Xbox One Games Will Still be Playable When Servers Shut Down

CFriis87

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Well that's nice! That means it might be worth getting an XBox One at the end of it's life-cycle.
 

Shoggoth2588

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Haven't they said from day one (heh) that all of the details of their service are subject to change at any time, for any reason? Sure it's possible that by the next console generation the XBone would still be functional but we really don't have any way of knowing for sure what will work and what won't.
 

GodzillaGuy92

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Callex said:
Revolutionary said:
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.
I'm pretty sure the sharing feature only allows you to play the game on one console at a time (otherwise each game purchased would effectively be ten copies sold for the same price, and of course we simply can't impoverish those poor starving publishers any more than our evil used game market already has). The benefit of this system is that if you have family/friends that live far away, you no longer actually have to physically lend them your disc. Of course, this system replaces simple disc-lending altogether, meaning that even when you're just visiting a nearby friend and brought some games you'd like to play, you have to install each game on his console. Of the two scenarios, I'd point to the latter as being generally more common, so even this benefit probably does a lot more harm than good.
 

ZippyDSMlee

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No they will not, without something to update or tell the game not to care about DRM then you are SOL. If there is nothing there to do that then the game won't let you play it......
 

Gamegodtre

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SmokePants said:
What is this assumption that there are some servers that will be shut down when the next console launches? You can still authenticate Windows XP, despite there being a Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. Authentication doesn't need some dedicated machines that can ONLY authenticate the Xbox One. Whatever they use to authenticate the next Xbox will be able to authenticate the Xbox One. Not to mention their transition to a flexible cloud compute architecture that uses as many virtual machines as are needed for a given task. "Shutting down servers" is an outdated concept. There is no need.
digging? they have passed that phase long ago, they now have shot the moon missed by a mile and now heading to burn up in a star
 

PunkRex

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Steven Bogos said:
He ended the interview by again bringing up how great the "family sharing library" system will be, and how he wished more people would ask him about it.
What if said Xbox owner has no one else in his said household who plays said Xbox and as a result said Xbox owner could'nt give a said shit about said system?

I'm not saying its not a cool feature, i'm just saying it doesn't really compensate me now, does it?

Not that everythings about me... I want a lollipop...
 

Strelok

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Akalabeth said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the whole problem with so-called modded consoles, that is Xbox 360s, is that in order to play pirated games on them you both had to modify the console and could not connect to Xbox Live. If you did connect, your console would "brick" as they say.

So, assuming that it's the case, then requiring it to connect to the internet cuts out the loop hole of playing pirated games offline.
This is incorrect, with the current way 360s are cracked there is no way to tell that it is unless you are playing games and getting achievements on games that are not released yet. So all my friends with cracked 360s just have to watch release dates, they still play online and get all achievements.

They were able to manage a signal that could detect and then automatically ban consoles a few years ago, was a big mess while I was in college out of a 300 students about 40 or 50 all got banned on the day Microsoft tried this, they just bought RRoD boxes from pawn shops and such, fixed them and were back online again within a day.
 

unstabLized

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Okay. So, either A) You guys are backtracking harder then when I back out of my drive way when I'm late for school, or B) You're bullshitting all of us. Which one is it MS? Come on, do tell us, we're ever so anxious. And if it's not BS, then why the hell is the DRM there? Are you telling me I should buy the console after the generation ends?

All I'm getting from this guy is "Oh the future is safe". Okay, cool, but what about you know, the PRESENT? The DRM is still there and we still won't be able to play games if there's no internet/servers because Xbone won't be able to authenticate after 24 hours. That's what I'm understanding. Why the hell are these people so vague? Stop dodging and answer.

"Let's get the system out there first". No. Let's not. If I'm one of the people who wants to PRE-ORDER the console, then I damn well want all my questions answered before the thing comes out. Your exclusives aren't going to be the sell point. Fuck the family sharing bullshit and GIVE SOME PROPER ANSWERS.
 

Callate

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In a word: How?

Is there a handful of lines of code somewhere that say: "it's okay, the jig is up, stop checking in to make sure all the licenses are up to date?" 'Cause if that's the case, I have to wonder how long it will take hackers to find that switch.

Other than that- are you going to go in game by game and tell them to stop checking for licenses? Doesn't that seem, given how everything else has been presented, to be one more thing that will be "left up to the publishers to decide"?

Will it only be the games that are already on that unreplaceable 500 GB hard drive that will be playable, up until the hardware goes belly-up? Or are you still going to be able to continue to install games from disks (again, implying a whole alternate mechanism for validation in the absence of those servers?)

And if the next Microsoft system is also backwards-incompatible, does it all just become a matter of time anyway?

And if XBox One users have, by using their systems, all signed on to one more version of the delightful "No, you can't sue us" clause, how much recourse do they really have if Major N is simply lying through his teeth?
 

BeeGeenie

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In other words, none of our bad ideas are really necessary, but we're still going through with them anyway, because F*** you.
 

thethird0611

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Dont you love the Escapist population? The day before today I was reading post full of "YOU CANT PLAY GAMES ONCE SERVERS GO DOWN...".

