Most remember the notorious unveiling of the Xbox One by then-CEO Don Mattrick in 2013, a reveal that reverbs all the way to the present day. One of the more controversial aspects of the reveal came in the form of a console-level online DRM, a software-lock to prevent the use of then-critical pre-owned games, but also more basic practices, like lending games to and from friends and family.
While most aspects of the upcoming Xbox console, codenamed Helix, have yet to come into the light proper, it would seem that the ghost of Mattrick-past has come back, seemingly in the form of a new online DRM on Helix games, but this time in a more... conversational manner.
Leaked screenshots appear to confirm that you can't simply lend out your games on the platform, but that you may talk to Microsoft's Copilot on Xbox AI suite to argue why you're using a disc not registered to your account.
An anonymous source has provided the screenshots below to The Verge, describing it as in-beta testing to limit used games sales, and perhaps more controversially, physical media bought and sold between consumers.
"While less prevalent on today's digital market, Microsoft is looking to squeeze every penny here, including those who buy physical games to share between members of groups", the source states.
Additionally, it's seemingly also a way to gather training data for Copilot, as users are able to "argue" with how the given user obtained a copy of a specific game. These screenshots are, apparently "dummies", but will appear in some form or another in the final Xbox TV UI.
Microsoft has yet to comment on the leaked screenshots.