910°

Microsoft looking into playing games offline on Xbox One

The Xbox One may eventually work disconnected from the internet for more than 24 hours.

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Godmars2903958d ago

If they're going to make it playable offline, it has to be fully playable offline.

Still can't believe that they thought that was a good idea.

zeal0us3958d ago

I wouldn't get my hopes up

-Before E3
Major Larry: We're looking into players feedback

-E3
The Xbox needs to be connected at least once 24hr, used games restriction and you can only loan your games once.

Major Larry: Xbox is the future *avoids all the questions that involves drm, restrictions and requirements* *Gives generic PR answer to any hard question*

DragonKnight3958d ago

You watched the AngryJoe video didn't you?

I hated how any time the word DRM was brought up, Larry went into immediate salesman mode and said "you're not looking at the benefits."

DRM =/= Benefits.

Mikelarry3958d ago (Edited 3958d ago )

They keep saying DRM and benefits I ask what benefits does DRM have.

It does not help me enjoy the game any better just an inconvenience to hinder my experience just cause in the future ms will like a piece of that used fee pie. You know they gonna do it you will be naive to believe ms gives anything for free

SonyPS43957d ago

Nah, DRM=benefits...to MS and game publishers that is.

loulou3957d ago (Edited 3957d ago )

I should think that the pre-order tally is already begining to tel m$ what is going to happen if things dont change.

they have less than 5 months to change certain elements. if they dont, then i cant see them selling more than 30-35 mil consoles next gen.

stop the online checks, allow installs but make people keep the disc in the tray and going back to passes will give the xbox one a massive boost.

ofcourse keep on-line only games, or games that are going to use the cloud. but just advertise the fact.

the higher price tag although not great i can/will live with. but other people wont when put together with everything else above that i mentioned

Shane Kim3957d ago

It don't even benefit publishers. One of the top arguments against DRM is that publishers and so on spend millions on developing/expanding this DRM only to be hacked by some 15 year old russian kid.

badz1493957d ago

pfft...like playing offline is something new!

Ritsujun3957d ago (Edited 3957d ago )

Okay, they're looking into it.
I bet soon they'd reveal that they're extending the check-in to 48 hours or 7 days.

/lol

dedicatedtogamers3957d ago (Edited 3957d ago )

The Xbox One will not be able to play offline. It simply won't.

- the system is designed to play from the hard-drive after installing/downloading
- your library is designed to be shared with people in your "Family"
- the 24-hour check is to see if you traded the game disc (because you installed it to the HDD)

There are too many factors involved. In order to play offline, Microsoft would have to:
- change the system architecture to allow you to play straight from the disc (believe it or not, this isn't a simply line of code)
- forbid you from playing your game installs unless you are online
- forbid you from sharing your Library

Folks, the Xbox One is going to be how it is now. It may change a few months after launch, but it will never lose the 24-hour check-in.

no_more_trolling3957d ago

^^^

ever heard of firmware update?

no_more_trolling3957d ago (Edited 3957d ago )

double post

abzdine3957d ago (Edited 3957d ago )

I don't think they will and even if they do I already chose PS4! Sony first party games have no equal and third party will look better on it. On top of all this it's cheaper.
they did say that they built the machine for that so do you really expect them to change everything a few months before release? They also Said that they have expected this type of reaction from gamers and the media so do you still think their arrogance will stop suddenly?

Greatness awaits
4>1

loulou3957d ago

dedicatedtogamers

i honestly dont think that you know what you are talking about. it seems to me that you are hoping more than anything.

as no more trolling beat me to saying... a firmware update could resolve a multitude of issues.

indysurfn3957d ago (Edited 3957d ago )

They have actually been looking to do this for awhile now....FOR THE MILILTARY. And a few countries that have very little internet. That does not help most of the people that are right now on the internet complaining, now does it. Looking at this article they seem to be trying to confuse people into thinking it will allow 10 people to play the same game at once. No from the start you have to install a game and get online. If once you get online they find out it is on other machines. They will deactivate it from all but one of them. Don't be fooled again by this play on words. When you read that article remember the person being quoted is REDDIT then the second quote is Major Nelson. It is a sneaky way of presenting a questionnaire because most people are used to one side doing the quoting, and the other side doing the answering.

the ONLY THING major nelson actually said was:
"I’d have to check w/ the engineers, but I don’t see why that would not be possible."

Which was actually nothing because everyone knows it is "possible"! the real question is are the big wigs willing!!!

blind-reaper3957d ago

@DragonKnight that interview is pretty fucking amazing, I really recommend everyone to see it to know more about how MS is managing all this DRM thing.

+ Show (12) more repliesLast reply 3957d ago
Why o why3958d ago

This is good. The noise must be getting to an unbearable level.. You can't ignore a crying baby for too long.

Well done to those who made noise in the right places. Even if ms only make a couple u turns it will be a great milestone for us consumers. It'll probably be written into business study textbooks....

Despite my pre ejaculation, I'm not sure how they can do this whilst always having to install games to the hdd. What are the workarounds?

HammadTheBeast3958d ago

Week-month long period before checking?

