Rumor: Next Xbox Will Require Constant Internet Connection

[BrotherRool]

I'm sorry, but how is that "pretty good" journalism? They slapped "rumor" at the start and that makes writing bullshit okay? They didn't even try to find out the source of the Edge article, they didn't do anything. They took the Edge article, rewrote it. That's all there is.

Journalists actually require to do some research. This is nothing better than those gossip magazines.

Just think about 1 minute and you will see that this rumor is so unrealistic that it's an insult to write it. This is a bait for more page views.

But always-on internet connectivity? For people in urban settings, this isn't typically an issue, but for rural gamers, it could be a total deal breaker. Of course, Microsoft could institute such a requirement, but at a time when the videogame industry is experiencing a recession of its own, deliberately limiting your potential install base seems like a rather obvious no-no.

Seems to me like they're putting some thought in. And the fact this rumour exists is news, because the gaming community is still comparatively small and Microsoft are one of the few big players. What people are saying and speculating about is of interest, particularly in the context of all the other rumours we're hearing at the same time.

The suggestion they find the source is silly. How? How are they meant to do that? It would be criminally negligent of Edge if they were bad enough to leave a trail that would lead a journalist to the source. Some person emails/speaks to Edge, it's then Edge's responsibility to confirm him as legitimate source and decide what to do with that news. Beyonf hacking into another magazines email system, what is the Escapist meant to do? If Edge were to openly publish this guys name 1)He would get fired. 2) He wouldn't ever be hired again in the industry 3)He would be sued. If Edge were giving away enough information to allow someone to track down the source, then they have been unforgivingly cruel

We had a rumour, if it turns out to be non-legitimate, as I said, it means Edge have been trolling for page views and all complaints of unfair journalism are fine. If it turns out to be legitimate and the Escapist didn't report on it, it'll reflect badly on them. If they don't report it anyway, it reflects badly on them because we'll hear about the rumours from other sources and think less of the site for not providing us with their existence.

As it is, they stick rumour on the top, debate the credibility of it in the article, bring in other knowledge we have about Sony and in the end still conclude it's probably bull. Going as far to make a joke about crazy conspiracy theories at the end. It's not going to win Pullitzers, but you're being too harsh to people who are doing a pretty respectable job compared to the other people reporting on it. Edge don#t call it a rumour, Edge don't talk about the reliability.

Their are plenty of copypasta rubbish on the Escapist, but you called this article copy and pasted, which is just poor journalism man, when you read the source and barely a sentence has been lifted and the main content of the discussion is radically different.

 

[VanQ]

I almost want this list, as unlikely as most of it is, to be true just so I can see the greatest explosion of rage ever experienced by the internet. It's definitely something that would go down in history, imagine History teachers 50 years from now giving lectures on the great XBox internet rage bomb that went off in 2013.

 

[Doclector]

Considering that it is just a rumor.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/%22Citation_needed%22.jpg

May want to pad that post a little. Might incite mod wrath.

But I do agree. Reliable UNNAMED sources, huh?

Could be that I really don't want to believe this, though. Because I don't. This would be stupid as all hell right now. We can't say for sure whether not being able to get affordable preowned games would turn gamers away from a console entirely, but you can be damn sure requiring the internet connection to always be on will. Hell, I live in a city and still have some internet issues. Until we can guarantee that an internet connection will almost always be on and functioning well, always on DRM will always be a stupid decision. Even then, it's immoral. It's essentially saying "This game is yours as long as we can keep coming to check that it's yours AND NO LONGER".

Hell, it's worse than that in this case. "This entire CONSOLE is yours as long as we can keep coming to check that it's yours AND NO LONGER!"

 

[Scribblesense]

Honestly, this doesn't sound all that implausible. If this model could increase revenue over what they would lose from a smaller and reluctant user base (who could always be persuaded to purchase in the future) then there's no reason not to.

I'd imagine if this launched, it would be require a subscription much like what you get from you cable company. They've already tested this with the 360+Kinect bundle from the Microsoft store. With increased revenue from a used games-free market, the subscription model (likely more than what they charge for Xbox Live), advertisements, data collection, various downloadables and apps, and a cross-platform to play Windows 8 games (integration with no other company could offer) which would increase that user base and put more money in Microsoft's pocket, I can see this being profitable.

