Xbox One 'family sharing' and other features could return

When Microsoft announced it was removing certain restrictions from its next-generation Xbox, including internet connection requirements and region-locked software, the response was largely enthusiastic. But the company's Xbox One policy reversals resulted in some features — like the intriguing Family Sharing plan and playing without a game disc in the drive — being cut.

Fortunately, Microsoft corporate vice president Marc Whitten says some of those features, like Family Sharing, could ultimately return to Xbox One.

In an interview with IGN, Whitten addresses fans (and petitions) that long for the return of features like Family Sharing, saying, "If it's something that people are really excited about and want, we're going to make sure that we find the right way to bring it back."

Whitten says there are some technical feats that must be overcome for that to happen.

"Taking Family Sharing out of the launch window was not about ‘we're going to take our toys and go home' or something like that," Whitten said. "It was just sort of the logistics of ‘how do we get this very, very clear request that people really want, that choice, and how do we make sure we can do an excellent job of that, get to launch, and then be able to build a bunch of great features?' In the future I think you're going to see the ways that we change how you discover, how you consume, share, play."

Elsewhere in the interview, Whitten admits that Microsoft's Xbox One messaging could have been more clear. "We've got to just talk more, get people understanding what our system is," he said.