Then, the next day... "Oh dont worry, once we decide the Xbox One is through its cycle, you will still be able to play all of your games. There is no risk."

Escapist population: "XBOX ONE STUPID".

Instead of saying in a civilized tone, "Hey Xbox, but why not just have it in the first place?" They just spout off random hate because of the group think of this place. There is no "Oh, thats good to hear, but I still have problems", its just... the Escapist, thats all I can say. Makes me think of the whole ME3 thing.

Note: I know 'population' is an exaggeration, but just look at this thread, and the other sub-forums for all the X1 hate.
Note 2: And since I HAVE to say this so people dont say it... Not a fanboy, not buying an X1, I have my own complaints about the system, but im not acting like Microsoft killed my child.
 

Raine_sage

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Wait I'm confused here. Ok so the reason it touches base with MS every 24 hours is so that it can tell them if you sold/gave away a game within those last 24 hours so they can remove it from your console and transfer the license.

So if the 24 hour check in system is disabled should they stop supporting the servers come next generation, how would buying/giving games work? Would you just not be able to anymore? Or would they change the system so that players can update it manually somehow? But in order to do that it seems like those features would have to be included somewhere in the console at launch which means the 24 hour check in was never necessary to begin with which means it's only a matter of time before someone cracks it anyway...

And now I've gone cross-eyed.

Alternatively they're just talking out their ass or using double speak as some people have mentioned. Saying "We won't drop server support" rather than "It will be able to work offline should we drop server support."
 

Entitled

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thethird0611 said:
Escapist population: "XBOX ONE STUPID".
No one said that.

People are citing actual problems with the statement, not imitating Hulk-speechin allcaps. That's pretty significant, given that it's exactly the "civilized tone" that you are criticizing, which is pretty easy to misrepresent by making up your own tone.
 

Fraser Fitzpatrick

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Tell us major, does the phrase "Designed for flexibility" really apply to a console that cuts your access to your games if it can't connect to the internet once every 24 hours?
 

thethird0611

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Entitled said:
thethird0611 said:
Escapist population: "XBOX ONE STUPID".
No one said that.

People are citing actual problems with the statement, not imitating Hulk-speechin allcaps. That's pretty significant, given that it's exactly the "civilized tone" that you are criticizing, which is pretty easy to misrepresent by making up your own tone.
Since you decided to just pick out a line to make your post seem better... give me a second...
""We cant support these costs so we`re shutting down the servers. If you want a gaming experience you need to buy our new console; The Xbox Poo.""
"Seriously, Escapist should not take any of these bastards at their word, and I don't just mean Microsoft, that goes for Sony, Nintendo, EA, Activision and all other corporate sociopaths. Why would you trust them?"
" But everything we've heard about the console has demonstrated that it is incredibly inflexible and they are completely willing to just screw over the consumer like that."
"These Microsoft executives are just scum, pure fucking scum."
"Yeah, I'm totally fucking done with this shit. If microsoft are gonna go in this direction, the least they could do is be clear about their crap."
"Also, I don't like this guy's hat." (Sorry, this one was funny xD)
"So there is no point in making paying customers suffer through all this bullshit."
"They basically blatantly admit there is a way to turn off the 24 hourly check up and they just don´t give a shit about you."

This is from the front page of this news article. What I typed up earlier was a all capital exaggeration of what would be said, and it encompasses all of this. I also didnt pick the "kinda like my point" ones.
 

Hero in a half shell

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Akalabeth said:
Hero in a half shell said:
Akalabeth said:
alphamalet said:
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.
But the check in process won't do anything to stop piracy as far as we know. It's a simple check that the console is connected to the internet, there is no games library scanning or double checking every game has a receipt, it's just a simple
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the whole problem with so-called modded consoles, that is Xbox 360s, is that in order to play pirated games on them you both had to modify the console and could not connect to Xbox Live. If you did connect, your console would "brick" as they say.

So, assuming that it's the case, then requiring it to connect to the internet cuts out the loop hole of playing pirated games offline.
Yes, but all the modders need to do is while they mod the console to accept pirated games in exactly the same way as the 360, is to include in their mod a removal of the 24 hour check in procedure, meaning the console no longer tries to connect to the internet.

This is an incredibly easy thing to do, SimCities always online DRM was nullified by deleting two lines of code. Even if Microsoft make the online check in procedure more complicated, once the modders crack the console DRM it'll be automatically included into the Xbox One crack code, and so someone wanting to crack their console will have to go through no extra steps to disable the auto check in.

And because it's console DRM, once someone managed to disable the online check in the crack will be open for anyone to use for the rest of the console's lifecycle. The 24 Hour DRM however, will remain.
 

Olas

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Dec 24, 2011
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He kinda tapdanced around the question a little bit, didn't he?

