Microsoft has sensibly decided to issue a FAQ, a series of bullet-pointed info snippets, in order to attempt to clarify the recent PR bumbles that came forth after the Xbox One was revealed a couple of weeks back. On their own official news blog, they’ve made three new sections which detail most of the issues potential customers were having.
“Because every Xbox One owner has a broadband connection,” says one section talking about the Xbox One’s ability to tap into ‘the cloud’, “developers can create massive, persistent worlds that evolve even when you’re not playing.”
It mentions that you’ll need to install (and sign into Xbox Live) before playing a game. “After signing in and installing, you can play any of your games from any Xbox One because a digital copy of your game is stored on your console and in the cloud.”
1.5Mbps broadband needed
Xbox One needs to be online once every 24 hours or games won’t work
It’s up to publishers whether or not they charge a fee to sell on a game
You won’t be able to rent or loan games at launch
“So, for example, while you are logged in at your friend’s house, you can play your games.”
The posts mention “a broadband connection of 1.5Mbps” which shouldn’t trouble most users (although their statement that the average is 3Mbps means very little).
The important bit is the requirement for the system to ‘check in’ every 24 hours. “While a persistent connection is not required,” the post states, “Xbox One is designed to verify if system, application or game updates are needed and to see if you have acquired new games, or resold, traded in, or given your game to a friend.”
“Games that are designed to take advantage of the cloud may require a connection.”
“With Xbox One you can game offline for up to 24 hours on your primary console, or one hour if you are logged on to a separate console accessing your library. Offline gaming is not possible after these prescribed times until you re-establish a connection, but you can still watch live TV and enjoy Blu-ray and DVD movies.”
And on pre-owned: “Some gamers choose to sell their old disc-based games back for cash and credit,” say Microsoft. “We designed Xbox One so game publishers can enable you to trade in your games at participating retailers. Microsoft does not charge a platform fee to retailers, publishers, or consumers for enabling transfer of these games.”
That’s nice, but it doesn’t stop publishers charging. “Microsoft Studios will enable you to give your games to friends or trade in your Xbox One games at participating retailers,” it says, but “third party publishers may opt in or out of supporting game resale and may set up business terms or transfer fees with retailers.”
“In addition,” it adds, “third party publishers can enable you to give games to friends. Loaning or renting games won’t be available at launch, but we are exploring the possibilities with our partners.”
Crikey.
Some are expecting Sony to offer a similar method to publishers with the PS4.
Starman
They still haven’t clarified exactly how the license & disc will be locked to your console. I assume they’ve got something more inventive than those poxy 1 use voucher codes. They say ms studios games won’t have a pre owned charge but there must be something to acknowledge the disc has been installed? What a balls up.
Starman
Also re: 24 hour checks, they don’t seem to have any failsafe for when live goes down, just like it did a couple of months ago for 2/3 days. That kind of thing happening with x1 would get them a huge amount of bad pr.
double-o-dave
Well my internet connection is usually fine but it went down for 2 weeks a couple of months ago due to the weather which would mean my Xbox One which I’m never going to buy would go straight througth the window!
leeroye
So am i right in thinking if you dont have the internet at home you will not be able to use an xbox one?
double-o-dave
Correct… Not to play games anyway. You may be able to use your Sky box through it though if you like to waste energy resources.
Bilbo_bobbins
Yes
hazelam
first of all, i’d like to ask for a moment’s silence.
http://i.imgur.com/zUcwrkw.jpg
.
.
.
right.
now that’s done.
what the hell are they thinking?
like i even need to ask.
cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching.
that’s what they’re thinking.
i’m not gonna go on some big rant, frankly ms and this disaster of a machine aren’t worthy of my time.
and i’ve made my point clear many times.
i will say this however.
i said this would happen, i said time and again, if you accept the online passes, if you accept the project ten dollar crap, if you accept them cutting out 10% of the campaign for their preowned jihad, if you accepted and supported those things they’d push it, they’d block trade ins, they’d add more and more restrictions over what is legally defined as our property.
and people said “no”, “they wouldn’t do that”.
well they just did.
there’s a saying i like, “a pessimist, is what an optimist calls a realist”
now when it comes to this machine.
are people going to accept this or maybe listen to the “pessimists”?
do people still believe they won’t push even further if they get away with this?
will they remember the warnings later this year when they see this machine in the shops?
i know ms don’t care about the consumer, but i at least hope the consumer does.
i really hope Sony are watching the reactions to this, and do the right thing for their customers and the law rather than pandering to rapacious publishers.
but right now i have to say, my faith in the people running this industry is particularly low, and it was never that high to begin with so that’s saying something.
double-o-dave
“i’m not gonna go on some big rant” Hee hee
hazelam
in my defence, i actually meant that when i wrote it. ^_^
Fruitbat1919
Rant justified and to be honest….the only way we can get a tiny portion of our disgust served onto the plate of the powers that be….I agree….I hope people really vote with their money this time.