They would definitely get plenty of publisher support, even from indie devs who could publish games on three platforms at once (desktop, tablets, nextbox), and could placate Gamestop and other brick and mortar retail outlets by selling gift cards (ala the Steam Wallet) for Microsoft points or even full game and DLC download vouchers in-store.

This idea isn't as terrible as it seems at first glance. It's not any worse than smart phone contracts, and nobody complains about those. All that said, if that proves true, I'm staying away from it.

 

[blindthrall]

If I really see something I have to play in the next gen, and steambox doesn't pan out, I was going to go with Playstation anyway. Fuck Microsoft's planned obsolesence.

 

[TConti]

I don't have a problem with blocking used games, but I think they are doing it wrong. Developers need a way for their games to remain commercially viable after the first few months. The always on internet connection, hopefully, is nothing more than a rumor. If it turns out to be true, as many have already pointed out, Microsoft automatically excludes everyone without a reliable, or an infrequent internet connection. This includes major rural, or less developed, areas of the United States and Europe, children (with the expanded web capabilities of most consoles many parents will not like their kids accessing an unrestricted internet browser, or spending lots of money on Microsoft points because they don't understand its concept as an artificial currency.), young adults who attend a college with a limited internet connection or live on a budget and cannot afford an internet connection. Essentially Microsoft, if this rumor turns out to be true, is relying on their current customer base with an internet connection to buy the new console. That said Microsoft has several weeks to announce their console and I wholly expect this rumor to turn out to be false, however if it turns out to be true go Wii U!

 

[McMullen]

When you boot up Windows, it checks for network drives before establishing a network connection and reports that they're not connected. When you resume a session with an opened document on the network, it checks for the document's path before establishing a connection, doesn't find it, and forces the document into read-only mode. And let's not even talk about the way it mismanages network credentials.

This company claims to make network-friendly operating systems while not displaying any clear knowledge of how to handle the very basics of being on a network, and their plan is to make a console that requires a constant connection?

I am not going anywhere near this thing.

 

[GonzoGamer]

out to all the people who think M$ cannot be that stupid remember to never underestimate corporate stupidity just look at what they did to windows 8 if you don't believe me hell looking at windows 8 its not so hard to believe the rumour. you would have thought Vista woulda learned em
however i am going to be watching with baited breath as a member of the PC master race it will hopefully not affect me and it brings me great joy when consoles bomb

Let's face it, it will take a hell of a lot to make the consoles bomb. This generation brought us the console that melted itself & has a monthly fee for online, and that sold like crazy. At this point I'm sure there are board members saying they should just put some christmas lights in a cardboard box, put a $400 price tag on it and say "loook it's the new ecks-box. Ooooo-Ahhh."

If all of these crazy rumors turned out to be true(at this point what's to stop them from thinking that the fanboys will put up with anything) and that really did lead to the consoles bombing, it would be pretty bad for the PC too. Publishers of PC games tend to rely a lot on the sales of console versions of their games. If those don't move, everyone is in trouble.

Really, if the consoles' days are numbered, I hope they start making more games for the PC that can have split screen. That's really the only thing that I prefer about consoles at this point and even there it seems to be a feature on the way out.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Another console generation on the horizon and the rumor mill fights a new day.

I think the only thing that will probably be true is the new Xbox having Blue-ray.

Other than that, I seriously doubt that they are that stupid to pull any of that, and if they do, for whatever reason, then I hope they've practiced their backpedaling and apology skills because it will get ugly.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

out to all the people who think M$ cannot be that stupid remember to never underestimate corporate stupidity just look at what they did to windows 8 if you don't believe me hell looking at windows 8 its not so hard to believe the rumour. you would have thought Vista woulda learned em
however i am going to be watching with baited breath as a member of the PC master race it will hopefully not affect me and it brings me great joy when consoles bomb

I'll just be sitting back here with my Wii U when the next Xbox crumbles and maybe even the next PS4.

OT: Always online for a console?

Nope not even sold.

 

[Riff Moonraker]

I also agree that most of this is bogus. Eliminating second hand games, and needing a constant internet connection isnt feasible, and would decimate their user base, which they simply wouldnt do.

