Buying map packs and a multiple Xbox household... how does that work?

the gamertag that buys the maps can play the maps online on each console, any other gamertags can play the maps on the original console you downloaded them on

I hear you because I also resist buying DLC.

But there is a sort of workaround to share the DLCs with multiple Gametags and two X360 consoles.

The 1st console the downloaded the DLC allows other Gamertags to share the same DLCs. (There is some exceptions for some games DLC that restricts to single console).

The limitation is you can only have two X360 consoles with two different Gamertags sharing the DLC.

Example:
X360 A is the 1st console that bought and downloaded the DLC. On X360 B, login as the Gamertag that bought the DLC and redownload the DLC again. On X360 A, login with other Gamertag because the console allows other Gamertags to access the DLC.

For 3rd X360 console C, the rule is the same as 2nd X360 B. Both B and C can only access the DLC if login as the Gamertag that bought the DLC.

This method also works with Live Arcade games.

If Capcom has their way on PS3, they will restrict their PSN games to a single PSN account on all PS3 consoles. We can only hope other publishers aren't going to follow Capcom. So far, two Capcom PSN games are using this single account restriction.

On X360, the first DLC I found that restricts to a single console is Alan Wake. On other X360 consoles, even the Gamertag that downloaded the DLC still cannot access the DLC. On other consoles, after Alan Wake is loaded, the DLC will get error as "corrupted". I found a workaround with Alan Wake DLC. I have to delete the DLC every time from the hard drive first, go to the Download history, download the DLC again. While the DLC is still downloading, start Alan Wake game and wait until the DLC completed downloading in the background. Only then I can play the DLC on other X360 consoles. Once I quit the game, I have to repeat the steps. The game is published by Microsoft and I don't know if such new DRM restriction to one console is going to be more widely used on other games. As for Halo Reach, I haven't bought any DLC. If you are going to buy it, I like to know if you can still "share" with two consoles as I described.

I agree with you. But that doesn't mean publishers care. It's all about more money to resell you the same products you already bought.

That's the difference between physical product that the buyer has the freedom to let everyone in the house or friends to share them. We can sell or donate the physical products to anyone if we choose. With digital products, sharing even with with others in the house is bad for business. Sony may started with 5 consoles sharing but I don't know long that's going to last. Publishers never like that.

I try to skip as many DLC as possible until the GOTY/Ultimate edition comes out with the DLCs on disc. But this is also going away because several GOTY games came out later last year included a voucher to download the DLCs. Examples are Uncharted 2 GOTY and Borderlands GOTY. Mass Effects 2 on PS3 kept some DLCs on disc while some as download using a voucher.

Another heavy DRM restriction is buying movie downloads from PSN Video Store and Live Marketplace. With Live, same DRM rules apply as Arcade games and DLC. But on PSN Video Store, the DRM is almost a joke. Only one PS3 console is allowed to play the movie but all PSN accounts on the same PS3 can watch the movie. But all other PS3 consoles are not allowed to download the movie you already bought. Even you backup the movie and then restore it to another PS3 using the PSN account that bought the movie, the DRM will not allow you to play it. If you replace your PS3 console, buy the same movies again. Also, each PSN account is locked to one PS3 console to buy movies from PSN Store. So, if you have two PS3 consoles, you must have two different PSN accounts both with funds to buy the movies.

That's the joy of buying digital products. We don't own any of them, just the license to use them with a lot of restrictions if we own more than one account or multiple consoles.

While we are on the topic of purchasing digital products only give us the license to use, not the ownership, has anyone found a clear and detailed written statements on either PS3 or X360 before you purchase the download version of games, DLC or movies? That also includes the strict account restriction such as each PSN account is locked to one PS3 console on purchasing movies?

With retail games, I have yet to find any clear and detailed statement written on the voucher that the downloaded DLCs is restricted to a single account and/or single console access. At most, I have only seen the voucher stated "single activation use". But that doesn't say anything about single account and/or single console restriction use.

The reason I'm bringing this up is game publishers are still trying to hide the boxed game with DLC voucher and digital download products restrictions. Stating the restriction in details too clearly makes the products appear very negative to the buyers who prefer media ownership to products they purchased. Second is not many gamers ask about the digital product usage restrictions before purchasing it. I have asked a similar question on the forum before and most responded as don't care because they only care if they can play the contents on one account and one console. Only when they have multiple consoles, then I have seen some asking the questions. With the push of more games to be released as digital download, as gamers, we will have less and less games that can be owned permanently after changing the accounts and console hardware over the few years. I still have old PS1, PS2, Xbox1 games on discs that I can play today on any compatible consoles. With digital license, who can guarantee that 5-10 years from now, the digital download games/DLC/movies will still be playable? Some older Arcade games from Live have disappeared because the licensing expired at Microsoft side. Unless you keep a copy of the old Arcade games on your hard drive, you lost the ability of redownloading the game as promised by Microsoft at the time of purchase.

I thought this was familiar...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...305&highlight=

Hello, I'm having trouble with DLC's etc. A friend and I bough a DLC for a game, we shared to pay but then I couldn't access these maps on my Xbox? what can I do????

if you want to share DLC, the way to do is is have the person paying for it (the person who purchases is the one that owns the license) download first to the other person's console. then for the paying person, he downloads it to his console. and that paying person has to be logged into his account to play it.

because on the first console that downloads the purchase, any account can play the DLC. on any other console, only the person who purchased the DLC can play the DLC.