In a previous article, I was one of the few to defend the Xbox One. I gave Microsoft the benefit of the doubt. Today, with the confirmation of many gamer’s worries, I find myself in a much harder position. Here is what we now know.
Always on
(Confirmed)
“Xbox One is designed to run in a low-powered, connected state. This means your system, games and apps are always current and ready to play—no more waiting for updates.”
Sure it is in a powered down hibernation mode, but always on is always on. This a feature many would not mind giving up. It is out of your control when turned “off” and sucking power from the house. I guess you could always unplug it (sarcasm), but this is one that many are already upset about.
24 Hour Check-in
(Confirmed)
“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.”
This is a biggie. First off you must meet network requirements, which Microsoft details:
“For an optimal experience, we recommend a broadband connection of 1.5Mbps. (For reference, the average global internet connection speed as measured recently by Akamai was 2.9 Mbps). In areas where an Ethernet connection is not available, you can connect using mobile broadband.”
That means if you do not have internet for whatever reason, no gaming for you!
Microsoft is trying to justify this decision with this following statement.
“While a persistent connection is not required, 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.”
All of that means that while they are improving your performance on the fly, Microsoft will be basically watching you to make sure you do not abuse the system or any used games.
Kinect Always Monitoring
(Confirmed as Untrue)
“By design, you will determine how responsive and personalized your Xbox One is to you and your family during setup. The system will navigate you through key privacy options, like automatic or manual sign in, privacy settings, and clear notifications about how data is used. When Xbox One is on and you’re simply having a conversation in your living room, your conversation is not being recorded or uploaded….If you don’t want the Kinect sensor on while playing games or enjoying your entertainment, you can pause Kinect….data will not leave your Xbox One without your explicit permission. “
A collective sigh can be heard around the gaming community. No more Orwellian nightmares of Big Brother Microsoft watching us as we sleep. While it seems like the Kinect will collect info from us in some ways, we should be able to opt out and nullify the range of control it has in monitoring us. Good news for people with jerk roommates who loved to run in and scream obscenities at the Xbox to skew personalized tastes.
Game sharing Fees
(Confirmed as Untrue)
“Xbox One is designed so game publishers can enable you to give your disc-based games to your friends. There are no fees charged as part of these transfers. There are two requirements: you can only give them to people who have been on your friends list for at least 30 days and each game can only be given once.”
So there are requirements for sharing, but it wont charge you when you bring Madden to your friend’s house. The one person limit does suck, however, and it will prevent a single disc from getting passed around to friends.
Trade-Ins Only at Special Retailers
(Confirmed)
“Today, some gamers choose to sell their old disc-based games back for cash and credit. 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.”
No more cheap used games from your buddies or from online retailers. Only Microsoft approved vendors will have the goods.
Used Games and Rentals
(Outlook is grim)
My concern is how this will effect game rental companies such as GameFly or RedBox. Does this mean they will not be able to sell Xbox One games to customers?
Microsoft says,
“In our role as a game publisher, Microsoft Studios will enable you to give your games to friends or trade in your Xbox One games at participating retailers. Third party publishers may opt in or out of supporting game resale and may set up business terms or transfer fees with retailers. Microsoft does not receive any compensation as part of this. In addition, 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.”
At launch, we are out of luck. Maybe down the road GameFly and RedBox will be given special privileges, but I wouldn’t hold my breathe.
The Final Tally?
Things do not look good for the Xbox One system or Microsoft. In order to retain more control of their games, and the market they have shot themselves in the foot by adding money-mongering features. While they are respecting the privacy of gamers, they are also providing unnecessary and cumbersome features. The blow back will be heavy, and E3 will be a pivotal moment to see if this console can redeem itself.
