360: DLC licensed to a hard drive or a console?

[Keebler]

Here's a good question for you. Let's say I buy DLC and I want to enjoy it at someone else's house (more than likely always going to happen, since my apt. is too small for rocking out). Will I be able to take my hard drive from my 360 console and swap it out of someone else's?

In essence, I'm asking if DLC is licensed to the hard drive you download it to, or to the console from which you download it. I've also heard that you can use DLC on any console, as long as the gamertag you downloaded it with is signed in.

Any clarification?

[Xzyliac]

It's the HDD bro.

[Reaper0563]

yes 10 char limit

[Transbrak]

it will work as long as your gamertag is signed in

you can also sign in to your gamertag and d/l it again on their console free of charge allthough when you sign out the content stops working

[DrunkOldMan]

You have to actually be signed into Live for DLC to work on another console, not just signed into the Gamertag.

[Transbrak]

well thats what I meant hehe


sucks when the internet goes out though (boo suddenlink)

[monlienNH3]

Yeah. Sorry to disagree with everyone, but I know for a fact it's the console. The DLC is linked to the console you download it on. But the gamertag that purchased it can play it from any console as long as your connected to live. I personally hate this policy since I have 3 gamers in my household and 2 360's. I'm the only one who can play the arcade games on both systems.

[dethklok]

Like monlien said, it's locked to the system.

I tried playing my GH2 tracks on my friends Xbox with my HDD, but they wouldn't show up. I hooked up my Xbox (long story, don't ask why I took it) and put in my HDD, and bam, they were there. I think it's the Xbox ;)

[InuHanyou1701]

As with downloaded movies on the Xbox 360 (Please forgive any typos. It's dark and my keyboard's dark), the licensing is linked to your hard drive. NOT the console. When the Xbox 360 Elite console came out, it came with a 120 GB hard drive adn buyers were given the option to get a free transfer cable if you were upgrading. You could move all of your data from one hard drive to the other and it was a one time thing. The comment by Microsoft, though, was that any licensed downloaded items, such as movies, would have to be redownloaded.

[DrunkOldMan]

Ugh..... you guys are really confusing things.

Downloads from the Marketplace (DLC, Arcade, Movies etc) are tied to BOTH the CONSOLE and the gamertag that downloads it as part of their digital rights management. The content is only stored on the Hard Drive and has no baring on anything.

Because of this you can:

A) Use the content that was downloaded from the console that it was downloaded from regardless of the machine being connected to Live or the gamertag that is signed in (if any at all).

B) Redownload the content with the same gamertag account, to the same console without changes to anything, or any additional charges.

C) Use the content on another machine (either through a download or taking your HDD or memory card to a friends house) if, and only if, the original Gamertag account is signed into Xbox Live.

There is no way to change the console or gamertag that content is licenced to. If you buy or receive a new/different system, redownloading the content to that machine will not tie it to that machine and you will have to have an active link to XBL with the orignal gamertag signed in for it to work at all times.

Here's the example most people will face:

If you send your system in for repairs (IE RROD) and Microsoft sends you a new/refurbed machine, any content downloaded from the marketplace (for most people, XBL Arcade titles) will work on the machine, but only with an active link to XBL.

The only workaround that MS has in place to fix this for all the people that have sent in their machines, is to delete the licence from your account, credit you the appropriate Marketplace Points, and have you redownload the content to your new machine (a nice side benefit being that your able to do what you want with the points). The content that you have downloaded at that point will no longer work at all.

So again... yes, you can take your HD over to your friends place and play your songs, you just have to be signed into XBL with your gamertag.

[tbradshaw]

That's not completely true. You may move your content to another console if you use the "Recover Gamertag" option to make a new system your "home system".

They way that we've been using it is:

1) Download whatever you want to your HDD.
2) Detach your HDD and take it with you on vacation.
3) Attach the HDD to another console.
4) Recover your Gamertag to that console.
5) Have a blast.
6) Detach your HDD and take it home.
7) Re-attach it to your console.
8) Recover your Gamertag.

I have if there are any limits on how many times this is possible, or time limits for recovery, or anything like that. But it's worked for us without any problems.