Future of Xbox

[RamesesII]

Haters gonna hate.


Don't worry xbox I still love you.

This is for those of you that think the grass is green on your side.

[Incognitus]

Well that was quick! I guess I didn't need to be patient, after all. I have all the answers I was personally seeking. No One for me, at launch or in the distant future. If I ever needed someone to pound out the final nail in the Xbox One coffin for me, Xbox Live corporate VP Marc Whitten happily supplied that hammer.

From this article:

Microsoft hasn't quite given up on its online vision just yet. Although it has moved to reverse its always-online DRM and used-game blocking policies on Xbox One, the company still plans to push forward its cloud-based architecture and transform the console into a digital platform over time.

"While we are adding in the ability to use physical discs, we still believe in the power of a digital and cloud-powered future played out at launch and rolled out over time," said Xbox Live corporate VP Marc Whitten.

"You are going to see us invest a ton in all of the ways digital builds experiences. You have to be connected [for cloud processing to work]. All of the things that require the internet will require the console to connect. We want and expect most people to take advantage of those things, but we also want to give people the choice that they can play offline."

Sounds like they are still trying to move away from the disc---possibly even within the Xbox One's life cycle. Digital is great. I get that. All-digital? I'm not so sure.

So many people compare this to Steam. I agree and disagree with that, and I'll tell you why. Like LocoColt04, I don't consider my PC a multi-user entertainment device. I use it for online games, sure. However I don't currently pick up and physically move my PC from place to place, from friend's house to friend's house (who may or may not have Internet), in order to share my awesome library of multiplayer Steam games. It just doesn't work like that. But I do that with my console systems. Unlike PCs, they are built to be small, portable. Easy to manage. And ever since the days of the Atari 2600 and the ColecoVision, consoles were built with more than one player in mind. Two controller slots! A console is built to be a party machine. Fun with friends. Hell, they support more than two controllers now.

I agree that an all-digital model with DRM is a lot like Steam on PC. It's easy for anyone to see the comparison. I can even accept that because I have no desire to share my Steam library with any of my friends. All of the games I have purchased through Steam (all three of them!), with the exception of Torchlight II, have been predominantly single-player with no multiplayer (or online) elements whatsoever. And like I said before, my PC is just too cumbersome to lug around to any ol' non-existent LAN party around here. But the current generation of systems, or any other preexisting console, has been built on a longstanding tradition of on-and/or-offline play. Local multiplayer with no online connection required. This existed before the Internet. Bring a required internet connection into the equation and it's no longer the same.

In my life, I break it down like this: use PC for single-player games and online games while accepting no local multiplayer. Consoles? Party machine! I use for single-player games and online games while local multiplayer is a much desired option. Moving toward an all-digital cloud-gaming environment for consoles will have to require an Internet connection. What's worse: it's a leash they can yank back at any time.

I get what he's saying about the cloud and requiring a connection. That's just how cloud anything works. What if developers specifically design games to utilize an element in the cloud that will force me to use an Internet connection, thereby sidestepping this Microsoft 180-degree-shift for the publishers entirely? Can you imagine if this was on the back of the game box or digital disclaimer?: "Don't have Internet? Then don't buy this game." That would suck. So I can't back the Xbox One---possibly even the PS4. I'd even turn my back on Nintendo if this ever became the norm.

From Joystiq:

What about changing the price by removing the Kinect?

"We still absolutely believe in Kinect. It's a core part of the architecture. Frankly, it's really critical that you build it as something that's always there, always part of the platform. So that game creators, experience creators can know they can rely on it. And you, the user, that there's always a consistent experience. That it's not just an accessory."

Thanks, Mr. Whitten. Now I can start budgeting for next year, as well.


EDIT: Almost forgot! For loaf:

TL; DR: No Xbox One for me, after all!

[loaf]

EDIT: Almost forgot! For loaf:

TL; DR: No Xbox One for me, after all!

Lol I just saw this and it took me like 5 minutes to realize wtf you were editing that for me for.

I ****ing hate you Microsoft. I have a bet with someone that they would stick to this shit.