Here we go again. Another wild rumour has appeared and this one’s another one of those that make Microsoft’s next console about as appealing as a bowl of jalapeño chilies for breakfast. Well, unless you’re the sort of person that has an internet connection to hand, in which case news that the Xbox 720 needs such a high concept idea as the internet to start up a game will mean next to nothing.
Regardless, Kotaku are citing two sources who are proclaiming that unless you’re within range of a series of floating binary zeroes and ones, the machine will steadfastly refuse to do very much at all. “Unless something has changed recently,” said one mysterious source, “[Xbox 720] consumer units must have an active internet connection to be used.”
“If there isn’t a connection, no games or apps can be started. If the connection is interrupted then after a period of time – currently three minutes, if I remember correctly – the game/app is suspended and the network troubleshooter started.”
Nothing excites me more than the thought of a Microsoft-developed troubleshooter explaining why my piece of rubbish next-to-dial up connection has struggled to push out more than thirty megabytes in the same number of minutes. Forget Halo 5, I’m getting one just to see this thing in action. At least there’s that three minutes grace – just enough time for my router to reboot.
Kotaku say their sources are “tied to the gaming industry” although urge caution in putting too much faith in what is essentially unverifiable information. Sensible.
Paranoimia
Part of me says they couldn’t be that stupid, part of me says they could, part of me (the part that has disliked Microsoft as a company long before Xbox even existed) hopes they are.
The Lone Steven
If this is true, all interest that i had in the console has just flown away as having a console that requires a decent net connection is not viable for me and i despise that shitty always online DRM. Plus, it would ruin your gaming experience if the net went down just as you killed a very hard boss or passed a very hard bit only for it to shut down.
Are MS trying to kill themselves? As this is one way to do it as no-one and i repeat, no-one loves the always online bullshit. Aside from Publishers. Hell, even the hardcore fanboys would turn their back on it. :O I think they’ve got this false leaking wrong as it’s not generating hype for the Urango. And it would pretty much allow Sony to sell the PS4 without any major compitition. I hope it’s not true though.
Paranoimia
Of course, it *is* just a rumour. But as someone just said on Twitter, there have been several rumours about this now, so you can’t help but wonder if there just may be some truth to it.
fattyuk
Get over it darling, it’s only a rumour.
gazzagb
There’s so many negative rumours about the new Xbox, it’s hard to know if together they carry weighting, or the internet just seems to be bashing MS for some reason.
Anyway, 3 minutes without internet and your game is suspended? If this is true, Microsoft really have shot themselves in the foot here.
fattyuk
Negative rumours are made because everyone wants to here some proper news :0)
gazzagb
Seems odd though that the rumours surrounding the PS4 before it was announced were mainly positive, whereas I’ve heard very few positive things about the next xbox.
hazelam
there was the rumour that the PS4 would block preowned games, that’s not much different to the nextbox rumours.
gazzagb
Oh yeah, I forgot about that.
fattyuk
In the year of 2013 I take every “internetz” rumour with a ton of salt, and wait for official announcements,
There great to read and with the modern day forums seeing every one go nuts about these rumours does make for some entertaining reading!
blackredyellow
Utter nonsense, I don’t believe a word of it.
a inferior race
Microsoft and DRM is a rumour that just doesn’t seem to be going away. Unless MS state unequivocally that internet is not required to access the single player of any game that can be bought on disc, I will not be buying their console.
I’m also starting to wonder why none of MS’ execs have not “mis-spoke” and stated that the next xbox will not have DRM.
cam the man
Unless they have realized that they’ve made a grave error and are trying to change it before going public.
The boffins at MS will be listening to all the gossip that’s been doing the rounds so will know what people thing of DRM.
cam the man
*think of DRM.
Kennykazey
I really don’t think Microsoft is that stupid.
KeRaSh
I guess Microsoft employees haven’t heard of Sim City.
I honestly can’t believe MS would really be that stupid but then again, they thought removing the Start button in their new version of Windows was a good idea…
What if these rumors are cleverly spread by Sony to either get MS to show their cards or just to ruin their reputation?
fattyuk
You think Sony might of started these rumours? to ruin Microsofts reputation
Are you 12 years old or something
KeRaSh
Judging by the blatant misuse of proper punctuation, I’d say you are the twelve year old but that would be rude, right?
At the end of the day Sony is here to make money and if a few well placed rumors about a competitor help in that regard, then I’d say it is very possible. If you think Sony is a bunch of saints that hand out free meals in their free time, then you really shouldn’t be talking.
fattyuk
Saints? Free meals? Where you getting all that from lol.
Motalla
Microsoft might have a very good explanation for this, the sort that we can’t think of as of yet. It could be a really cool feature of sorts. Microsoft can’t collectively lost their minds?
hazelam
i would hope they’re not dumb enough to do something like this, but they do require an internet connection to run any indie titles on 360, so i’m not entirely discounting the possibility that they’re extending that requirement to all titles for their next machine.
i’ll reserve my potential outrage til an official announcement, but i do know, if this is true, it’s a no buy from me.
i’m not about to buy a console where all my games would be effectively taken away from me any time my internet goes down.
because the fact is, no internet is “always on”
even the best network will have downtime.
fattyuk
“i’ll reserve my potential outrage”
You do have a lot of that towards gaming lol