220°

Can Always Online Benefit Microsoft? Why Yes It Can

4Player-"With the recent rumblings about how the next generation console from Microsoft will always require an internet connection, there has been increasing public outcry. We’ve seen it in leaked developer specs, we’ve seen Microsoft “employees” talk about it, and with every whisper and rumor it becomes closer to becoming a reality. But how can this possibly be good for Microsoft when the only thing their biggest competitor needs to do is not suck?"

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4playernetwork.com
dvewlsh4072d ago

I do think that you are right that it is them trying to make publishers happy, but at the end of the day it is about making the consumer happy, not the publisher.

Do I think that if this came true gamers would suck it up and deal with it anyway? Yes.

Do I also think that it could hurt sales? Absolutely.

darthv724072d ago (Edited 4072d ago )

to say that they will leave the online key checking to the publisher/developers of the games. That may make it look like sony is the "good guy" by not enforcing the always online approach but it doesnt absolve them either.

Right now, speculation about MS and their always online is outpacing the majority of PS4 news and sony is obviously aware of this. Why else would they join the fray on the topic in the first place? they could just as easily stayed out but instead, they reiterated that it will be game companies that will/wont enforce that option.

So Ms hasnt confirmed/denied anything other than they dont comment on rumors and people still think its the gospel that its happening. For all we know, it will still come down to the individual game companies to enforce this.

No one is willing to listen to reason because there is no reason to listen. They have made up their minds and when the official word finally comes forward it will be like wizard of oz. someone in the audience will shout...Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

edit @357, this has been a topic that has likely been on the minds of many for some time not just the last couple of months. But think about it for just a moment.

You cant get any real solid info on something so you turn to a hot topic that has never been really discussed and you twist it into something useful. Something that you know the public will get worked up over. then you sell it, people buy it and it goes crazy.

Stuff like that happens in REAL news not just game news. you try and squash rumors only to have the mere involvement of squashing rumors added to the fray of the possibility the rumors are true. There is no bright light at the end of this tunnel. But you just have to drive through and come out on the other side when you feel you have reached your end.

When MS has reached their end....is when we will know.

bangshi4072d ago

Which makes you think, they really need to show the 720 sooner rather than later just so they can clear this whole thing up.

On a personal level I don't care if it was always online. On an anecdotal level observing people I know, friends, work colleagues - they wouldn't either.

Those against it - certainly in countries where the most Xbox consoles are sold - are in the minority.

The trouble is, when you're selling 10s of millions of consoles the minority isn't just a handful of people, its hundreds of thousands of people.

I think we need to wait and see if indeed they are including this before we all rage hard - and if they are including it, wait to see their reasons why.

If it is to prevent used games and piracy, I can smell the rage now. If it is to make some cool new feature work - maybe it will win some people over.

RememberThe3574072d ago

Your giving them too much credit. This is not a manufactured story. This is an issue that came up a month ago and someone from MS responded poorly to inquiries about.

Tell us all why MS would defend something that doesn't exist? Why would they let all of us hammer on them about something that never really was. The saying "any press is good press," only applies to things people don't know about. We all know MS, most of us grew up using their products. In this case bad press is bad. No one on their PR team is going, "I'm glad people are slamming the console we haven't even announced yet it's getting us exposure." No one there is that naive. They're either going to walk this back or spin it. But we've had developers confirm it and an MS employee defend it. It's real and it sucks.

kneon4072d ago

@bangshi

It's not hundreds of thousands that are affected, it's 10's of millions. Not only would it affect the 30+% of Xbox owners that do not connect their console to the internet but it will also impact all those that buy used games or rent games.

dedicatedtogamers4072d ago (Edited 4072d ago )

The more I follow the news, the more I feel it's a troll. It's just TOO perfect. It's just TOO hot. Microsoft has expertly hushed journalists and its fanbase over far worse issues (RRoD, dashboard updates, new focus on Kinect, etc).

I think Microsoft may be waiting so they can announce "hey, you can play games online or offline" and end up looking like heroes. And then everyone will turn a blind eye when Microsoft continues to charge for online play and forces you to have an XBL account to play music, watch Netflix, or download demos.

The sad thing is, I think the bar really is that low for the loyal 360 fanbase, the few that have stuck around and held out for Microsoft to focus on them again.

bangshi4072d ago

@kneon you are wrong. Just because 30% of consoles have not connected to Xbox LIVE does not mean that 30% cannot connect to the service. Plenty will have the ability to do it but are not bothered about the online features so haven't connected it.

In addition being always online does not mean no used games or game rentals. You can do one without the other.

dedicatedtogamers4072d ago

What makes this whole thing hilarious is that XBL matchmaking just went down. Worse yet, XBL Silver members can't access their save files "due to server problems".

http://support.xbox.com/en-...

