Xbox One pre-owned games may require fee payment

Microsoft faces a backlash from some gamers after it emerged the company may charge a fee to play pre-owned games on its new Xbox One console.

It would also mean borrowing a game from a friend will require a payment to play, possibly the full price.

Microsoft has said gamers will be able to trade their used games online - but refused to give more details.

Microsoft's director of programming, Larry Hryb, admitted there had been some "confusion" around the policy.

An official Xbox support account on Twitter had initially told fans that no fee would be needed for used games, but a later comment from Mr Hryb sought to clarify the situation.

He wrote on his blog: "While there have been many potential scenarios discussed, today we have only confirmed that we designed Xbox One to enable our customers to trade in and resell games at retail.

"Beyond that, we have not confirmed any specific scenarios."

He added that gamers could bring their games to a friends' house to play without paying a fee - but only if the game's owner is signed in to the Xbox Live account with which it is registered.

If the player wanted to lend the game to that friend, a fee would be required in order to play the title on a different Xbox Live profile.

:story: BBC News