Thoughts? Do you think this is just rumor or do you think Microsoft would really think they can do this without alienating a very large customer base?
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I've heard both they and Playstation will require it.
Might as well go ahead and officially pull the trigger on the death of the whole console industry.
Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: I've heard both they and Playstation will require it.
Might as well go ahead and officially pull the trigger on the death of the whole console industry.
I think they purposely start the rumors to see what public reaction would be to such a thing. I think they also do it because they're hoping that, if the gaming public hears the idea often enough, over long enough, they'll eventually accept it.
But, yeah, consoles are on their way out. I play several different iPhone games pretty regularly. I've played exactly 3 console games regularly in the last 12 years, and they're all from the Resident Evil series. Once that series gets too crappy, I'm out of console gaming. Smartphone gaming, OTOH, will almost certainly continue to be a regular thing for me.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
Playstation announced a while back that they will not require the "always on" function nor will they block use of used games. If Microsoft thinks they can compete while setting ridiculous regulations on peoples spare time hobby, they would be wrong.
While everything is speculation at the moment, if the rumors about the new Xbox are true I will play through all the used Xbox games I've wanted but couldn't afford the new price of and then switch to PS4.
Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
If Microsoft does this unilaterally, the new Xbox will be dead in the water, until they remove that feature. They've always been a weirdly Asperger-y version of tone deaf and greedy, but I doubt they're quite that tone deaf. Greedy, yes. Tone deaf, not so much. They've always wanted the Xbox to succeed. This would not help it do so.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
I think you dramatically underestimate the apathy of the console market. The bros who keep the Halo and Madden franchises alive are not going to care even slightly about this.
Posted by jebus202 (Member # 2524) on :
I haven't played Halo 4, but I wouldn't say that franchise is kept alive purely by the less discerning gamers.
In other words; I like it, so, like, shut up.
Posted by MattP (Member # 10495) on :
quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson: I think you dramatically underestimate the apathy of the console market.
I agree with this. Most people won't even notice. They'll hook it up to their wifi and it'll just work like it does now. At some point their network will go out and games will break and that will suck until the network is back but I don't see a consumer revolt over it. Hardcore gamers will get pissed off, but what are they going to do, switch to iPhone? The most likely beneficiary will be something like the Steam Box.
quote:The bros who keep the Halo and Madden franchises alive are not going to care even slightly about this.
Hey!
Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson: I think you dramatically underestimate the apathy of the console market. The bros who keep the Halo and Madden franchises alive are not going to care even slightly about this.
You can't build a console based solely around Madden, and I'd say the Halo people will, in most cases, grow up into discerning gamers. No offense to present company, of course.
But you're right, I didn't think about the Madden players.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
quote:You can't build a console based solely around Madden
This is true. You also need FIFA.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
There is a (possibly) small market of players that don't have access to reliable wifi at home. I have more than a few low income students that manage to get a newer console at home, but have no internet to go with it.
Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson:
quote:You can't build a console based solely around Madden
This is true. You also need FIFA.
FIFA fans versus Madden fans, battle to the death: who would win?
Posted by Arjen (Member # 12980) on :
The main issue becomes a question of how many people will be affected by this requirement. While I have a good internet connection, I personally do not see the great benefits of online gaming. I used to play online a lot6-7 years ago(I was still in High School), and would get frustrated with the immature and plainly stupid actions of the online community. Now that i have a little boy and work full time, the idea of waiting for games to be found, lag times due to poor connections, and th immaturity of those I was playing with, I lost interest. The question becomes whether Microsoft believes that the benefits of requiring an always online connection(reduced piracy) outweighs the costs of gamers such as I either not wanting to be connected, or not having a reliable enough connection to play. It does seem to me that eventually the market will go towards an always on connection, but I don't think that it will happen with this upcoming generation. There are simply too many examples of failed always on connections(SimCity anyone) for it to happen right now. But within 10 years, definitely.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I think it's stupid, in part because I learned to game when I was a young boy, and my brothers were my opponents/partners in our games. I don't want my children to have to be online to play games with each other, and I certainly don't want them being told to mess around with updates or messages from my friends while they are playing until they are old enough.
Posted by MattP (Member # 10495) on :
If they do profiles right that won't necessarily be a problem, but from my experience with Xbox Live they don't really know/care about how families share a console.
Posted by Stone_Wolf_ (Member # 8299) on :
It worked for Diablo 3.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by MattP: If they do profiles right that won't necessarily be a problem, but from my experience with Xbox Live they don't really know/care about how families share a console.
Yeah. :\
Also, even if you have regular internet access, sometimes there are outages, or a modem blows out. The idea that I then couldn't play a perfectly functional game offline bothers me. I get they are trying to prevent piracy, but I don't think DRM is super successful (I could be wrong). And while they are making a cost-benefit analysis, I am saying I don't like their conclusion at all, and it makes me question investing in their next console.
Posted by Swampjedi (Member # 7374) on :
quote:Originally posted by steven: FIFA fans versus Madden fans, battle to the death: who would win?
Everyone else, regardless of outcome.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Looks like Orth the guy who posted on Twitter that people who are made about "always on" should "deal with it", is out.
Doesn't mean always on is out too, but at least Microsoft is picking up on some of the intensity behind the opposition.
Posted by Elison R. Salazar (Member # 8565) on :
Its an overwhelmingly terrible idea and is counter productive to the goal of... Making money as most people don't have reliable broadband.
Also I think Halo is a fun franchise with a interesting story, its a fresher and less racist innovation over Starship Troopers.