Microsoft internal memo. New Xbox to work offline.

[Ironside]

Why am I still skeptical?

Well at least some-one appeared to be listening to the people with common sense.

Guess we'll know more on the 21st.

Yeah, I don't buy it. "Those include, but are not limited to: playing a Blu-ray disc, watching live TV, and yes playing a single player game" how many games are going to be force fed "multiplayer features" like with Sim City or Rockstar's social club?

You bring up a good point. There aren't many games these days that don't have multiplayer tacked onto them and it does make me wonder what Microsoft is going to be classing as "single player" games (hopefully most games) for when deciding if they have to permanently connected to the internet or not.

Also until they confirm to me whether the console will play used games, will require the Kinect to function or not, whether xbox live will be free or not and if they are actually going to have any good exclusives this time I will still be wary of their console.

 

[BrotherRool]

Finally, now those always online rumors can die in a hole.

It means those rumours were true though. You don't send a memo to the people building the game telling them that people expect to be able to play games offline if the people in charge don't think anyone would be working on anything else.


Do we know what date this was sent? Because if it's fairly recent it means MS' must be changing things round right at the last minute.

In general this seems like a very weird memo to send. I don't really know why it exists and it seems to be almost exactly like you'd expect a press statement of the issue to be but I'm still trying to imagine who would send the memo and who is meant to be receiving it

That's a good question and I've wondered it myself. All the Orth business got me worried, what with a Microsoft employee defending the idea of always-on, and Microsoft itself being ominously quiet just made it worse. I doubt they've just removed an always-on functionality during the time they were silent, seeing as it would probably take a lot longer than that.

I don't think it would take that long. Always-on is a form of DRM for the most part you're probably just removing it, in the same way hackers found it really easy to get Sim City playing offline. And supposing that's not true, the memo doesn't even mean it's out yet. It means it'll be out by launch. So they've got almost a year to remove it. You can practically make a full game in that length of time

 

[Oly J]

I'm not surprised in the least but I'm relieved all the same, I probably still won't be buying one, Microsofts exclusives on the whole just aren't my thing, unless they release Shenmue 3 on it, I remain fixed on my current course

 

[ohnoitsabear]

I never seriously thought that Microsoft would be stupid enough to require an always on connection to use the Nextbox. I mean, Microsoft may have made some stupid, horrible decisions recently, especially regarding Xbox stuff, but they really aren't that stupid.

However, this still doesn't put to rest any of the concerns I really had about the Nextbox. Stuff like charging for basic online functionality, focusing more on being a media box than on a gaming machine, a bigger focus on Kinect than traditional games, and fucking ads. Basically, I'm worried that Microsoft will continue doing all of the things that make me loathe the Xbox 360. It's certainly possible that they could turn things around, and if they do I will have to seriously consider getting the Nextbox, but I'm honestly not hopeful.

 

[Buizel91]

Called it!

Now we can we all stfu about how the new Xbox will be shit? Please. -.-

 

[Yopaz]

Hold on guys we're aren't out of the woods yet. They didn't say anything about installing new games or not blocking used games. This could still be an annoying console to work with.

I'm not sure, but I think I read somewhere that those rumours have been dismissed. I might be wrong though, there has been so many rumours that I am probably mixing it up with something.

OT: I am guessing they have backed down on this matter rather than never intending to make it always online. As the top promoted comment says on that link, you don't usually send out mass emails to employees just to inform them that they aren't changing anything.

Even with these news I doubt I will get one though. I have to wait and see since it's really too soon to decide what I think of it or not. For all I know it could turn out to be the most awesome thing ever. I'm not holding my breath though, it's still 14 days left and that long without oxygen will kill me.

 

[BloodSquirrel]

OT: I am guessing they have backed down on this matter rather than never intending to make it always online. As the top promoted comment says on that link, you don't usually send out mass emails to employees just to inform them that they aren't changing anything.

Not true at all. Getting things through people's thick skulls can take a lot of repetition.

Besides, we don't really know the context of these statements. They're probably more about getting the marketing speak right than they are about announcing anything.

 

[Longstreet]

The existence on an internal memo, is just more proof that it was probably planned to be always online, but they changed their minds due to the blow back.

They probably wouldn't send out a mass memmo saying "oi, keep doing what you have been doing all along"

 

[pandorum]

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/05/microsoft-next-xbox-will-work-even-when-your-internet-doesnt/

Well it looks like Microsoft either caved in to the perceived blow back of angry gamers (myself included) or they had this planned all along. But this was on an internal email MS sent to it's employees:

"There are a number of scenarios that our users expect to work without an Internet connection, and those should 'just work' regardless of their current connection status. Those include, but are not limited to: playing a Blu-ray disc, watching live TV, and yes playing a single player game."

That's cool I guess. But I doubt I'll be buying it anyway.





Edit: Mods can you please move this into the gaming discussions? I kinda screwed that up.

Calling BS on that the next xbox will not be using Blu-ray as its next format they have stated that they will use some sort of optical disc.

 

[Speedy]

...Huh.

I wasn't expecting this turn of events. Now that Microsoft isn't doing this, I may have interest in buying it.

 

[stabnex]

Oh good, now if they could just fix that pesky "no used game" flaw and make themselves billions of dollars then we won't have to expect another console falling out the way of the Dreamcast.

 

[Spygon]

Now for the Smug comments from the original rumour listeners about "of course even Microsoft is not that stupid i knew they wouldnt do that"

 

[MorganL4]

Yay. I just wrote two essays on this for my college class last week. I guess my professor is in for another essay on the topic.. Its her fault, she is the one that made me think about it when she brought up the Pizza Hut app in class.

 

[EHKOS]

I was kinda hoping it would be true, just to watch the chaos unfold. Still, at least it confirmed Blu-Ray.

 

[Beffudled Sheep_v1legacy]

Good. If it were to turn out to be true Microsoft would not be getting my money on any console or game ever.
Now that this has been dismissed I just have to wait for what the actual console has in its favor.
Time to twiddle my thumbs.

 

[Eliam_Dar]

I'll wait for an official announcement before even considering the new XBOX. Next gen I either go full PC, or PC-PS4. Anyways more on topic, it might not require an "always on" DRM, but it could require being connected every now and then to check if it has been modded.

 

[Risingblade]

Wow you mean those baseless rumors were false?

 

[VoidWanderer]

I would like to point out the word 'should' in the email, and the 'love' PC users have for Windows 8 which is probably the console is going to use.

 

[Flaery]

The scary thought is; based on the wording, it seems as though they've been planning for it to be always-online until just recently. Anyway, I already made my investment for the next generation, I'm not prepared to spend much more on a system. So I think I'll pass of the XBox or the 720 or whatever the fuck they're calling it.

 

[kamay]

Articles like the one posted are speculative at best; it doesn't offer any real proof. Game companies are dumb but are not that dumb to limit a console to always-online or one-time installs (unless they plan on having a free cloud service or a massive hard drive and/or free wifi adapter). Until Microsoft actually unveils the new console at E3 201X everything being "leaked" is pure rumor and I look at as a website trying to draw traffic.
Never assuming rumors are true because a website says so - assume makes an ass out of u and me