Hahahah! Microsoft didn't wait for "always online". It's already here. My sides. Oh, my sides.

GenericNameHere4072d ago

Sony allowed devs to let a game be region-free if they wanted. Ever since the PS3 launched all way back from mid November 2006 to now, only 1 (read ONE) game was region-locked.

Maybe the devs will do the same and just make the games DRM-free.

thechosenone4072d ago (Edited 4072d ago )

@darthv72

they're not mandating that sh*t like MS is trying to do so they are the good guys in my eyes. and to those few publishers that dare push that sh*t on our platform we'll simply avoid their games and that'll be the end of DRM on the Sony platform.

rainslacker4072d ago

Even if they leave it up to publishers, I hope they make it mandatory that there has to be an obvious mention of it on the front of the box. SimCity didn't do this, and many people were upset because they just didn't know that they had to have the game connected to play. It was mentioned in small print on the back of the SimCity box.

If it's obvious, then I hope it kills the sales of the first big game that uses it, so we never have to deal with it again.

Tito084071d ago

Damn, the console should be called "Xbox Always Online" with all of this annoying articles pointing at that, they should give it a rest already until Microsoft unveils the console, game journalists with their stupid analogies.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 4071d ago
fermcr4072d ago (Edited 4072d ago )

From now until release, every day there are going to be stupid articles trying to convince gamers that always online and no used games is the best thing that ever happened to gaming... (sponsored by Microsoft).

EDIT: I agree with darthv72.
Sony did say that online key checking is up to publisher/developers of the games. What that means is that most games on the PS4 are going to use the no used games check.

In all honesty, next gen consoles aren't looking that appealing to me. I'll wait for future developments to make up my mind.

Ezz20134072d ago (Edited 4072d ago )

if the consumer not happy
then the publisher won't be happy
simply because they get their money from the consumer

if MS or 3rd party dev's do this
nothing good will come out from this

(sony is not doing it with it own 1st/2nd part games ...but they said it's up to 3rd party studios to do it or not)
http://kotaku.com/5985874/p...
i won't buy any 3rd party game that support this

NateCole4072d ago

Yes that's what bothers me with this these sort of moves. Console manufactures and publishers getting more power over gamers. It's a very dangerous precedence for console gaming.

If these rumors are true it's more reason for me to hate MS. Anything they touch turns to shit.

First they pushed for paying to play on line. Then they pushed for paid DLC and time exclusives. If these rumors are true then we will have further barriers for gamers.

kneon4072d ago

Console manufacturers and publishers have no power over you, it's the other way around. We can survive just fine without them, by they can't survive without customers.

If you don't like what they are doing then just don't buy their products.

NateCole4072d ago

Kenon I did that and still things are going to shit.

They have no power over me but they have power over a lot of other gamers.

rainslacker4072d ago (Edited 4072d ago )

Well Nate...the last console crash came about because publishers and devs thought they could just push out whatever they wanted and people would accept it. That didn't happen obviously an the consumer became disillusioned.

It's hard to say what immediate effect it would have nowadays with gaming being much larger, but no doubt the long term ramifications would be similar.

If a majority of the core just said "screw it" then it would be very hard times ahead. Many of the best devs love making core games over casual, and not everyone wants to make indie games.

I guess my point is that there's a tipping point where the consumer just doesn't care anymore because it doesn't provide enough value for the money. Consoles should be simple, but they are quickly becoming more complicated than PC's.

GamerToons4072d ago

Can it benefit MS? Of course it can.

How the hell does it benefit gamers is what they should give a damn about because all I see is a restrictive future chocked full of DRM.

Nilemonitors134072d ago

All I know is that if this is true, and people still buy the new xbox, it'll prove that people will let anything or anyone stomp all over them, let us Ps fans enjoy our console, and let xbox people "enjoy theirs" there's only so much we can do to warn them to avoid M$ dirty business practises, in time they will realise their mistake, stubbornness cannot be cured. Let's only care for our future as gamers and support our company.

GraveLord4071d ago

Will the publishers be happy if their games flop? Because that's what will happen if Microsoft goes through with this. NO ONE will buy the next Xbox, they'll buy the PS4 instead.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4071d ago
StrongMan4072d ago

This won't be good in ANY way. Nice try, though.

OC_MurphysLaw4072d ago

hehe...same could be said for your comments in any Xbox article.

Hicken4072d ago

Which is relevant HOW?

On topic, at first glance, it APPEARS to be beneficial to Microsoft. But given the sales they stand to lose because of this, it's GOT to be considered a a net loss. No matter what kind of revenue streams they manage to generate from the always online model, it won't be able to compensate for the lack of console sales they'll suffer.

THAT'S the biggest, most important of revenue streams, and the one devs, publishers, and console manufacturers need to be most focused on developing.

