I see yes, I took it as not the only reason and it is just a post so it could be fleshed out more. but yes DRM is certainly one reason it could be used
Kotaku: Next Xbox will require online connection to start games
- Thread starter Wario64
- Start date
I see yes, I took it as not the only reason and it is just a post so it could be fleshed out more. but yes DRM is certainly one reason it could be used
Brad Grenz
Member
Stopping piracy on an open platform like the PC is a much bigger challenge than on a closed console system. Creating and distributing cracks for consoles to circumvent a cdkey check is a significant challenge.
Yeah, but I imagine Ubisoft's reasoning for having always on DRM was that it is more of a challenge than simply having a CD key and one time activation.
No matter what measures they put in place, the hacking community always finds a way. Perhaps they feel an always online system would to take longer to hack than a one time activation system.
This is all speculation of course.
Okay, but understand that a lot of people live in college dorms. And a lot of college students like to play video games.
Depending on the campus network rules, they could have a problem. When I was living in a dorm at UF in 2005-2006, I had no problem connecting to XBOX Live on my original XBOX. I'm not sure what they changed, but two years later, a friend who was living in the dorm couldn't connect with his 360. Certainly stuff like this will vary, but MS does not want to exclude the college student market.
undrtakr900
Member
Question: What exactly does "always online" help in the console space?
For PC I get because of the ease of piracy, but on consoles I thought you had to physically modify your console to be able to play pirated games? which most people aren't tech-savy enough to do. Unless there's some other reason?
For PC I get because of the ease of piracy, but on consoles I thought you had to physically modify your console to be able to play pirated games? which most people aren't tech-savy enough to do. Unless there's some other reason?
That is exactly my feelings in a nutshell.
There really is no reason to require always online, unless they have something crazy lined up for Xbox Live on the next Xbox.
Entirely possible. Unified sign in on the original XBOX and the Marketplace on the 360 were game changers. It'd be foolish to think that MS couldn't be cooking up something special. Whether that something is worth it remains to be seen. Either way, I look forward to seeing this all unfold.
PSN Servers gets hacked or overloaded during christmas holidays.
On my future PS4
I cannot access PSN or PSN Store
I still can play my games
I still can watch netflix
I still can watch youtube or whatever
MS Servers gets hacked or overloaded during christmas holidays
On my (not) future Xbox)
I cannot access XBOX live or marketplace
I cannot play any games
I cannot watch netflix
I cannot do shit
I can read a book
my god MS! are you trying to turn us all into literate cavemen!!!
On my future PS4
I cannot access PSN or PSN Store
I still can play my games
I still can watch netflix
I still can watch youtube or whatever
MS Servers gets hacked or overloaded during christmas holidays
On my (not) future Xbox)
I cannot access XBOX live or marketplace
I cannot play any games
I cannot watch netflix
I cannot do shit
I can read a book
my god MS! are you trying to turn us all into literate cavemen!!!
megashock5
Member
I'm three weeks from 42, but I'm in the exact same place you are. And I still want to know what happens to theses games in twenty years under such a system.
The major flaw in this point of view, is that an ethernet cable and port comes with every console sold, just like the Hard Drive comes with every PS3 and what MS are proposedly doing with Kinect.
Now if MS were offering to dig up and put in optic fibre broadband to every household that has a spotty or slow connection and guarantee no bandwidth caps, ensure the servers are never going to go down, which lets be honest "shit happens" etc then it might be a different story.
Ditto. Have had xbox as well as 360. Jumped on the Vita train recently. With all of the PS+ support Sony has given, free online, Vita integration with PS4, I have become very keen to the idea of going all Sony next gen.
Wouldn't believe it if you had told me 3 years ago.
Servers will overload for every single major game release
Mikey Jr.
Member
Lets say the Kotaku rumours are true and is as bad as it sounds.
This rumoured console will set a precedent. If MS does this, and it is successful, thats it. It will be the new standard for all consoles going forward.
Vote with your wallets. Thats as plain and as simple as it gets. If you are ok with the new console, and have no problem with all future consoles doing this, then buy the system. If you aren't, then don't buy it. MS will see its a bad idea and maybe even remove that requirement from the console altogether.
This is just purely basing it on the Kotaku rumour.
If the rumour is 100% true, I will NOT buy the system. My internet is usually stable 95% of the time, but that does not mean I want this requirement in my consoles. It is anti-consumer, and I don't support anti-consumer practices.
This rumoured console will set a precedent. If MS does this, and it is successful, thats it. It will be the new standard for all consoles going forward.
Vote with your wallets. Thats as plain and as simple as it gets. If you are ok with the new console, and have no problem with all future consoles doing this, then buy the system. If you aren't, then don't buy it. MS will see its a bad idea and maybe even remove that requirement from the console altogether.
This is just purely basing it on the Kotaku rumour.
If the rumour is 100% true, I will NOT buy the system. My internet is usually stable 95% of the time, but that does not mean I want this requirement in my consoles. It is anti-consumer, and I don't support anti-consumer practices.
