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Xbox v.Next and Only Online by Paul Thurrott: Deal With It :)
- Thread starter statham
- Start date
I believe the joke is that Microsoft will do it automatically as a "favor" to you. I don't mind the functionality as long as I am able to ignore it when it is stupid.
The Illiterati
Member
Start marking down all the people who think this is good, and thus when this all comes back to destroy the next Xbox launch, point and laugh at their tears. Bully them, in fact.
Impeccable
Member
YES, always on.
Fantastic news.
Fantastic news.
I'm sure I'll be rolling my eyes constantly just like I did when they announced the kinect.
People, read the article.
He suggests all the devices in the W8 will have an offline mode, then proceeds to switch his wording to "always on" showing the typical confounding of DRM and the low power state distinction we see from these rumours.
Not sure why OP left that out, that's probably more important than everything else in the article.
He suggests all the devices in the W8 will have an offline mode, then proceeds to switch his wording to "always on" showing the typical confounding of DRM and the low power state distinction we see from these rumours.
Not sure why OP left that out, that's probably more important than everything else in the article.
I have listened to a few "Windows Weekly" podcasts that he and twit host. Paul's positions on many Microsoft products are far from rose-tinted.
jim-jam bongs
Member
Paul Thurrott thinks a new feature from Microsoft is a good idea?
I am shocked. Shocked, I tell you.
I notice that he does nothing to actually allay any of the concerns he mentions before declaring the next Xbox to be AWESOME.
I am shocked. Shocked, I tell you.
I notice that he does nothing to actually allay any of the concerns he mentions before declaring the next Xbox to be AWESOME.
I am curious as to what the innovation will be that couldn't be done without being always connected to their servers. The vast majority of social media don't have to be consumed immediately.
CheesecakeRecipe
Stormy Grey
That's not going to happen. Microsoft is about to step head first into a blunder of giant proportions just after always-online DRM had been sent to the hounds and shredded by the press and consumers. And that's just one game - one game that was discovered to have absolutely zero reason to be online only and all of the bullshit that EA/Maxis spewed about it was proven wrong.
Delusional defense forces can tout their flags around about how their connection never drops (which is most likely bullshit) but they'll refuse to face the facts that other than microsoft wanting to step too far on their consumers' toes to fight piracy rather than create a less expensive ecosystem which encourages/enables more purchases... there is no good reason in existence to force an entire system to be always online. If I purchase a piece of software and it is single player in any fashion, an internet connection should never be required. My siblings have several friends who still keep their consoles disconnected from the net, and there are tons of areas where internet service is so shoddy that people are paying out the ass they are bending over and taking it from and have no way to solve their problem.
Microsoft is in for an extremely rude awakening once this gets officially announced.
Can't wait.
However they will do it, there will be white knights defending their position on GAF and elsewhere because somehow what is good for MS's business that takes away gamers' freedom to choose is actually good for these paying customers because of reasons "X,Y,Z". I have no doubt that these reasons will seem compelling to most until the day comes when their internet connection goes down in the middle of a play session and these folks come face to face with the horrible (if it is indeed going stop people from playing) penalty. And perhaps then the realization would dawn upon them that they fucked themselves in the ass with a ticking time bomb that just went off.
In conclusion, should the penalty for losing connection be detrimental to the gameplay and its progress and the box still sells by the millions, then you will know that MS wasn't to blame.
Well Diablo 3's and Sim City's always online was presented as a positive (obviously) in that it was necessary because of the game design. Of course people knew better, there is no reason why either game could not have a offline component
Obviously it is not necessary for game design at all, and they are even making console Diablo 3 have a offline mode now.
So i imagine Microsoft will claim that in order to deliver this "new experience" it was necessary for it to be always online
They have no idea just how massive a mistake this is
Obviously it is not necessary for game design at all, and they are even making console Diablo 3 have a offline mode now.
So i imagine Microsoft will claim that in order to deliver this "new experience" it was necessary for it to be always online
They have no idea just how massive a mistake this is
dorkimoe
Member
still buying it
hopefully this means i wont have to deal with waiting months to get one. even though i know about 90% of you saying "not buying it" are still indeed buying it*
*source
bf3 being on origin- eveyone not buying it--still bought it
call of duty on pc no dedicated servers- you still bought it
hopefully this means i wont have to deal with waiting months to get one. even though i know about 90% of you saying "not buying it" are still indeed buying it*
*source
bf3 being on origin- eveyone not buying it--still bought it
call of duty on pc no dedicated servers- you still bought it
Demoncarnotaur
Member
How?
How is it fantastic news that we need a constant connection to play SP games? If the system was always on, but worked when you didn't have a connection I would be fine... but seriously, this is BS. If it comes with some built in free 3G that takes over when your connection drops to verify your game or whatever I would be fine also. But my connections drops sometimes, as does XBL...I would like to be able to play my games.
He goes out of his way in the article to say that people in rural America and other places in the world that have [shitty] and metered internet may have a problem with the nextbox. He uses "always on" to sugarcoat things but we all know what he means.
Why not just give me the price for the console. I'll only kick you in the nuts once.
BlazingDarkness
Member
oh shit son
Off-Kilter
Banned
Can't wait for Microsoft to spin this in a good way.
Can't wait.
Also:
Act like a dick and expect the internet to do the same. Simple
Can't wait.
Also:
Act like a dick and expect the internet to do the same. Simple
CrunchinJelly
formerly cjelly
You really don't know anything about the guy if you imply he's some kind of fanboy. He is very cynical and often outright negative of MS.
Uno Venova
Banned
I'm very sympathetic they didn't get to communicate this feature better first. People will soon understand how great this is. Please be excited.