StrawHatPatriot4072d ago

lol of course it can benefit Microsoft, I mean no used games, and even more subscription based services.

kneon4072d ago

And potentially much lower console sales and heaps of negative PR. It doesn't seem like a worthwhile tradeoff.

dark_1014072d ago (Edited 4072d ago )

Well, this will help some developers for sure..
And we all know how M$ go crazy with them

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

sithsylar4072d ago

I told you there will be articles saying its a positive but please people remember diablo 3 *shudders*.

secretcode4072d ago

**** that, remember Sim City.

For the love of God, it JUST happened. How could people just write that off so suddenly.

sithsylar4072d ago

Exactly well said as well. People just write this off so easily because you know they are sheepople.

ApolloTheBoss4072d ago

I read your comment in Hank Hill's voice lol.

darthv724072d ago

how quickly did the Simcity issue get resolved? I havent played the game but it seems to be selling well and getting good reviews.

Whatever their issue was, was fixable. That doesnt mean the same situation will happen for every game from this moment forward. Some will have issues and others wont.

But the higher profile the title, the more pronounced the issues will be made out to be even if they arent really anything to get pushed out of shape over.

I was still expecting to see dozens of simcity issue threads....where did they go? did EA pay off everybody who bought a copy to keep them quiet?

secretcode4072d ago

@ApolloTheBoss

Everyone does. EVERYONE.

@darthv72

Lack of interest.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4072d ago
cyguration4072d ago

You can always count on gaming media to suck the you-know-what of console manufacturers and publishers.

They will NEVER side with the consumer or gamer, unless it's Rock Paper Shotgun or Destructoid. Everyone else is an extended marketing arm of the publisher and a media pansy.

NeoTribe4072d ago

Diablo simply had launch issues like most games. Been playing it since it released and it runs flawlessly.

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150°

10 Biggest Xbox Mistakes of All Time (So Far)

The Xbox brand has done a lot of good over the years, but their various blunders are pretty wild to look back on in their magnitude.

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culturedvultures.com
piroh5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

Ironically number 9 can save them at this point (releasing games on multiple platforms)

ChasterMies4d ago

By “save them” you mean make more profit for Microsoft. Xbox will still be a dying hardware platform.

OtterX5d ago

You could add the naming scheme for the consoles, it just confuses customers. I know they wanted to avoid traditional numbering bc it would always be lower than their competitor, but this whole 360 then One then Series thing is confusing af. Imagine a Soccer Mom trying to figure this stuff out. I still mistakenly call the Series X the One from time to time on accident.

RNTody5d ago

Don't forget about the Xbox One, Xbox One X and Xbox Series X! Good luck to Soccer moms around the world.

S2Killinit4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

They did that on purpose to confuse and direct attention away from the generational numbering.

MS doesn’t like reminding people that they joined the industry after others had already been involved in gaming.

For instance, they called the xbox “360” to combat PlayStation “3” because they wanted to seem like “more” than “3”, so instead of xbox 2, they opted for xbox 360. Also this had the additional benefit of selling consoles to uninformed parents who might purchase a “360” instead of a “3” by mistake, or because they thought 360 was more than 3. Kind of a disingenuous move.

They have been continuing with their confusing naming patterns for pretty much the same reasons. Frankly, it fits with who and what they are as a brand.

FinalFantasyFanatic4d ago

I can understand their reasoning, but whoever came up with that naming scheme should be fired, bad naming schemes have killed consoles (I'm pretty sure it was the major reason for the downfall of the WiiU). They should have had unqiue names like Nintendo and Sega have had for their consoles, far less confusing for the consumer.

rob-GP17h ago

@FinalFantasyFanatic "They should have had unqiue names like Nintendo..."

lol, you mean:

NES, SNES
GameBoy, GameBoy Advanced, GameBoy Colour, GameBoy SP
DS, DSi, DSXL
3DS, 3DS XL, New 3DS, New 3DS XL
Wii, Wii U
Switch, Switch OLED

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Cacabunga5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

Phil Spencer is the worst that has happened to Xbox.
They built a respectable brand up to Xbox one. Then this guy took over and things became a joke

Reaper22_4d ago

He still has his job. Something you can't say about Jim Ryan.

Cacabunga4d ago

Both bad execs. One is on job and one thankfully retired.

FinalFantasyFanatic4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

I didn't like either person, both people damaged their respective brands and produced worse outcomes, but Phil did save the Xbox brand from being retired by Microsoft. Although in hindsight, he should have just let it die, rather than languish in limbo like it is now.

Rainbowcookie3d ago

Yeah but the one that was "bad" didn't even affect sales.

bunt-custardly4d ago

Phil Spencer was also on the team back when 360 was around, alongside Shane Kim, Peter Moore etc. I think the damage that did the most harm was the Don Mattrick "Always Online" console (ahead of its time basically). They handed Sony and Nintendo a free-pass when that was revealed. It went downhill from there. Then the corporate machine went into full swing to try and recover. They have to a degree as a games company for the masses, and less so for the core gamer. Outside USA, the Xbox brand does not sell as well as Japanese based consoles (citation needed).

