Xbox One digital preservation

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Hiccup
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Posts: 1720
Joined: 09 Oct 2015 11:29

Xbox One digital preservation

Post by Hiccup »

I don't have an Xbox One or Windows 10, but those who do might be interested in having a look at this.

Two things:
1. It seems like Xbox One game packages are not per-console encrypted when downloading from the server, and you can see the URL and download them yourself.
(source: https://digiex.net/threads/step-by-step ... one.15280/)
The URLs are also not timed/signed. (source: me, trying a URL in the post above)

2. As of Windows 10 build 18334, you can download and play the game "State of Decay" free on a Windows 10 PC through the Microsoft Store. The store appears to download the game in the same way as the Xbox One does. In the future, Microsoft is planning to allow all/other Xbox One games to be played on PC. (source: https://sea.mashable.com/tech/2527/you- ... ames-on-pc).

Edit: Kai has linked a video demonstrating MITM'ing an on-console download using a PC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLWH89JwhXI
bevilacq12
Posts: 4
Joined: 13 Aug 2020 05:02

Re: Xbox One digital preservation

Post by bevilacq12 »

One area of XBox One / XBox Series X digital preservation I'm curious about is just activating a new console. Unlike the 360 (and unlike PS3/4/5), the One and Series X don't seem to have any concept of an "offline profile." So when you get a new One or Series X console (or presumably after you format either of these consoles), you can't even play disc games without going online to create a new profile or log into an existing one.

Is there any workaround for this? Maybe this is a bit 'cart before the horse' given that any use of archived backups would require some kind of jailbreaking of the system, and such a jailbreak would hopefully provide an opportunity for addressing this. But the whole thing makes me feel less comfortable with the systems, as even discs are inherently dependent on this online activation in a general sense.
Hiccup
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Joined: 09 Oct 2015 11:29

Re: Xbox One digital preservation

Post by Hiccup »

If this activation system is secure, I'd guess there will be no workaround until the console itself is hacked. But if it isn't secure, then maybe it can be fooled by intercepting the network connection and faking some requests/responses.
KingMike
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Joined: 22 Sep 2012 16:36

Re: Xbox One digital preservation

Post by KingMike »

Hiccup wrote: 13 Oct 2019 17:31 In the future, Microsoft is planning to allow all/other Xbox One games to be played on PC.
Didn't they announce 360 games compatibility to PC users at some point?
bevilacq12
Posts: 4
Joined: 13 Aug 2020 05:02

Re: Xbox One digital preservation

Post by bevilacq12 »

Hiccup wrote: 30 Jan 2021 13:23 If this activation system is secure, I'd guess there will be no workaround until the console itself is hacked. But if it isn't secure, then maybe it can be fooled by intercepting the network connection and faking some requests/responses.
I imagine it's secure considering it's basically logging into or creating a Microsoft/XBox Live account.
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