Xbox One: No Always-Online Requirement, But Needs To Phone Home 395
An anonymous reader writes "The Xbox One was revealed earlier, and Kotaku was able to get some answers about the always-online rumors that plagued the console before its announcement. Microsoft VP Phil Harrison said Xbox One doesn't need a constant connection in order to play games, and you won't be dropped from single-player games if your connection cuts out. However, it does require check-ins with Microsoft servers. This echoes the Xbox One FAQ, which cryptically says, "No, it does not have to be always connected, but Xbox One does require a connection to the Internet." The number Harrison gave was once every 24 hours, but Microsoft's PR department was quick to say that was just one potential scenario, not a certainty. Microsoft also provided half-answers about how used games and game sharing would work. Players will be able to take a game to a friend's house and play it (using their profile, at least). Players will also have some mechanism to trade and sell used games, but it's not yet clear exactly how it would work. If one player uses a disc to install a game on their Xbox One, then gives the disc to a friend, the friend will be able to install it, but needs to pay full price to play it. That scenario, however, assumes both players want to own the game — the second one would essentially be a unique copy. Microsoft said they have a plan for trading used games, which would involve deactivating the game on the original owner's console, but they aren't willing to elaborate yet."
Several publications have hands-on reports with the new hardware: Engadget, Ars Technica, Gizmodo.
A camera in every living room (Score:5, Interesting)
Games are not played in the living room (Score:5, Interesting)
If Microsoft want to make a home media device for use in people's main living rooms, that's fine. It's actually quite a good idea. But such a device cannot be principally viewed as a games console.
I don't know about the rest of you, but aside from the occasional multiplayer split screen session, I play console games on a dedicated screen, either in a bedroom or computer room. I cannot play a game in a main living room, on a screen which in in demand by others for watching TV, films, or even browsing the internet. It's nice that this device can do so much, but flipping "channels" to whatever everyone else wants to watch is not conducive to the 4-6 hour gaming sessions I would like to have.
Maybe they're going for the complete casual gaming market here, people who will flick over to Angry Birds or whatever. But even the most passé of run-of-the-mill gamers is going to spend an hour or so playing shooters online, and are not going to be inclined to flip over to daytime TV, or browse the web in the middle of their frag session. I just cannot see this working en masse.
Some may call it anti-social, but to me playing video games is closer to reading a book than watching TV; it's principally an individual experience, and the living room is not the place to have it unless you are specifically playing co-op. I don't think Microsoft are serious about the Xbox One as a gaming console. It appears to be principally oriented around completely orthogonal capabilities.
Re:That's a whole... (Score:5, Interesting)
There was news that the new console will be able to sell your used games on the Xbox One.
I think the reason is Microsoft just wants to kill the secondhand market and gamestop and take money for themselves. I bet it's gonna be revealed and clarified that you can sell your license to the game on their marketplace and you earn a certain percentage (if they were nice it would be high like at least 70% but who knows) and you can only put that money back into the Xbox marketplace for a new game or whatever.
To stay on topic, I bet this is why it requires always online, license checking. If you sell your game but never go back online then you can have your cake and eat it too.
Re:A camera in every living room (Score:4, Interesting)
Presumably, you can turn it off from the console. But you, of course, have to take MS's word that it's really off.
Re:Insight (Score:5, Interesting)
What really should worry people is the possibility of someone figuring out how to hack it. Or some MS employee realizing that he now has a limitless supply of free dorm room pron.
Re:Why? (Score:5, Interesting)
What, you mean you don't want your console to put an annoying kludgy overlay on top of your cable box?!?!?!? Don't you want your living room filled with the magic of MS ads?!?!?!?
You people are so ungrateful. Here MS is kind enough to allow you to pay $50 a year for the privilege of paying Netflix $8 a month to watch movies, and THIS is how you repay them?! Ingrates!
Re:Can i please have two? (Score:5, Interesting)
Unfortunately, million and millions of brainwashed masses will buy one; maybe even two. Nobody cares about privacy and the like anymore. I collected about a dozen or so links to real facts about Skype and the backdoors for Law Enforcement etc, and posted on many topics, nobody cares man. In fact they will attack you textually. They could announce right now that in order to use the Xbox One, you need an Always-on camera and a full time connection to a monitoring dept.; it would sell like hotcakes.
I've come to the conclusion that there is no hope for Humans and they completely ruin it for people who DO care about their privacy and other matters. So just let them have their fun and in the end it will bite them in the ass.
Re:Steam for comparison (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm pleased that I won't have to replace my 360 any time soon - there are too many uncertainties to jump in feet first into a new platform with new games and no backwards compatibility.
That's what I thought about my Wii. But since the latest system update and Netflix update, I'm getting those hard lockups where the Wii makes a horrible air horn noise. (Thanks, Nintendo!) It's almost as if they snuck a classic Wii-killing function into the latest update. I opened up the Wii using a guide and made sure there was no dust in it, and there really wasn't. I hope the fan is just dying or something...
I've had to repair my 360 as well, the optical drive went tits up so I replaced it, doing the logic board swap so that I didn't have to mess with key extraction. Just a small handful of solder points and I'm off and running. That is, after getting into the @#%@!!# case. Even the Wii was easier. The classic Xbox is like opening a Mac II by comparison.
Re:Can i please have two? (Score:5, Interesting)
I think I may go back to PC gaming this generation. Those games are loaded with DRM too, but at least the games are cheap and developers are upfront about restrictions. I just really hate to go back to chasing that upgrade dragon.
Hackers will crack this to hell and back (Score:4, Interesting)
Microsoft is completely stupid by doing that. If I cant loan a friend the game, then I'll support all hackers from cracking their system and pirating the hell out of the games.
Microsoft deserves to lose big time for this, as well as all game devs that support such a platform.
Re:Can i please have two? (Score:4, Interesting)
Those games are loaded with DRM too, but at least the games are cheap and developers are upfront about restrictions.
You mean upfront about the hidden rootkits they put on your PC to protect their IP while creating stability issues for your system? I've had to actively search forums and customer reviews to find out about such hidden DRM, it wasn't like the publisher put a big label on the box announcing what they were doing. At best, it might be in the fine print.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:That's a whole... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Can i please have two? (Score:4, Interesting)
I think I may go back to PC gaming this generation. Those games are loaded with DRM too, but at least the games are cheap and developers are upfront about restrictions.
I mostly buy games DRM-free on GOG.com these days. A lot of new indie games go there, and there are plenty of older games still worth playing.
I just really hate to go back to chasing that upgrade dragon.
Fortunately most games are crippled for the console market, so a cheap old PC is capable of running them at medium to high settings. That may change for a year or two when the new consoles come out, but this one appears to be significantly less powerful than a high-end PC.
Re:Used games, borrowed games, etc (Score:4, Interesting)