As we reported earlier, Xbox Wire (the news outlet for Xbox) has recently revealed new details about the Xbox One. And I can tell you, they’re not pretty.
CONNECTIVITY
A new generation of games with power from the cloud: Because every Xbox One owner has a broadband connection
Xbox will have nothing to do with poorer gamers, as it assumes everyone has access to internet and therefore everyone has to use it - whether they like it or not. The cloud is being forced into our lives, yet I still haven’t quite found a use for it, much like a large number of people. The idea is that you’ll be able to easily share data between your consoles, yet I don’t know many people with multiple Xbox 360′s and I certainly wouldn’t want my account to be on my friends’ Xbox. You can of course turn off the cloud, but that probably won’t stop them pushing the feature.
Your Xbox One is always ready: Xbox One is designed to run in a low-powered, connected state
Whilst I assume you can choose to turn the Xbox off completely, this is still a bit weird. Low-powered is still powered, so that still drains energy continuously, but it’s just another way the Xbox can be your one source of home entertainment (which Microsoft have been aiming for). Not only is this slightly worrying from an environmental point of view, it also brings up the question “What is Microsoft planning to do when they’re involved in every aspect of our lives”?
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.
With offline mode only being available for 24 hour increments, gamers will have to re-sign in to play for longer - meaning if you don’t have access to the Internet (either because you can’t afford it, or your connection is currently down) you’re only getting 24 hours of gameplay. Even if we are entering the digital age, this is really downright ridiculous. Though it claims that this is to verify the system and its’ games, this is just another odd and pretentious way of combating piracy (that will most likely fail like the plethora of other attempts). Thankfully guest accounts on your console can play all the games you own, so that stays the same (even if they are cloud games).
LICENSING
You no longer own games, you just own a license for them. This means that although you can play your licensed game on any console that your account is linked to, it isn’t actually yours. Microsoft sees this as loaning you a game (even if you have a disc version) - and they feel it’s a privilege they can take away at any point.
Cloud games can now be traded to a person who has been on your friends list for over 30 days. The trading works similar to Steam, as although there is no physical transfer, you will lose your game file and the other person will gain one. This is however limited, as a game can only be transferred once, and to one friend. So you can give a friend the last Fifa game, but they won’t be able to give it to anyone when they’re done with it.
Pre-owned games are being discouraged with the new system, although not removed entirely. It will be up to the discretion of the retailer if they wish to allow pre-owned games as renting and selling games online will not be a launch feature (although Microsoft said they will consider releasing it afterwards).
KINECT
Microsoft said that the Kinect will never record and upload any speech without your permission, although it didn’t dispute the claim that the Kinect will collect information. They went on to say that the Kinect can be turned off with the command “Xbox Off” and it would only turn back on if you said “Xbox On” (which it pointed out is the only command/function it will do whilst “off”). The Kinect will allow you to turn any features off if you choose to have them off, including voice commands, heart rate monitoring and visual recording. Microsoft claimed that although some games may require you to use your Kinect, the actual console can be used and navigated without any Kinect usage.
One major problem is that although you don’t have to use the Kinect, you have to have it connected at all times. So if the Kinect breaks for some reason, you might not be able to play the Xbox One whether you use it or not.
OVERVIEW
Right now, we know the Xbox One is: practically always-0n; aiming to be the only home entertainment system by eliminating the need for other consoles, a TV service box (like Sky TV or Virgin Media); and against pre-owned games (though this helps the publisher). Although the Xbox could be better for families, it is showing a complete disregard for for its’ core fanbase. While it is true that Microsoft is taking a cue from PC digital services (after all, Steam and the rest don’t allow used games either), they are also taking the DRM nightmare to the extreme, as Steam doesn’t really block your single player gaming if your connection is down for more than 24 hours.
More importantly, PC users don’t have huge problems because the digital distribution model over there enables incredible savings from time to time with the Season deals, so much that it is quite possible to buy an entire collection of games from a publisher for the price of a single console game. It is doubtful to say the least that Microsoft will allow similar deals on Xbox Live.
The signs are pretty clear that Microsoft are trying to move away from building a good reputation with its most loyal fans, and are mostly looking towards the large, short-term profits coming from the mainstream. Will it pay off in the long run, though?
