Yesterday, it was reported that Microsoft has the ability to remotely disable Xbox One consoles when violating the Terms of Use, or in the most recent case, violating an NDA on an unreleased game. Of course this made Xbox One users wary of Microsoft for having such power over their consoles. Though, that doesn't seem to be the case, at least not entirely.
Today, GameSpot spoke to a Microsoft representative that stated that violating the Terms of Use can force Microsoft to ban a console from Xbox Live, but won't fully disable the console from working.
"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, Microsoft enforcement action does not result in a console becoming unusable."
However, this doesn't unfortunately answer whether the individuals who were sharing footage of the Gears of War remaster did indeed get their consoles fully bricked and unusable.
The lesson here kids? Just follow the rules. Granted, 99% of you won't find yourselves in a situation where you're testing an unreleased game that's under a strict NDA, so the fear of Microsoft shutting down your console completely is unwarranted.
[GameSpot]
