Xbox One came with a couple of additional limiting features compared to how the console is sold elsewhere in the world. Notably, the inclusion of region locking and an online activation system for physical games.
It looks as thought the region locking may be a thing of the past, though, as reports are coming in that the Xbox One April firmware update removes it. Microsoft or its Chinese distribution partner BesTV have yet to confirm or deny this is an official change, and just as importantly, one pre-approved by the Chinese government as with most things in China.
If the removal is on purpose, then it could unlock the Xbox One in China to play online against gamers in other countries. It may also allow Chinese gamers to purchase digital games not available in China by creating accounts for the US/European/Japanese versions of Xbox Live.
This change would seem very unlikely in China but for one fact: the PS4 is available there without the same region lock in place. With that being the case, it seems unlikely this was a mistake on Microsoft’s part. You have to wonder whether the online activation for physical games has also disappeared, though.
If the firmware update brings parity between the PS4 and Xbox One in terms of restrictions, then the Xbox One will remain locked out of other Xbox Live accounts and won’t be able to play online on non-Chinese servers. However, gamers will be able to import and play physical games, opening up the system to many more titles. That’s good news for gamers and for Microsoft even if they’d prefer Chinese gamers only purchased games released on the Chinese market.
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