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Adam Sessler interview: Xbox One's DRM, Always-Online

whitehawk

Banned
So Adam Sessler posted a new interview today and quickly asked Matt Booty, the General Manager of Redmond Games Studios, about the talk of always online and no used games. Very good interview, I recommend watching the whole thing.

http://youtu.be/Y508_rXPogQ

On DRM:
Matt Booty: If I come over to your house and I play with my profile, then I'm going to be able to use that game. If you want to play with your profile, that's as if you're buying the game.

On always-online:
Adam Sessler: Now that brings us to what is probably the greater concern for the core gamers out there, which is the notion of always-online. That really wasn't addressed specifically in the presentation today. Is there any sort of clarity as to whether or not you have to have a persistent internet connection, or just an internet connection that offers sort of a handshake to just kind of verify that there is something connected to the internet.

Matt Booty: Yeah that's another topic where there's been a bunch of stuff flying around and I would probably look to what our official update through the day is. What I'll say is that we diffidently designed XBox One to take advantage of everything that the internet has to offer. And everything that being ready and connected can bring. So in terms of automatic updates, in terms of expanded content, obviously multiplayer, online play, the power of the cloud. These are all the great advantages of the internet. I think we've gotten a little hung up today on some of the details, and is it two minutes or two hours, and I like to think more about all the advantages of that an internet connected device are going to bring to a console.

Adam Sessler: I mean so if you are to sort of look at it, in terms of the idea- and I think there was a memo out there maybe a couple of weeks ago, if you have a truly solitary single player experience, would that require an internet connection?

Matt Booty: I think we're going to- so in the absence of any internet connection, you're going to be able to play blu-ray movies, and there are likely to be some games modes that you'll be able to continue to play. But again, the XBox One was really designed to take advantage of the modern era where people have got high speed internet, where it's just all the advantages it brings in terms of the cloud, knowing what your friends are doing, online play and everything else that goes along with having an internet connection.
He doesn't answer with clear and concise replies, but if you listen carefully, he's pretty much confirming what we've been hearing about blocking used games and always-online.
 

Kusagari

Member
At this point there is no reason to doubt what Harrison told us. This is just PR and damage control in case they decide to change their mind.
 

Meelow

Banned
About the always online thing.

I think this is why we kept getting conflicting reports saying it's always online and than it's not always online and so on from the rumors, the Xbox One is not always online but you will have to connect to the internet at least once a day, that's my theory at least.
 

jschreier

Member
Do you have an MS interview you can link us to?

I'm actually serious, I would be interested in reading it

Ya. Phil Harrison told Stephen that it's once a day: http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-does-require-internet-connection-cant-play-o-509164109

Microsoft quickly backpedaled after that, saying that Harrison's statement is just one "potential situation." I suppose they haven't decided yet, which is perfectly fine. But it's ridiculous that they can't get their message straight.
 

nib95

Banned
A lot of dodging, pr spin and vagueness here. But he does do a good job with what he's got, I'll give him that. My take away is that basically the rumours were right, it does require an Internet connection and does block used games. Their alternative that they're not talking about yet will just be some anti consumer system that makes Microsoft more money and puts more obstacles in the way of consumers. Wouldn't be surprised if Gamestop get a cut or have some sort of arrangement either.
 
I hate the way that booty PR monkey tries to downplay it 'hurr all the advantages it brings'

The fucking thing WORKS offline, but for an arbitrary fuck you 24 hours.
This is exactly like what EA did with sim city, it's drm nothing more nothing less.
 
Matt Booty: I think we're going to- so in the absence of any internet connection, you're going to be able to play blu-ray movies, and there are likely to be some games modes that you'll be able to continue to play. But again, the XBox One was really designed to take advantage of the modern era where people have got high speed internet, where it's just all the advantages it brings in terms of the cloud, knowing what your friends are doing, online play and everything else that goes along with having an internet connection.

He should have just said they didn't finalize anything yet instead of talking about playing blu-ray movies. This is even worse.
 

Meelow

Banned
Ya. Phil Harrison told Stephen that it's once a day: http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-does-require-internet-connection-cant-play-o-509164109

Microsoft quickly backpedaled after that, saying that Harrison's statement is just one "potential situation." I suppose they haven't decided yet, which is perfectly fine. But it's ridiculous that they can't get their message straight.

What I found weird about that today they said "not everything is 100% finalized" or something close to that, but if that's true how could it be a "potential situation"? They confused it more.
 

Iacobellis

Junior Member
Ya. Phil Harrison told Stephen that it's once a day: http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-does-require-internet-connection-cant-play-o-509164109

Microsoft quickly backpedaled after that, saying that Harrison's statement is just one "potential situation." I suppose they haven't decided yet, which is perfectly fine. But it's ridiculous that they can't get their message straight.

They definitely don't seem ready for November. It's all reminiscent to the months leading up to the PS3 launch.
 

mbmonk

Member
I still don't understand what the benefits for gamers are of the console requiring an online connection versus the console just using the internet connection if it detects one is available ( to download game patches, etc).

Anyone mind informing me on the matter, minus DRM/Used game reasons.
 

Foffy

Banned
About the always online thing.

I think this is why we kept getting conflicting reports saying it's always online and than it's not always online and so on from the rumors, the Xbox One is not always online but you will have to connect to the internet at least once a day, that's my theory at least.

Your theory is what Phil Harrison confirmed yesterday.
 

Kusagari

Member
I'm starting to think the system needs to be connected at least once a day but that also some games/apps might have different connection limits on top of that.

So maybe EA could say you can't play Madden unless you connect every 6 hours.
 

Azull

Member
Because that is such an unimportant detail. Jesus, Microsoft.

Seriously. The fact the he tries to downplay something as crucial as that just makes it 100x worse. There are so many questions they couldn't answer/avoided that it's seems like they weren't prepared at all.
 
This entire reveal is a train wreck, from the actual show to the PR after. Microsoft apparently learned nothing from Sony's overconfidence going into the PS3 launch and are making the same (and worse) mistakes.
 

Pennywise

Member
so always on confirmed? such BS answers

Not entirely.
But given the bullshit answers we have not only from booty, but also from Hryb and Harrison, it's clearly pointing towards that direction.

Hryb said that in the live chat session :

"Hi Larry. There seems to be some confusion in the media on how frequently users must connect to the internet to use the Xbox One. Will this be as frequent as once a day as rumored or will we be able to use the console for extended periods of time without an active connection? Thank you.

Quote:
Answer: No. It does not have to be always connected but it does require an internet connection."

That's no definite answer either, but clearly no denial about the whole situation.
 

Foffy

Banned
I still don't understand what the benefits for gamers are of the console requiring an online connection versus the console just using the internet connection if it detects one is available ( to download game patches, etc).

Anyone mind informing me on the matter, minus DRM/Used game reasons.

Bro, that's the thing: the reasons you are disqualifying ARE the reasons. They're pushing the "infinite power" of the cloud to justify this further. The cloud can't even power backwards compatibility for this fucking thing.
 
there's been months of these rumors with gamestop stock drops and bad consumer reactions. they had plenty of time to steer away but decided to full steam ahead and take their chances with trying to finesse their way through the details.

seriously reminding me of pre-ps3 launch sony. i can't say it enough.
 

nomis

Member
Their evasiveness should fully explain their motives.

"blah blah blah advantages of the cloud blah blah blah i must know what my friends are doing at all times blah blah blah" i.e. NEXT GEN DRM, FUCKERS
 
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