I’m know I will say no to buying any service that treats me in such a rude manner.
The Lone Steven
*Watches as all of his interest in the X1 climbs to the highest mountain before flinging itself off to it’s death.*
MS are fucked if Sony implents something that is a lot better and doesn’t punish those without net. You are left with an expensive decoration if your net goes down or worse, Live goes down for more then a day. Online DRM is hated by most gamers. By implenting this DRM or whatever MS keeps calling it, they have shot themselves in the foot. The X1 is going to struggle to sell because of the DRM alone. They can chuck a lot of marketing at it, buy timed content and do whatever they want, they will always have a hard time selling it.
stonyk
I have a feeling that all the hacker groups out there will probably target Live to bring it down to highlight the problems with their forced restrictions. Didn’t they target Sony as they restricted use of Linux – surely this is more offensive to those groups? Think M$ will have to get their protection to an extremely high level. But thats just a pessimists view.
Beck
Old dear walks into GAME..
Old dear – “My Grandson would love one of those Xbox machines”
Assistant – “Ahh yes, that would be the Xbox1, its all the rage with the kiddies”
Assistant – “I have to ask though, will there be a broadband internet connection in place at the home?”
Old dear – “A broadwhatnow?”
Assistant – “Oh dont worry about that, that will be £500 please.”
Fruitbat1919
hahaha I too can see that happening and then the Old dear hitting the assistant with her walking cane when she has to get the bus back for a refund!
stonyk
Just thinking – will all this negative feedback on here (and from me) the truth is probably most people here will end up with both the Sony and M$ offering anyway (like most have with this generation like me). This solves the internet downtime problem as you can just use the PS4 during these periods.
Same thing happened with 360. RRD after 3 months so I fixed it, sold it and got a PS3 swearing to never touch an M$ device again. £ years later and several hundred quid less I got one.
In other words, as much as the DRM p1sses me off I imagine I’ll still get one somewhere down the line. Stupid I know.
Gaztee
Well if the press is right the X1 is already selling like hotcakes, so I don’t see this affecting sales at all, especially in the US!
I personally have never been a huge fan of places like game and their 2nd hand game policy, as I think they shaft us gamers left, right & deep in the centre. However I do know that most of their profit comes from this area & it does help generate sales of new games. If publisher go this route on X1 & ps4 I don’t see place like Game being around for much longer! Surely the fall out from this will end up being everything will be download only & then this new 2nd hand game revenue stream will stop, as nobody will be able to sell their old games anywhere to get money for new ones??
I know they moan about the 2nd hand market, but when I buy something new, it’s my property to do with what I like after I’m done with it! I can’t think of any after sales market that gets a second bite of the cherry, when the original item gets moved on. Cars being the easiest comparison!
Short sighted, stupid & will probably be the end of gaming as we know it in the long run!!
Eldave0
As pathetic as it sounds, its the 1.5mb connection that concerns me. Up until now I have looked at some of the restrictions on things like 2nd hand gaming, 24hr checks, etc and thought “annoying, but they don’t really effect me”.
Recently my family and I moved “out in the sticks”, where its a miracle we get a broadband connection at all. Typically my speed averages at about 1mb…
If this restriction simply blocks me out of online gaming, fine, I guess I could live with that. But if I try and sign in to play some offline Forza/FIFA and the X1 says “sorry, we cannot sign you in as your current internet speed does not meet the minimum specs”, I will be pissed!
Like everything else X1, these needs major clarification.
double-o-dave
Its from an official news blog so I’m pretty sure that is clarification. As it stands, it looks like you won’t be able to play games on an X1 if your connect is less than 1.5mb.
Eldave0
If true I will have to cancel my X1 pre order and go PS4 – something I don’t really want to do as I have much preferred my 360 this gen to the PS3. I guess E3 will have some more details and will make my final decision.
TheDeathAvenger
I’ve got to say that I doubt that, the official blog states “For an optimal experience, we recommend a broadband connection of 1.5Mbps”, nothing about needing to have that speed as a minimum to be able to connect to Live.