Xbox One Games Will Still be Playable When Servers Shut Down

[Phrozenflame500]

So basically all the bullshit about the 24 hour checkins being "mandatory" and "critical to the console" was complete shit. Thats Microsoft for your forward thinking pro-consumer outlook.

 

[masticina]

Eeeh no.. the once a 24 hour check goes right against the "You can keep playing if the servers are offline"

Those can't be matched up.

This is just deflection, it is rather obvious that the if the xbox live servers go down for longer then 24 hours.. gamers are BONED. And yes Microsoft these things happen.. remember how you laughed at the 44 days PSN was down. Remember SimCity Launch,

Redmond I think we have a problem.

A problem you can't talk your way around. The servers WILL go down.. that is a given. When and How.. that can change!

 

[StriderShinryu]

Well this just opens a new can of worms. If this is possible at the end of the generation, then why not just scrap the DRM now? It's the question that begs to be answered.

Additionally, if games will still be playable, then I guess we aren't relying on the cloud too much then...?

Bingo.

They talk of the online features of the One as a boon to gaming and say that it's there to improve the games. If that were true, and it could honestly be, then the connectivity requirements are something I'd have no issue with. However, if they can just turn it off at some point then, sorry, it's not there to improve thr games at all. That's just an admission that it is, in the case of the One at least, a totally optional requirement that serves no purpose beyong being DRM.

 

[uchytjes]

If anything, they'll make an update where they put in an option to have the Xbone work like normal, but when it isn't connected it'll require the disk be in the drive regardless of installation.

If that's the case, there must be a simple (ish) way to disable this in a console right from day one? I can see this being the mod-chip fiasco all over again...

Well, depending on how hard-coded it is into the system, it could take anywhere from a week to over a month of working on this single problem to get the disk thing to work and, because they are likely crunched for time as is, they probably won't get to that until after the console gets out and they work out all the bugs.

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

What the fuck is he wearing... I suppose waiting until after that would be the best, though I doubt it's true.

 

[Nazulu]

"Sure, we've said a bunch of confusing, contradictory, and even outright dickish stuff BUT TRUST US GUISE!"

So it becomes 'flexible' when the generation ends. Good to know.

Which is about when I'll be willing to invest in one.

Be willing to do research on the Xhole then too because who knows what else they're going to pull.

 

[Xangba]

I have to say after watching a few Major Nelson interviews, he is genuinely really excited about this "family proposition" or whatever the fuck. Despite myself I really want to know exactly how that works.

Credit where it's due - it's perhaps one of the few good changes they made, but now that the Microsoft hate-ball has gained momentum it's been completely overshadowed.

You can have a shared game library with up to 10 other family members, with two consoles at a time accessing and playing games from it. As someone in a household of many gamers this would be an absolute godsend. I wish there was a steam equivalent of this sort of thing.

Well they haven't said if you can both play the same game at the same time yet, or if it will even work if you're signed into your account, just that the family can play games from your library without you being signed in at that console. It's entirely possible you still can't play the same game together except for split screen, but hopefully it means that while one person is playing X another person can simultaneously be playing Y at their console. Optimistically you all can be online and playing the same game, but I think at best based on the decisions Microsoft has made so far you both can be online and not playing the same game. Not a bad feature in all honesty, but there is still too much other crap with the console to warrant me purchasing one.

Also there is sort of a steam equivalent, just only one person can be online. If one person is in offline mode on Steam, another person can be playing online on that same account. My girlfriend is new to PC gaming so she doesn't have many Steam games, so she just plays Total War or Skyrim offline on my account while I'm online with people. Bear in mind that even if you are in offline mode anything with LAN play is still good to play between you and whomever else as long as you are on the same LAN

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Oh ok. So it'll be good in the future. For the moment it's restrictive and stupid and infringes on rights you'd have with most other platforms. But if you stick with it and take the leap, it'll only be shitty for a few years, then we'll be in the future and it'll all be good.

