Reviews - Microsoft Studios employee defends always-online Xbox 720

[kalniel]

Also, Steam does not need to be online in order to play games, it has an offline mode. Rumours are claiming the nextbox will kick you off games if you lose connection, which is just laughable.

The offline mode is sadly not quite as offline as many would like. Some games require periodic activation. But that's eminently more suitable for blighty's broadband.

[watercooled]

Aye, it's not perfect, but compared to most other forms of DRM it's fairly bearable IMO. I'm just saying the 'it's the same as Steam' argument isn't necessarily valid. Aside from the online issue, DRM traditionally works quite differently on consoles, and hasn't really been a problem. Also piracy is far less prevalent on consoles than PC games because of the difficulty involved in working around the copy protection.

[MrCanzine]

Having an option to turn on "always on" mode could be useful
Forcing it, not so useful.
Requiring the console be online to play any game, that would not go over well.

Most people may have 24/7 connections on their devices but they don't always get completely crippled when the connection goes down. My mobile phone, if I end up offline, will still let me read books and play games.
The only thing an Internet connection should be required for is online play and media. Heck I'll bet many single player games get pulled out when connections go down, can't play multiplayer COD, break out the single player RPG.

Can't wait for all the rumours surrounding PS4 and XBox to finally be done with, and we see them for what they will really be.

[aidanjt]

The only thing that remains to be seen is if Microsoft jams their fingers in their ears and yells "la la la la!" really loudly and double down on what annoys people, like they did with Windows 8.

[crossy]

Another source, this time unspecified, speaking to Kotaku is reported to have said “Unless something has changed recently Durango consumer units must have an active internet connection to be used.” Further specifics about the connection requirements are as follows; “If there isn't a connection, no games or apps can be started. If the connection is interrupted then after a period of time - currently three minutes, if I remember correctly - the game/app is suspended and the network troubleshooter started.”

Seriously - you don't have a net connection and your couple o' hundred quids worth "next gen" console is just a space heater? If true, then that's got to undoubtedly be the stupidest thing that I've heard in a long, long time. I have a hard time believing that Microsoft could really be that stupid - apart from some parts of the UK, I'm sure there's plenty of places that would be prospective XBox markets that can't offer a permanent internet connection. So if this quote is true then all I can say is "Way to go Microsoft, I'm sure Sony are grateful for you handing them the console market on a silver platter!"

Orth: Sorry, I don't get the drama around having an 'always on' console. Every device now is 'always on'. That's the world we live in.

BS! Maybe the case in the US, but the rest of the world believes in something called "global warming" and are trying to cut the amount of power used. And I can easily produce a list of "devices" that are only on when I need them - in fact only my Samsung tablet and phone, plus Tivo are "always on" - everything else gets shutdown. I really don't care if Microsoft design the next XBox to be "always on" - here's one prospective owner who will NOT have it "always on" and will be using that white switch on the wall marked "off".
From the Eurogamer article:

Both Microsoft and Sony are known to have researched ways to block second-hand games via always-online technology.

That's maybe a "justification" for this always-online idea - although personally I hope someone points out to the EU authorities how preventing second hand game (re)sales is highly restrictive practice hopefully not legal.

Hopefully these rumours are just that ... rumours. And the next gen Xbox will not be an always-on/always-online device. Put it this way, if it is, then here's one punter who'll be spending his console upgrade budget elsewhere.

[Top_gun]

Your math sounds way out. Unless your heating/cooking/water is 100% gas and you literally turn off EVERYTHING, use LED bulbs and only a laptop for computing there is no way your modem/router is 10% of your usage.

Even a beastly 10W router is like 70p a month on 24/7.

EDIT: 10W is 0.24KWh per day.

Okay, I use your figures then.

If 10w = 0.24kwh per day then 6.5w=(6.5/10)*0.24= 0.156kwh per day

Over a year, this works out as 0.156*365=56.94kwh rounded to 57kwh. Therefore, 57kwh accounts for more than 10 per cent of my energy bill which is 520kwh.

I know there's political censorship happening on other part of the board, let's hope there's no censorship on maths, hey!

[Gitch28]

Needs internet to play online, to get updates, DLC, anything social network related. They're pretty neutered without connectivity so always-on is something an XBox owner is going to actually want anyway, I'm not sure what the fuss is all about as 99% of potential customers have always on internet already, modern tech-filled life requires regular connectivity *almost* as much as electricity. If you go and live in the back of beyond past the middle of nowhere and you can scrape a Mb together then I doubt you are a member of Microsoft or Sony's core market focus.

Storm in a tea-cup then really, Steam does fine with requiring to be online, I suspect the released XBox 720 will be a similar system - as in you need to sign-in/activate online but not to continue playing single player campaigns. Bear in mind that anyone looking at the current hardware is looking at DEV hardware which is likely to be much more controlled to prevent leaks and running early versions or test versions of software that may be experimenting with ideas.