MrNyarlathotep
Banned
In fairness, hiding half the game you just bought behind a subscription paywall is still a Microsoft unique thing, despite fears others would try that shit (and some GAFfers declaring that that would definitely be the case).
PR approach, not that for the customer.
Unknown One
Member
Xbox servers +publisher servers...a formula for a terrible things to come.
That's pretty much all you can do..
If doesn't bother you? buy it, otherwise don't buy it.
Elginer
Member
Same here. Have loved my 360
all 7 of them 'things breaks' lol
Just got a PS3 around 4 months ago and I've been enjoying it so much I sold my 360. PS+ actually gives me something for my money and not just one of the core abilities that ANY console should have at this point. Hell, even the Wii U has free online access.
I will miss a LOT of MS's first party franchises in the future if all of this holds true but Sony is doing many things right and winning my money for the rest of the year and it's likely for the future with the PS4.
They've built a solid piece of hardware that developers love and are giving consumers value.
Audioboxer
Member
Next Xbox causes constipation.
Seriously though, for reasons covered a million times already, this better not be true for ALL of us (gamers as a whole).
Requiring an Internet connection is obviously mostly about anti piracy and managing the used and rented games markets.
There are no other compelling reasons for them to force an always on connection to play games.
I have no personal problem with it, except I don't trust Microsoft to keep their network up in 20 years when I want to pull out my old Xbox 720 for some classic game playing.
They proved with Halo 2 that they have no intention of supporting old games beyond a specific life cycle that they deem appropriate.
There are no other compelling reasons for them to force an always on connection to play games.
I have no personal problem with it, except I don't trust Microsoft to keep their network up in 20 years when I want to pull out my old Xbox 720 for some classic game playing.
They proved with Halo 2 that they have no intention of supporting old games beyond a specific life cycle that they deem appropriate.
Sad thing is that a majority of gamers worldwide are, for lack of a better term, lemmings that follow the crowd to the next media-fueled hype machine at the time. If the media pumps this up as some life-changing thing for consoles going forward, better believe the masses will go out and buy it not fully understanding the death warrant they just signed for the gaming industry.
Yep, basically Halo 5 or whatever it is called will only exist in a very specific time frame, from the moment it comes out to the moment when the MS brass deems the game unnecessary as it is cutting into their sales of Halo 7 or whatever, as soon as that switch is pressed that game ceases to exist.
The game no longer exists, the only memory of it is from the people who played it and videos on YouTube. The physical copy you "own" is paperweight
This is what i fear the most about this news
My internet has been lossy as of late. I'm never going to get Xbox 3 with these internet connection requirements. It just isn't practical.
Is PC game piracy still rampant? I just don't see how it's worth the risk with games being at $3-25.
That's just silly though. Pirates will emulate the server with a local process and likely get even better performance!
Is PC game piracy still rampant? I just don't see how it's worth the risk with games being at $3-25.
That's just silly though. Pirates will emulate the server with a local process and likely get even better performance!
It's them saying that how he spoke was not representative of how Microsoft would speak to consumers. There's no info about always on. If they were denying it, they would have outright said it.
Darkmakaimura
Can You Imagine What SureAI Is Going To Do With Garfield?
I'm wondering how people would feel if it just required an Internet connection to start the game - just to authenticate or whatever? I'm even against that, however. But would people who are against always online be more accepting of that?
That won't happen. The console will do well until there's some inevitable widespread issue that prevents a ton of people from playing. That's when the shitstorm will start.
If it makes you feel better I thought the dreamcast had an amazing library of games.
I know everyone seems to think that the average consumer is functionally retarded and will buy whatever is mass marketed to them but there is a line on some things that can't be crossed. Flat out requiring an internet connection to launch and stay within an app will turn off most people regardless of the marketing push. Internet, in the states at least, is just not capable enough for something like this. People complain about their internet all the time (hell I just did earlier today in OT) and people will not trust their ISPs to do a good enough job for them to use their new $X00 machine.
ambientmystic
Member
Archive preservation will only be a distant memory if the industry were to follow in MS's incredibly short sighted footsteps.
Pirates and piracy will be the only recourse we have to ensure we never lose such gems (past, present, and future) to the machinations of the publishers and the corporations. Such a bleak and dystopian future for gaming enthusiasts is upon us.
GoofsterStud
Member
Depends on the person. As long as you have an always offline mode that goes online just for that and turns off I'd be fine with it.
I'm thinking about family members, I have many friends that won't let their kids game consoles connect to the internet.
These kids have a ton of games.
So it depends on your demographic.
I am happy now! But i would much happier if this entire Xbox rumor is one giant misunderstanding, but as the recent days have gone by it feels more and more like reality
To a point where i would be surprised if it was not true
And you call yourself a gamer? Any console bombing isn't good for any of us. Dreamcast included
Glorified G
Member
It looked like a standard boilerplate answer any company uses when someone says something egregious.