Although at least they've said banning will not restrict access to singleplayer, and nor will shutting down the servers. Pity they couldn't find a way to allow offline singleplayer IN THE MAIN PERIOD OF USE OF THE CONSOLE.

 

[RicoADF]

So it becomes 'flexible' when the generation ends. Good to know.

Well that may be when I actually get a XBone, once I've seen that it will actually work and is worth getting. Funny that ay :-/

 

[Something Amyss]

"Sure, we've said a bunch of confusing, contradictory, and even outright dickish stuff BUT TRUST US GUISE!"

So it becomes 'flexible' when the generation ends. Good to know.

Which is about when I'll be willing to invest in one.

Be willing to do research on the Xhole then too because who knows what else they're going to pull.

Oh, I always do my homework. I'm just saying that the time the games can be played without the service is about the time I'll give a crap.

 

[Something Amyss]

Well this just opens a new can of worms. If this is possible at the end of the generation, then why not just scrap the DRM now? It's the question that begs to be answered.

Um, so people don't PIRATE THE GAMES?

Isn't that obvious?

That's the whole point of DRM.

Actually, the point of this DRM appears to be to make sure they can monetise the consumer as much as possible. I'd be shocked to find this had much, if anything to do with piracy. I'm sorry, but that's the way this works.

 

[Starke]

So basically all the bullshit about the 24 hour checkins being "mandatory" and "critical to the console" was complete shit. Thats Microsoft for your forward thinking pro-consumer outlook.

Except, again, that's not what he said. What he said was they wouldn't just shut down the servers at the end of the cycle, not that your Xbone would never be bricked by Microsoft taking the servers offline.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

I hate to jump on the "he's talking out of his ass" train at the first sight of good news for the XB1, but... It sounds like he's talking out of his ass. If the servers go down and people don't need to check in to play games, then you'll basically have game disks with unlimited installs. I can't see them wanting to do that. More importantly for me, he dodged the question about using a physical game as the check instead of the check in which pisses me off. All they have to do, is use the game as authentication when offline and BAM, the XB1 is a completely viable console. If their plan is to make the system use that at the end of the generation then it's clear they're only goal for this console is to stomp out used games

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Yeah, I call bullshit. You've already established that an online connection is required every 24 hrs. otherwise game playing gets locked off. Well if the servers get shut down then that connection will be impossible even if the user is connected to the internet, so game playing will become permanently locked down at that point. Unless of course there's something I'm missing.

 

[Vivi22]

Well this just opens a new can of worms. If this is possible at the end of the generation, then why not just scrap the DRM now? It's the question that begs to be answered.

Um, so people don't PIRATE THE GAMES?

Isn't that obvious?

That's the whole point of DRM.

DRM doesn't prevent piracy. This has been all but proven at this point. This is about controlling the paying customers, not the people who crack your system and download your games for free.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

Flexible and future proof are the last two terms I would use to describe the Xbox One's current gaming ethos.

Let's not confuse Major Nelson's confidence and excitement for the system with actual objectivity here; it's pretty much his job to sell the system.

When asked why the Xbox One couldn't use a physical disk as a "failsafe" to bypass the 24 hour check-in policy, Hryb went on to talk about how its not possible because of how awesome the Xbox One's "family sharing library" is.

I find it incredibly insulting that he thinks all our concerns will be instantly alleviated simply through the overuse of a word like "awesome."

 

[Ken Sapp]

I think I will just stick with my plan of waiting until the bleeding edge drones have bought the console and all the true flaws of the system have been exposed to the world after a few months of real-world abuse. Until then I will keep happily gaming on my PC and prior-gen consoles. If it turns out that all the hype turns out to be not that bad I will consider purchasing an XBOne based on what games are out. OTOH, if the XBOne lives up to the hysteria I will sit back and congratulate myself on having not been one of the lamb led to slaughter.