Cueil3957d ago

simple... by putting it on the users shoulders instead of shouldering it themselves... they could used a pass... only the pass in a one time code... to sell a game you would have to then select some option to get your key back and then give it to a friend or sell it. That or they could go with a authentication check were you only need to be online ONCE and then if you wanted to sell/loan/trade your game you would have to go back online to do that.

shutUpAndTakeMyMoney3958d ago

lol how do u look into it??? Just stop the bullsh!t!!! and it's over.

SilentNegotiator3958d ago

Because according to Microsoft, they don't know their own policies. Like when they announced 24 hour checks and played dumb for ~month.

BlindGuardian3958d ago (Edited 3958d ago )

This is just an attemp by a clever redditor to pit this guy against his own lies, they're not going to change anything because with an offline mode and no disc required to run games from HDD a single disc could be installed on hundreds of consoles and be playable from all of them at the same time.

Their standard line for the last few days has been that the 24hs check is so you can share your game library with your family, but that's just a lie, the check is to remove games from your Hard drive which show as sold on their data base, or hold all your games hostage until they can tell which ones you still own.

So this is just is logical question that he can't answer truthfully because an honest answer would conflict with the talking points he was given.

Rhaigun3957d ago

Exactly. Because, whether its a 24 hr check or a 120 hr check, its still a mandatory check.

koolaid2513957d ago

I've been connected to the internet for 18 years I even had Comcast broadband and Dsl at the same damn time one time lol.

blackmanone3957d ago

"I've been connected to the internet for 18 years I even had Comcast broadband and Dsl at the same damn time one time lol."

This mentality floors me, it really does. So you mean to tell the world that in 18 years, your internet has never gone down? Ever? Not once? You're lying to yourself and everyone on here.

LackTrue4K3958d ago

"the shamily plan" helps!!!
lol...

Cueil3957d ago

you don't see that as a benefit?

3957d ago
kparks3957d ago

This is not them looking into changing anything lol... Someone askd a question and the PR guy didnt want to answer point blank!

ALLWRONG3957d ago (Edited 3957d ago )

MS made the mistake of misjudging the consumers desire, demand, right, or whatever to turn sh*t off when they damn well please.

Garbanjo0013957d ago (Edited 3957d ago )

I say good luck, but the damage is done. Running an Xbox in offline mode is something that should have been implemented in the beginning, I say go for it if it means getting XBox off the ground, I highly doubt this will happen, either way Sony is hitting the bank big time with the PS4. I plan to keep posted on this in the next few months, I highly doubt the validity of this claim though. "Getting in touch with the engineers," is like saying "you're right, it's bullshit our bad . . . we need to fix this and this seems to be our loophole, so we don't look like complete f**king idiots here."

I am in no way supporting XBox, PS4 had me at "hello." Or had me at "$399." :)

Garbanjo0013957d ago Show
StoutBEER3957d ago

Oh god. They possibly change it and your STILL bitching. No use talking to you.

NewZealander3957d ago

if people truly want microsoft to pay attention then go comment on places like www.xboxshun.com etc.

my main concern is the online check in, i know plenty of people that dont have the internet, the DRM is also a huge concern, lucky i tend to not lend or buy second hand games, but i often rent a game before i decide to buy it.

but as a gamer i still see huge potential in both new consoles, only time will tell but MS has a matter of months to put this right, if not sales will take a hit, but no matter what the sales are im still getting both, im a gamer...i love tech, i hate fanboys.

mcstorm3957d ago

I agree with what your saying. To me nothing Microsoft have said about the Xbox one has me worded about getting the console. I have my 360 Wiiu ps3 and home server connected to the internet 24/7 and my internet has never been down for more than 24 hours.

I also never give my game to other people as the game I play tend to be games other people have to for mp and this is one thing that has changed alto this gen in terms of most people are buying the same games to play each other on.

But that said there will be people around the world who don't want there console on line or don't have the internet but that said I don't see people like this looking to buy a Xbox or Ps to. I also think looking at how many xboxs have been sold and how many people have gold shows most people who buy a Xbox also have the internet.

I do see Ms looking to change things a little though as there are some people who will not want to get a one because of these reasons but that said most people on here seem to be fan boys who want to rip into Microsoft when ever they can. For years now they have said they will always pick Sony because they don't charge for playing online but now Sony have said this they have gone quiet over it.

If anything the games industry is very fickle in terms of how its run and what happens.

If you look back to when the Wii 360 and ps3 came out people were up in arms about the ps3 price, having to install games and long load times and a very poor psn service.

Fast forward to now and Sony have improved things but so have Nintendo and also Microsoft.

I think things will change over the gen and just because people are not liking what a device is like now dose not mean they won't like it in 12 months time when changes are made ect.

For me Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft all have very good consoles to support all offer different ways to play games and are all looking to go in there own direction which to me is better for gamers then having 3 consoles all offering the Same games the same ways to play and the same services.

Halochampian3957d ago

The whole reason for the online checks (once per 24 hours automatically at night) is for the family sharing. It allows you and ten family/friends to share your library. It needs the check to be able and keep this updated because due to licencing issues they cant have all ten people playing the same copy of the game.

