Rumor: Next Xbox Will Require Constant Internet Connection

[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.

 

[FoolKiller]

I just thought of another problem. I have 3 360s in the house (well technically one is my mom's). If they are telling me that I would have to pick where to play my game forever because of this, then they could go fuck themselves. I already hate the fact that I have to manipulate DLC in order to use it everywhere I can.

 

[dmase]

Egh I have a hard time believing anything except the blu-ray part.

 

[likalaruku]

The only people I can see tolerating the always-on net connection without complaint are those that play nothing but MMOs & Facebook games...& while there are a shit-ton of gamers like that because those games are generally free, it's still not really Microsoft's target audience.

 

[Mogule]

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 feel you are clueless on piracy for the xbox.
1) Depending on the CD-drive model you may have to just flash or even solder and physically mod your xbox. This may require someone to send their unit off to someone, and pay them, to get the necessary job done.
2) EVEN AFTER it's modded to play pirated games, you'll need DL-DVD Roms. They're about $.50-$1.00 per disk (compared to the remarkably cheaper DVD roms, dem thing expensive).

That said it is FAR more expensive to pirate on the xbox than the pc where all it is is:

EDIT: It's simple in a number of words

And the only expenditure is 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.

Nah, any model can be flashed. However JTAGing an Xbox is objectively better, due to you being able to install games onto the Xbox. Also, it's not necessarily a certain model you're looking for, but an update. If it's been updated from the old blades to the newer windows then that update takes up too much memory on some chip to do the JTAG job.

 

[Sonofadiddly]

Never underestimate the stupid of Microsoft.

Not that I would buy the next Xbox anyway, but all of this hating on the used games market is starting to make Nintendo seem appealing again. If any of it turns out to be true, I'm buying a Wii U out of spite.

 

[Mogule]

I feel you are clueless on piracy for the xbox.
1) Depending on the CD-drive model you may have to just flash or even solder and physically mod your xbox. This may require someone to send their unit off to someone, and pay them, to get the necessary job done.
2) EVEN AFTER it's modded to play pirated games, you'll need DL-DVD Roms. They're about $.50-$1.00 per disk (compared to the remarkably cheaper DVD roms, dem thing expensive).

That said it is FAR more expensive to pirate on the xbox than the pc where all it is is:

But the PC is still a big chunk of an investment while a used XBox costs little to nothing. Unless you want to pirate hundreds of games I don't think you'll surpass the costs of a medium-tier gaming rig.

I really just go by how people get cracked and pirated consoles/console games in my city (because there are those guys everyone knows or knows how to get hold off, they prepare the console for ~40? and sell you games for 2?-5? depending on how many people are asking for it).

It all depends. I got a mid-tier gaming laptop for $300 due to the idiots at a local pawn shop and a 2 TB External HD for $120 from walmart. And my xbox was $100 from a shady guy on Craigslist. (Hypothetically) $40 for a flash job and maybe $50 for some disk. It's roughly $200 cheaper to go through more hassle, and be on limited resources (disk)

Whereas, the laptop is mobile and easy to work with. It also doesn't RRoD NEAR as much as my xbox has.

Also, I've never though of a black market for games. Seems a little silly seeing as how easy burning a game to a disk seems.

 

[Karma168]

If this does turn out to be true then I'll probably not bother with the next generation and just build a decent pc, hook it up to the tv, get a controller and just buy games off steam. I'm a student so only get games when they're less than half the initial price and I don't play online (my xbox isn't even hooked up) so I'd have no need for a connection (beyond downloading patches, etc.)

Hell I'll probably do it anyway, just like the convenience of knowing my xbox will run a game without having to check the back of the box first.

 

[Suave Charlie]

Nah, any model can be flashed. However JTAGing an Xbox is objectively better, due to you being able to install games onto the Xbox. Also, it's not necessarily a certain model you're looking for, but an update. If it's been updated from the old blades to the newer windows then that update takes up too much memory on some chip to do the JTAG job.

Your last few posts have been fairly enlightening, wasn't aware of the ins and outs of xbox piracy.