ElRenoRaven
Member
Yup. They'll spin this like you've never see before. Sadly they will have plenty of idiots believing it too. Unlike most who hate Always online DRM I fully acknowledge that the masses are going to do that they're told and actually eat it up. Sadly we've got an entire generation of consumer that has been raised to, how do I put this, to basically believe and buy whatever a company tells them to.
So I have no doubt the 720 will do well. It will sadly. However I won't be one of those. I'll support console manufactures and developers who don't treat their customers like crap until such time they cease to exist. Then I'll simply go back to my older consoles and other forms of gaming.
It is absolutely a real problem. People should not have to worry about death threats and having their personal details posted all over the Internet just for expressing an opinion.
The other problem comes when corporate cocksuckers use that lunatic fringe to entirely dismiss any reasonable counter arguments.
This is probably it, but it's a shitty article that presents 3 different perspectives on the matter and the offline mode bit makes no sense, especially in the context of the rest of the article.
soul creator
Member
yeah
Which basically contradicts his original point (as you mentioned earlier). No one would complain (well, not as much) if features that don't require an internet connection still work offline.
jim-jam bongs
Member
I used to write for a PC magazine years ago, before Vista came out he was the very definition of a Microsoft fanboy. Sure he's more measured these days, but whichever way you spin things he still doesn't have a single valid argument to support his assertion that everyone is blowing this out of proportion.
ReturnOfTheRAT
Member
Can't use Netflix because you have no internet connection? Makes sense.
Can't play a downloaded game/disc based game because of no internet connection? That's the fear Xbox gamers have at the moment.
Assuming an Internet connection is one of the worst things about the Windows 8 interface. Luckily there are still installed apps that work.
Can't play a downloaded game/disc based game because of no internet connection? That's the fear Xbox gamers have at the moment.
Assuming an Internet connection is one of the worst things about the Windows 8 interface. Luckily there are still installed apps that work.
...you've clearly never read or heard anything from Paul Thurott before. Possibly the most jaded "Microsoft fan" in the world.
His Windows Phone reviews were hilarious.
"There are glimmers of great features let down by being three years too late."
It's a good bet that the positive spin will obscure the real issue and talk about features that could work perfectly well without requiring every piece of software to phone home every few minutes regardless of their individual requirements or lack of requirements for online connectivity.
'Oh look, you can stream video online whenever you want!'
'Oh look, a server can push a download to your machine in the background whenever it's available!'
'Oh look, you can constantly see what your friends are doing!'
Doing cool things when a net connection is available is great and has been great already on existing systems and will continue to be great, but it's dancing around why the machine has to roll over and die with if a net connection happens to disappear for x minutes. That's the part of 'always online' that they need to justify.
I agree, if rumors are true, which it seems things have been pretty correct so far, the "offline mode" is that you can simply have the console turned on while being offline. As far as we can gather so far, any app (games, music, etc.) will require an internet connection whether it actually needs to be online or not.
If the above is true then fuck him for trying to spin in there that there is a usuable offline mode.
Grinchy
Banned
I know you're kidding, but what's even more funny is that you don't need a console to require an online connection for that. If you're online, it uploads that data immediately. If you're not, the instant part of the feature has to wait until you are online.
I legitimately cannot figure out what kinds of features that benefit the user can be implemented by forcing an always-online strategy.
The Faceless Master
Member
the MS marketing checks are going out?
jim-jam bongs
Member
And again, whether he's still a Microsoft fanboy or not he has nothing to say except "sure people who have legitimate complaints will complain like they always do".
[ANNOUNCERS VOICE] "Don't you hate that feeling of having no-one to play with?"
*black and white footage of a kid sitting in front of a TV, looking disappointed with a controller in his hand"
[ANNOUNCERS VOICE] "Well not anymore." "With our Microsoft patented "AlwaysON" technology you have access to millions of gamers at the touch of a button." "Imagine the millions of interconnected gamers sharing their in-game progress and experiences with eachother online, the possibilities are endless!" "A true social experience like never seen before!"
*Colour footage of a kid having his mind blown while he's chatting away while shooting dudes*
[ANNOUNCERS VOICE] "No hacking, no cheating, it's where gamers call home!"
[ANNOUNCERS VOICE] "Only on Xbox Live"
Hire me Microsoft.
*black and white footage of a kid sitting in front of a TV, looking disappointed with a controller in his hand"
[ANNOUNCERS VOICE] "Well not anymore." "With our Microsoft patented "AlwaysON" technology you have access to millions of gamers at the touch of a button." "Imagine the millions of interconnected gamers sharing their in-game progress and experiences with eachother online, the possibilities are endless!" "A true social experience like never seen before!"
*Colour footage of a kid having his mind blown while he's chatting away while shooting dudes*
[ANNOUNCERS VOICE] "No hacking, no cheating, it's where gamers call home!"
[ANNOUNCERS VOICE] "Only on Xbox Live"
Hire me Microsoft.
The real issue is that time and time again we've seen that the problem isn't being connected to the internet, it's being connected to the content/platform servers (see: Battle.net fuck ups with Diablo III, SimCity in the first 10 days).
It behooves Microsoft to hush it away by framing it in the former context, while the latter more practical issue is ignored.
It's not like XBL hasn't had outages on major traffic days. Although Holiday 2010 (2009?) is really the only one that seemed to widespread enough to affect me.
It behooves Microsoft to hush it away by framing it in the former context, while the latter more practical issue is ignored.
It's not like XBL hasn't had outages on major traffic days. Although Holiday 2010 (2009?) is really the only one that seemed to widespread enough to affect me.
demigod
Member
Benefit of ads!
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