Cacabunga4d ago

Want a decision maker. The always online and TV plans was a disaster yes, but they caught up by announcing 1st party games that gamers actually kept the hype going.. until this moron took over and introduced the PC day one release.. e all know where that ended..

S2Killinit4d ago

I dont think they were ever a respectable brand, not since the beginning, when their goal was never to be involved and share in the gaming space. I think the OG xbox was an exception because MS as a brand was still getting its foot in and so the people behind that were people of the gaming industry.

FinalFantasyFanatic4d ago

The 360 was the brand in its prime though, everything went downhill towards the end of that generation. Its staple games like Halo, Forza and Gears are what kept the console relevant and afloat for so long.

MaximusPrime_4d ago

Really good video.

I remember the days with RRoD was big news on here, N4G.

Microsoft had it turbulence number of years.

Looking at the success of Sea of Thieves despite being 6 years old, time to release Halo, Forza horizon 4 & 5 on PS5. It'll help their revenue

shinoff21834d ago (Edited 4d ago )

2 of the 4 games they did already sold really well. So it's definitely going down. Idk about halo or forza but I feel those studios they've bought in the last 5 years, their coming

ChasterMies4d ago

I found this video painful to watch. Can someone list them out?

Top 10 for me from are:
1. 2013 reveal presentation
2. Bundling Kinect 2 with Xbox One
3. RRoD or why rushing to market with hardware is always a bad idea.
4. Buying studios only to close them.
5. Ads on the Home Screen
6. Letting Halo die.
7. Letting Geard of War die.
8. Every console name
9. Charging for Xbox Live on Xbox 360 when Sony let PS3 players play online for free.
10. Cancelling release of OG Xbox games after the Xbox 360 launched.

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150°

Microsoft to Add Copilot AI to Video Games

Microsoft recently revealed its plans to incorporate Copilot directly into video games, with Minecraft being the first showcased example.

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xpgained.co.uk
Fishy Fingers9d ago (Edited 9d ago )

F*** AI

"Hey Copilot, what's a good meme to prove I dislike AI".... https://giphy.com/clips/sou...

Einhander19729d ago

Two trillion dollar company that just can't wait to put as many people possible out of work as fast as possible.

It feels like every single thing they do is making gaming worse and destroying the industry.

9d ago
9d ago
9d ago
darthv728d ago

....you know it takes people to program the AI.... right? It isnt like it is sentient. We haven't reach skynet level of situation or anywhere close to the matrix just yet.

That's next Thursday.

Einhander19728d ago (Edited 8d ago )

It takes a people to program the AI then that AI is used for who knows how many games eliminating countless jobs which only grows as AI is used for more and more game creation functions.

What you're saying is so ridiculously short sighted and truly larking any kind of understanding and foresight.

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CaptainFaisal9d ago

Why all the hate? Im actually excited about this! Always wanted this kind of immersion, and an AI companion with me all the time helping me out knowing the status of my skills/inventory/progress and giving me tips on the best approach or how to craft something specific is game changing for the industry.

Hate all you want about AI, but this is just the start and I can see the potential already. You wont be complaining in the next 5-10 years about this, but rather complain if a game hasn’t implemented it.

MrDead9d ago

Yes we can't wait for the work of others to be used without the need to pay them so that MS can profit even more from the people they fire.

I_am_Batman9d ago (Edited 9d ago )

There is no chance I'd ever use something like this, especially if it's not part of the core game design, but a layer on top of it. It's way too much handholding. Many games already feel like busy work, because they don't let the player figure things out on their own. Having a real-time interactive guide defeats the purpose of playing the game in the first place in my opinion.

If this were to become the standard like you predict, we'll see more and more video games get away with bad design, because people will just be used to ask for help from the AI companion anyway.

Number1TailzFan9d ago

Well Nintendo don't need this with some of their games these days, with invincible characters, items, easy bosses etc.. they do the hand holding built in

helicoptergirl9d ago

Takes "hand holding" in games to a whole new level.

BlackDoomAx7d ago

Because human nature xD Almost every new technology had these kind of comments.

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70°

Activision team is opening a new game studio in Poland 'Elsewhere Entertainment' to build new AAA IP

Microsoft's Activision subsidiary announced today that it is opening a new game development studio to take advantage of the huge talent pool growing in Poland. It'll be the second Activision studio based in the region, joining Infinity Ward Krakow, although this studio is, in fact, not working on Call of Duty.

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windowscentral.com
Psychonaut8512d ago

They’re not working on Call of Duty? Give it time.