 

[Suave Charlie]

I really doubt that. Because of the difference in the way how pirating works in the XBox360 it is hard to state numbers that are actually true but it is about as easy and less costly than pirating on the PC.

I thought to pirate on xbox you needed to physically modify one of the old fat white ones with a specific chipset to turn it into a JTAG (Which explains why there's a certain model that's more expensive than the new ones on ebay) and then download the pirated game and do.. I don't know, stuff to get it onto the console and then you can't run it online.

As opposed to downloading a cracked PC game.

I'm pretty sure that's how it works but can't say I've looked into it beyond a flatmate explaining it to me. The dirty pirate.

 

[Beautiful End]

Guys, guys! I just came back from Gamestop and I preordered the Dreamcast 2! I'm not lying, but the guy said it was a secret because the preorders will only be open for one day per month and we don't know what day. But you gotta believe me. My cousin Kenny can back this up. I'm gonna go tell everyone in the school!

At any rate, I always wondered why I took so long to upgrade to a PS3 (aside from the price tag). I think I finally know; this gen of consoles introduced a lot of pointless and mean features (Upgrades, patches, online passes, DLC, charging for subscriptions, accessories you just need, etc.).

And granted, that's just a rumor but there's a couple of things right there that will make me not wanna get into the next gen of consoles: the inability to sell my games (Who the fuck do they think they are to prohibit me of getting rid of stuff I don't want/need?) and always having to be online. Me, I always try to be online but I remember when I moved to a new house and I didn't have internet or cable for two or three months and all I had was my 360 and some games. Kept me sane, at least.

Well, I can't get into PC gaming so...if this ever turns out to be true, I guess I'm done with. I'll have to go back to my PS2 and PS1 or something.

 

[Slash2x]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Lets see company has hardware issues, they are killing the indie section of the arcade, and they are trying to keep you always online so they can watch you...... whelp folks there goes my Xbox account. (I have three 360s and one PS3)

 

[Scribblesense]

From a purely economic standpoint, all they would have to do is ensure the customer gets more value out of not reselling the game than they would from the resale to reduce or eliminate the number of games resold. If the Nextbox can put that level of value into a game, then I doubt the general public will have any problem with games locking to their system.

It's possible that an anti-used games system would violate the First Sale doctrine (the right for consumers to resell copyrighted products after they have been legally purchased), but that would require a lengthy legal battle to fully establish the precedent and usually software gets around this by being referred to as a "license" not a physical product you legitimately own.

I can see a console manufacturer getting away with a scheme like this, so I'm trying to see any potential benefits to the consumer if it were to become the norm. The best I can see is continued support through Free DLC and software downloads for games you own.

The worst I can see is consumers taking less risks on purchases, which means doom for the industry. It would mean that any title which is not a heavily-marketed AAA blockbuster that appeals to the lowest common denominator with a overbloated budget would have any chance at surviving in this marketplace. Which is the trend we've been seeing in the development scene today.

Of course, just because the Nextbox would have this DRM scheme in place doesn't mean that publishers would have to use it. I'd certainly be less reluctant if it was optional and were only locked out of reselling on the heavily-budgeted AAA blockbusters. I think that an optional scheme might do some good for the industry, as it would reduce risk and the publishers could always lift the DRM and allow games to be resold after a few months or so.

Similar to how the movie industry uses release windows for their products - first theaters, then on-demand, then DVD, and eventually broadcast TV. If the games were only locked down for the first month or so I don't think I'd have too many complaints.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

The only way I can see a console blocking used games in the near future is if all 3 competitors agree to do it, which I don't see happening as the one who doesn't agree to it then has a massive advantage over the other two. But then even if they all do it, it would be no guarantee that it would go down well with customers.

Still this is still just a rumour, one I don't see actually coming about. Although it is a rumour that keeps cropping up too much lately for my liking. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

[MrBrightside919]

...oh boy...can't wait...

I'm just so excited...I can't contain my emotions...

...better start...saving my money...

 

[MrBenSampson]

The inability to play used games would be enough for me to not upgrade to the next generation, but saying that it requires a constant internet connection must be a joke. What would happen when the day comes that Microsoft decides to stop supporting the console? They'll shut down Xbox Live, and an entire generation of consoles will be bricked.