You love melon, you are fine with being forced to eat melon all day and pay for it even when you don't eat it.
Your justification needs to be justified. Just because you sometimes do something doesn't mean it is acceptable to be forced to do it constantly and pay more for it. There is no logic. Your comment is not just invalid, it is 2 paragraphs of words in a random order attempting to justify the terrible decision of a company responsible for some products you own.

[genkifd]

this is a downer for me. This means MS can monitor what your activities are when the console is on. Playing illegal content can be blocked.

[nacasatu]

What an ignorant fool Orth is. Hope the new xbox bombs out, if that's what it takes for MS to get their finger out and stop pumping out muck like this and the windows 8 rubbish.

[benegerton1985]

Yes it'll probably be expensive but nothing will beat the Steam Piston if it gets the right backing. It's beautiful, upgradable, lots of cheap games and... an offline mode! I sincerely hope the new XBox gets spanked by either Piston or PS4.

[kingpotnoodle]

You love melon, you are fine with being forced to eat melon all day and pay for it even when you don't eat it.
Your justification needs to be justified. Just because you sometimes do something doesn't mean it is acceptable to be forced to do it constantly and pay more for it. There is no logic. Your comment is not just invalid, it is 2 paragraphs of words in a random order attempting to justify the terrible decision of a company responsible for some products you own.

I don't think you properly read what I wrote then, your frothy mouthed ranting because its Microsoft is rather random.

I just said I don't consider always-on a particularly onerous thing and that rather than the rumours in the article I suspect it will actually be a Steam like system needing semi-regular online rather than constant. The kicking you out of games thing is likely complete bull or applies only to some persistent multiplayer game we haven't been told about.

Remember there is a BIG difference between "designed to be always in for full experience but usable otherwise" (i.e. phone, Steam) and "does not function if not online" (i.e. online game).

[kingpotnoodle]

Okay, I use your figures then.

If 10w = 0.24kwh per day then 6.5w=(6.5/10)*0.24= 0.156kwh per day

Over a year, this works out as 0.156*365=56.94kwh rounded to 57kwh. Therefore, 57kwh accounts for more than 10 per cent of my energy bill which is 520kwh.

I know there's political censorship happening on other part of the board, let's hope there's no censorship on maths, hey!

Then you sir are top notch leccy saver! That's under 3 months usage for me and the Mrs even in our LED/CFL lit modern and not large house. You must cook and heat with all gas?

[kalniel]

Yeah I'm seriously impressed if 520kwh is your annual usage, unless you are purely a gas cooker/heater (and even then.. that's something like 1/6th the typical value). Do you never have a cup of tea?

[Saracen]

Yeah I'm seriously impressed if 520kwh is your annual usage, unless you are purely a gas cooker/heater (and even then.. that's something like 1/6th the typical value). Do you never have a cup of tea?

I'm also seriously impressed if, as I said in my first comment on those figures, it's a "typical" household bill. Of course, it might not be. I've no idea of Top_gun's living arrangements. He could be living with parent's and paying a contribution to a household bill. He could be living in a shared house or flat, where things like heating, and maybe cooking, are split between several. He could live in a one-bed flat or bed-sit, with gas-powered heating included in the rent, and maybe never cooks at home because he eats either in a student cafeteria (or refectory, if it's still called what it was in my day) or subsided works canteen. Or some other variant. All he said was what his energy bill was, not how it was achieved.

"Average" usage figures obviously cover a wide range, but I'd bet the one bed scenario is a small proportion, and that the bulk is three/four bed houses. And they will clearly cost a lot more, driving up averages ... or at least, the arithmetic mean.

But it's not fair to expect anyone to be that specific about their living arrangements, on a public internet forum. His energy bill certainly seems very low, compared to a typical bill, but circumstances may not be typical. Even so, or perhaps especially so, it makes the point about impact of always-on devices where it is not necessary for them to be always-on, like freezers or TV recorders.

MS's "creative director" can take that always-on idea and £*@# Orth.

[Stubo]

The console manufacturers were always going to be making changes to combat used games and piracy on the next gen consoles, so I'm not surprised by this whole thing. It would be interesting to see if people would prefer a return to the serial key method used through the years, I wouldn't mind this if the games didn't launch at such a premium price in the first place.

Personally I'm not sold on the new consoles until I see some games which really draw me to buy the system, the PC ports are usually better (even when done badly) and cost less. I know there's the price of a system to factor in to this since the console manufacturers take a cut from game sales - but after that initial investment the experience seems better to me.

[Top_gun]

I cook purely with gas and yes, I do drink tea. I use an energy efficient kettle which allows me to boil the exact amount of water I need.