I am happy now! But i would much happier if this entire Xbox rumor is one giant misunderstanding, but as the recent days have gone by it feels more and more like reality
To a point where i would be surprised if it was not true
PS4 has given me enough information to show that they aren't going the way of the corporate scumbag yet so they already have my money. I think MS really shot themselves in the foot by waiting so long and letting rumors swirl and, at the very least, they've lost my money for now. It'll probably end up that I get the nextbox when it is super dropped in price much in the same way that I bought the PS3 this gen.
And you call yourself a gamer? Any console bombing isn't good for any of us. Dreamcast included
In this day and age? Please, the microsoft system and sony system might as well be the same thing for all I care. I understand that the competition between them is always good for the consumer but if this rumor is true and Microsoft wants to make the biggest scumbag move in history then their console can die and Playstation can move right in to fill the void. Someone else will come along for competition.
XtremeXpider
Member
Do you really hope something like this for next xbox? If you hope the worst scenario for next xbox you sound more like a troll. I guess only trolls hope something like this for any console.
If this rumor is true, yes, I really hope this for the nextbox. If they shoot themselves in the foot, our money shouldn't be used to treat the wound.
BluePigGanon
Member
Older gamer here too (38), and that's what I think about as well. It was bad enough that when you want to experience older games that are significant/still excellent/still unique, in many cases your options are 1) maintain an old console, or 2) pirate/emulate. But the prospect of games eventually being essentially lost for good because they are too deeply woven into some finite network... that's horseshit for any gamer who cares about the history and continuity of gaming.
It's not a new thing to say, but: it's ridiculous that I can pick up Wizard of Oz on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, or the White Album on vinyl, 8-track, tape, CD, digital... but if I want to play Bionic Commando my options are very limited and inconvenient. This always online to play thing - assuming it actually comes to pass - is an easy "no thanks."
I would name the Xbox 360 as one of the greatest consoles of all time, right up there with the PS1, NES, and Genesis. But if any of this comes to pass, I'm happy to switch over to PS4.
XtremeXpider
Member
I hope this rumor is false.
If all the new connections at launch or on Christmas day bring down XBOX Live (like in 2007), then the shitstorm could come quickly.
Fox Mulder
Member
piracy will be the only way to access games, dlc, and patches lost to non existing servers.
The digital only future is an inevitability, but it's scary to think of what gets lost going forward. People can still buy donkey kong country for the snes, but Nintendo delisted them from the VC with no notice or explanation. No one can play the last Outrun game unless you bought it before it was delisted. This will only get worse with games tied to servers.
BlastProcessing
Member
I have seen this sentiment echoed often, the idea that people are just lemmings that will buy anything. Put simple, I think it's bullshit. It is the type of bullshit that people tell themselves in order to feel superior, which is a flavor of bullshit that I find particularly annoying.
Consumers are, as a group, extremely savvy. Gamers even more so. Good games generally sell very well and bad games are rejected. Videogame reviews predict sales better than film, music or book reviews do. Quality is recognized and rewarded by gamers more often than in any other medium.
It is extremely hard to get shit by consumers these days. Marketing is not some unstoppable force. Apple is a great example of this. In the 80's they had an excellent product and great marketing. They where very successful. Then in the 90's they had bad products and great marketing. They almost went out of business. Then in the 2000's they had great products and great marketing. If marketing was the primary influencer of customer behavior then Apple would have never fallen out of favor. But it turns out that no matter how good the commercials were, people recognized that the Newton sucked.
Customers don't care what a product is; they care about what it does. And the narrative about what a Always Online console does is easy to understand.
No, if Always Online is successful it won't be because of the idiot public being bamboozled. It will be because Microsoft was able to offer a product that was actually valuable to people. I would assume they will attempt to do this through a low price + subscription model.
Thinking about it, my guess is that you will have the option to purchase the 720 for $99 with a contract. For the life of the contract it will require internet. If you don't pay it is worthless. If you buy it outright or finish your contract the console would be able to function offline. I bet they present it like a smartphone.
Personally, I don't like that approach. I want things to move away from the subsidy model not towards it because I think it allows too many anti-consumer practices to flourish. I don't often look at industries and think to myself " You know, I these guys would act more like Verizon and AT&T!"
This whole entire premise is negated by the fact that MS is trying to possibly push a console that requires it to be online at all times to function. You can try to sweeten it by selling it for $99 with a contract but it's still a shitty console. I would hope consumers would recognize the ramifications making this type of model a success would bring in the future but as we have seen from such mega crazes as Call of Duty, XBL, etc. people will buy whatever their friends are buying because they don't want to feel left out.
This rumor has gained this much traction because EDGE has reported this and they have been 100% correct with their PS4 info and as well, Adam Orth indirectly confirmed it.
BlastProcessing
Member
Of course it would still be a shitty console. I agree with you! I just believe that people have clearly demonstrated that they are able to recognize a product's quality and act accordingly.
Call of Duty is popular because it was/is a damn good game and it was most popular on the 360 because it offered the best experience.