Rumor has it that testers who break their NDAs get bricked. Alas, no, says Kyle Orland, quoting Microsoft's denials.
These reports were the first indication we had heard of a remote "kill switch" that Microsoft had available to "brick" a console remotely, for any period of time. Even if these particular leakers arguably deserved such a punishment, the fact that Microsoft had this ability at all was potentially concerning to everyday users. To be clear, these testers are using standard retail Xbox One units and not special "debug" units that Microsoft generally keeps under tighter control. n response to our request for comment, though, a Microsoft spokesperson seemed to contradict the relevant portion of the VMC letter. "To be clear, if a console is suspended from Xbox Live for a violation of the Terms of Use, it can still be used offline."
He points out, though, that being banned from the official gaming service remains a severe punishment.
In other news, Microsoft's console seems to be finally clawing back some market share from the PS4, though Sony' box seems to be the presumptive winner of this generation: some 22m sold by last month, whereas Microsoft hasn't boasted of total sales since hitting the 10m mark late last year.