That's certainly something we would not do.
What is? What wouldn't you do? Is he saying that they would not make games that stops functioning after servers go down, or are they saying they wouldn't shut down the servers ever?

If he means the latter he's full of bullshit, if he means the former it's hard to believe the cloud computing angle will really provide much benefit.

STOP BEING AMBIGUOUS AND JUST TELL US HOW IT'LL WORK, MICROSOFT.

Also: flexibility? I'd think letting me play games off the disk OR the hardrive would give me the most flexibility. Microsoft suddenly thinks disks are the most cumbersome devices in existence and we're all just begging for a way out.
 

Olas

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thethird0611 said:
Entitled said:
thethird0611 said:
Escapist population: "XBOX ONE STUPID".
No one said that.

People are citing actual problems with the statement, not imitating Hulk-speechin allcaps. That's pretty significant, given that it's exactly the "civilized tone" that you are criticizing, which is pretty easy to misrepresent by making up your own tone.
Since you decided to just pick out a line to make your post seem better... give me a second...
""We cant support these costs so we`re shutting down the servers. If you want a gaming experience you need to buy our new console; The Xbox Poo.""
"Seriously, Escapist should not take any of these bastards at their word, and I don't just mean Microsoft, that goes for Sony, Nintendo, EA, Activision and all other corporate sociopaths. Why would you trust them?"
" But everything we've heard about the console has demonstrated that it is incredibly inflexible and they are completely willing to just screw over the consumer like that."
"These Microsoft executives are just scum, pure fucking scum."
"Yeah, I'm totally fucking done with this shit. If microsoft are gonna go in this direction, the least they could do is be clear about their crap."
"Also, I don't like this guy's hat." (Sorry, this one was funny xD)
"So there is no point in making paying customers suffer through all this bullshit."
"They basically blatantly admit there is a way to turn off the 24 hourly check up and they just don´t give a shit about you."

This is from the front page of this news article. What I typed up earlier was a all capital exaggeration of what would be said, and it encompasses all of this. I also didnt pick the "kinda like my point" ones.
Do you not know how to put something inside a quote box? It's easy, just surround the text with [ quote ] and [ /quote ].

And if you do it correctly it should look like so:

MICROSOFT ATE MY BABY!!!!
 

Ashoten

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NO he didnt say that the games would be playable. He avoided the question by saying the system was "flexable". Then Told us to buy it and trust them.......nope I do not trust you microsoft.
 

Callate

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thethird0611 said:
Dont you love the Escapist population? The day before today I was reading post full of "YOU CANT PLAY GAMES ONCE SERVERS GO DOWN...".

Then, the next day... "Oh dont worry, once we decide the Xbox One is through its cycle, you will still be able to play all of your games. There is no risk."

Escapist population: "XBOX ONE STUPID".

Instead of saying in a civilized tone, "Hey Xbox, but why not just have it in the first place?" They just spout off random hate because of the group think of this place. There is no "Oh, thats good to hear, but I still have problems", its just... the Escapist, thats all I can say. Makes me think of the whole ME3 thing.
In fairness, Major Nelson didn't exactly say "when we decide the XBox One is through its cycle" et al. The exact quote was:

"After the XBox One servers are shut down at the end of the new generation, will XBox One games still be playable?"

I'll just say this...We haven't even started this generation, so it's kind of early to talk about the end of the generation. I mean, that's certainly... something that we would not do, that's not the way the system is designed, it's designed for flexibility, but... let's get the system out there, first.
And, sure, there's a fair amount of reflexive hate towards Microsoft in general and The XBox One in specific. But it's also true that there's one hell of a lot of wiggle-room in both the question and the response, and on the whole interviewee seems less interested in answering questions than spinning everything towards positive, market-tested terms like "flexibility" and "the future". It's hard not to feel that it's less a straight answer than one more iteration of the "wait and see" response that we've seen far too much of from Microsoft's spokespeople.

Now, if I were part of Microsoft's PR team, I'd be biting down on the cyanide capsule right about now.

Let me try that again. If I were part of Microsoft's PR team, I'd be cagey about answering questions with definitive, unambiguous answers as well; it seems like nearly everything Microsoft has confirmed about the console in hard-and-fast terms has only served to confirm people's worst suspicions and stoke the fires of resentment. But that's not to say there aren't real reasons for people to be both resentful and mistrustful towards Microsoft, and I don't think they're succeeding in making their case- in part because of both such noncommittal non-answers and the combination of patronizing and glad-handing attitudes with which those answers are dispersed.

And that impression is far from confined to The Escapist. I'm seeing similar things from Penny Arcade, from Edge Magazine, from the message boards on sites like IGN and Gamespot. As of today, the "standard" edition of the XBox One has gone from somewhere in the upper 60s of Amazon.com's top 100 video game best sellers to falling off the list entirely- in part aided by the PS4 Watch Dogs Launch day bundle (#3), the PS4 Battlefield 4 launch day bundle (#5), the PS4 Launch Day edition (#6), and the PS4 Killzone Launch Day bundle (#8).