Microsoft Officially Denies "Always On" For Xbox One

[Andy Chalk]

Microsoft Officially Denies "Always On" For Xbox One

Xbox Live General Manager Marc Whitten says developers won't be forced to make Xbox One games always online but hopes they do anyway.

One of the big questions surrounding the Xbox One in the weeks and months leading up to today's reveal is whether the unit would require users to have a persistent connection to the internet. The "always online" requirement is a point of major contention, as gamers in well-serviced areas tend to applaud the idea while those stuck with narrower pipes see it as a portent of the end-times.

But with today's announcement of the Xbox One, Microsoft has made it official: the new console will not be always-on. That's the good news; the bad news, for those among you who have a regular habit of making a sandwich while YouTube buffers, is that it sounds like Microsoft is going to strongly encourage developers to take advantage of the new online services the console will offer, particular with regards to cloud computing and storage, and that will mean that no connection equals no game.

Microsoft's Marc Whitten made the company's position clear when he told Wired that developers won't be forced to incorporate always-on features but then added, "I hope they do." In other words, no persistent connection required this time around, but you better get used to the idea, and don't be surprised when it tops the feature list of the Xbox Two.

Source: Wired [http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2013/05/xbox-one-analysis/]


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[CrazyCapnMorgan]

Soooo, in other words, Microsoft actually wants developers to make games akin to Diablo 3 and SimCity?

I can only imagine this going oh so well...

Think I'm going to pass on this entire console generation. Nothing thus far encourages me to use my money for this up and coming generation of games.

And I'm still hoping that Persona 4 Golden comes out on something other than the goddamned Vita.

 

[OldNewNewOld]

No always online, but for some reason it requires Kinect to be always connected.
Wonder if the next Kinect can actually work in a small room or else the One will be useless for many people.

 

[Irridium]

They also says it requires an internet connection.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/xbox-one-will-require-internet-connection-all-games-must-be-installed/

Really like to see where they got that information, though. They just say it's from "Xbox.com" but I can't find it there.

Next generation!

 

[Proverbial Jon]

Force your consumers to play exactly the way you want and then call it an "online feature."

Way to innovate Microsoft.

 

[Doclector]

I cannot imagine what compelled microsoft to drive their boat into an iceberg with such pure conviction and bull-headed passion. It's like they have a death wish.

 

[Solo-Wing]

Microsoft is Playing Russian Roulette by themselves with every chamber in the gun full. If they seriously push the online cloud features on Developers and it blocks offline gameplay to a severe degree, and with the No backwards combatibility, preowned fees, Stupid name, Horrible look, and butchered looking controller.... They will not succeed with the next genertion.

I will probably be buying a WiiU as my only Console for the next gen unless Sony actually makes themselves look good after this. Which should be really easy to do.

 

[CriticalMiss]

So instead of 'Always On' they are going for 'Sometimes Always On'? I wonder whether this was something they hastily changed post-Orth and are trying to keep the feature but shift blame to developers for using it. And we all know that every EA game will use it.

 

[Slash2x]

hehe..... Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!

So wait it will not be always online but it will be always ON listening to you talk... waiting for your command to turn on.. But they are going to have the developers be the dicks who make you play the always online games..... So they are tossing the shit filled bag to someone else.....

Yep it is official FUCK THE XBONE!!!

 

[wooty]

So...is this going to be like Steams offline mode or something?

It was going downhill when they said Kinect needed to be always connected. The PR dept at MS must either be on LSD or have just left the building completely.

 

[Karadalis]

Is this stupid decisions month?

First nintendo crippling their youtube presence and free advertising of their games... now Microsoft wanting to sell us a console that does not "require" allways online but "encourages" developers to implement allways online?

That makes you pay for pre owned purchases?

I swear to god.. sometimes i think only retards work in the upper managment in those companies.

They call gamers entitled when gamers demand good quality games... yet no one notices how entitled the industry feels that they should have our money for kicking us in the balls and treating us like criminals.

 

[The White Hunter]

and don't be surprised when it tops the feature list of the Xbox Two.

Source: Wired [http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2013/05/xbox-one-analysis/]


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Silly Andy, the next Xbox isn't Two.

Don't you know that counting goes 1, 360, One, Three Hundred and 60, 300 and 60, Six.

Also I still can't figure out why it looks like a CDi.

Or vaguely like an Atari 5200.

 

[The White Hunter]

I'm guessing Microsoft are going to be leading by example here, and making their own games use these 'features'.

Christ, this entire conference has been a disaster. The sad thing is that there are now more articles about the small-print Microsoft conveniently left out of the conference. Charging for used games? Needing Kinect to be always connected? Pushing always-online as a feature? This is just a PR disaster.

Sony's marketing team are probably wondering what the hell is going on. Perhaps it's some huge meta-plan to throw off the competition byr evealing a media hubw ith little focus on games and some really unwanted and likely unpopular features, only to reveal the actual console at E3.

Personally I'm looking forward to seeing tonnes of games from Sony and Nintendo at E3...

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

I'll keep repeating it until it shows up on google.

Any game that requires any DRM or server connection even the tiniest bit above what Steam requires will never get my money. You want a phone home on install, sure I'll let you if I can't be arsed to download a workaround. But always on (or requiring phone home to start) for single player and its no sale. And multiplayer features that don't allow LAN play or private servers loses a sale.

Of course my house will never have another dedicated console until my kids demand one. Since I have an HTPC hooked up to my TV and I can play pretty much every console game there is but at better resolutions.

 

[Midniqht]

Seems like some people still aren't reading. It's up to the developers. There's nothing there other than blind assumption at this point that says that MS will be forcing anyone to make a game with "always on" capability.
Keep in mind that Sony hasn't been too forthcoming with information at this point either, so lets hold off on flame wars, yeah?

 

[The White Hunter]

Microsoft is Playing Russian Roulette by themselves with every chamber in the gun full. If they seriously push the online cloud features on Developers and it blocks offline gameplay to a severe degree, and with the No backwards combatibility, preowned fees, Stupid name, Horrible look, and butchered looking controller.... They will not succeed with the next genertion.

I will probably be buying a WiiU as my only Console for the next gen unless Sony actually makes themselves look good after this. Which should be really easy to do.

They're playing russian roulette with a box magazine rifle rather than a revolver it seems.

Sony's stuff looks decent, Share isn't interesting to me but seems easy to ignore it's existence and they'll have strong first party IP's like they always have.

Wii U is decent, I have one, it's a nice system, very comfy to use even if it doesn't look it. Only issue is the trickle of titles, I have 3 and theres 2 others out I fancy, but the titles start hitting next month with Game & Wario, followed by Pikmin 3 and a slew of good stuff for Q3 and Q4...

Happy with my PC/Nintendo appraoch so far and will likely get a PS4 later.

 

[Hades]

Way on earth would you encourage a potentionally new Sim City? Why would you encourage a feature at least 90% of your fans is strongly opposed to.

This isn't exactly filling me with confidance Microsoft. I heard nothing but bad rumors before the reveal and after the reveal i have been hearing nothing but bad news.