The gaming community was abuzz with controversy earlier this month when Microsoft indicated that users of their upcoming console, the Xbox One, would be subject to a series of strict–and not always understandable–restrictions. But on Wednesday, in the wake of E3, a major annual gaming industry conference, and following the not-so-positive response of current Xbox users to earlier statements, Microsoft announced that, hey, maybe those restrictions won’t plague their new console after all.

One of the major sticking points with gamers was a rumor that the Xbox One would always need to be connected to the internet to play games. After tossing around a few different responses to the online conundrum, Microsoft confirmed on Wednesday that gamers will be able to play any disc-based titles without ever needing to connect to the Xbox network. Similarly, Microsoft had previously indicated that users would need to connect their consoles to the internet at least once every 24 hours to maintain access to their library of games, update information, and allow the Xbox network to build and update game worlds. That provision has also been dropped.

The other major issue revolved around game-sharing regulations and limitations. According to a blog post statement made Wednesday by Don Mattrick, the president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Division, those regulations have been reconsidered and scrapped. Players will now be able to re-sell their games, share them with friends, or trade them for other titles with fellow gamers, all possibilities that had been limited or entirely ruled out by the Microsoft’s initial vision for the Xbox One.

Microsoft’s decision to ditch the sharing process is a wise one. Regardless of copyright concerns, Microsoft’s proposed sharing regulations were confusing and anything but user friendly. A maze of time limits, game sharing caps, and questions about who would actually qualify as a family member, Microsoft’s old guidelines were convoluted and seemingly set up at random in order to encourage more users to buy games as the Xbox moved into the piracy-ridden world of the cloud. By simply dropping the regulations altogether, Microsoft will not only regain a significant amount of gamer trust, but also align itself more closely with Sony’s share-friendly Playstation 4. And since the Xbox One and the new Playstation will likely hit the market at the same time, with Microsoft’s console going for $100 more ($499 versus $399), the Xbox One will need to have a positive reputation from the get-go to succeed, survive, and thrive in the new console generation.