I know it is cumbersome for some. But for a majority of people, this will not effect them. The Xbone will auto-update during the night. And then they can play offline that day if they like.

If the family share plan does some really cool things, it may turn out to be worth it. Right now, it has potential but we will have to wait and see

nirwanda3957d ago

Too be slightly fair to MS most of the next gen games at E3 shown would require an internet connection to get the most out of them on both systems and making everyone be always on is the only way you could get the whole cloud computing thing to ever work.
I'm still getting a PS4 instead though just purely based on the gpu rumours/leaks/dev comments.

BallsEye3957d ago

I BET if they would make it playable offline, fanboys would find another thing to pick on, not looking at the good stuff at all (hello family game sharing!)

jmc88883957d ago

Well they are complete morons for even thinking of it. I think a bunch of 8th graders could of planned the Xbox One better, and they wouldn't of given it that crappy name either.

But if you look on Amazon you have PS4 packages garnering the 1,3,5,6,8th positions.

True Xbox One has #2, but that's ALL of it combined.

But people have pointed that out so I wanted to give you some other thoughts.

If the xbox one is selling so good....

Then why is the PS4 camera sold more than the top rated Xbox One game. That's right, more PS4 cameras then Forza 5. Sony hasn't even talked about the PS4 camera really.

PS4 has four games in the top 20. Xbox One has 0. Their best, again, is Forza at #22.

The funny thing is if you look on the right, the most 'wished for' thing is the Xbox One and 3rd most wished for is the PS4. Because obviously these were wishes from before the knowledge of what MS was trying to pull on its customers. Now that people know the downsides (drm, spying, etc). Know it's $100 more and yet the PS4 is also has 50-125 percent more raw power those wishes are not translating into sales.

Forza 5 is #22
Battlefield 4 is #28
Dead Rising is #31
Call of Duty is #33
Ryse is #36
Destiny on xbox is #47
Watch Dogs on xbox is #69
Kinect Sports: Rivals is #77
Titanfall on xbox is #99
Madden on xbox is not listed in top 100

On PS4
Watch Dogs is #11 (58 spots higher)
Battlefield 4 is #14 (14 spots higher)
Killzone Shadow Fall is #17
Desinty is #18 (29 spots higher)
Infamous Second Son #26
Call of Duty is #32 (1 spot higher)
Final Fantasy XV #41
Kingdom Hearts III #42
Knack is #56
The Order: 1886 is #63
Madden 25 #81
Fifa 14 #92

So as you can see here the PS4 games are selling much stronger. Games like Watchdogs, Destiny, and Battlefield 4 are selling much more on PS4.

PSN network cards are #7 and #12 compared to #15 and #16 for Xbox live.

Dual Shock 4 controllers is #9
Xbox one controller is #23

So in other words, at least for Amazon, PS4 is absolutely tearing a new asshole on the xbox one.

Thunderhawkxbox3957d ago

Who give a fuck about u Sony fan boy and amazon not only amazon selling games and hardware amazom it's not even accurate so F off and sit on ur fat ass and play your ps3 games

3957d ago
fermcr3957d ago (Edited 3957d ago )

I agree. I find it unbelievable how Microsoft could commit so many errors with the Xbox One. They where in a great position with the X360 and completely fu**ed up their next gen console. Who the hell in Microsoft thought the X1 with it's restrictions was a brilliant idea ?

Microsoft has some serious thinking to do and i don't think there's time to radically change (improve) the X1 before release.

EDIT: First thing to do is change that stupid name... then remove those restrictions.

CerebralAssassin3957d ago

I just dont understand why you cant just pop the disc back in the system once the 24 hr period hits. The whole idea of installing the entire game onto cloud is great. Verification on you having a legit copy makes perfect sense. But if you miss the verification time table you should be able to prove you own that game by having a physical disc in your possession and should be able to put the disc in to verify authenticity. I dont knkw if its just me but this seems like the common sense answer to play games offline.

+ Show (15) more repliesLast reply 3957d ago
ThatCanadianGuy5143958d ago

Don't count on it.These decisions were made years ago by higher ups then the xbox team.Redmond HQ gave the O.K and now we just have to #Dealwithit

NameRemoved00173958d ago

Or just buy a PS4 and dodge the entire failure of DRM and online always all together while getting an already superior console.

Software_Lover3958d ago

The only problem with your statement is it's not "always on line". Its check in once every 24 hours either by internet or mobile hotpot on your phone.

I dont agree with it either way, but just wanted to correct your statement.

DigitalRaptor3957d ago (Edited 3957d ago )

@ Software_Lover

There might be a distinct difference, but to the gamer and the consumer who this affects, it might as well be the same thing. It's basically saying that if you don't connect at least once every day for the rest of the Xbox One's lifecycle, you cannot play. To the people it concerns, the difference is non-existent because the concerns are identical.

koolaid2513957d ago

People forget that you can use the hot spot on your sell phone so basically you can play xbox 1 anywhere!!!

NameRemoved00173957d ago

@koolaid251 you going to pay $15 a month just so you can do that?

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3957d ago
vector4153958d ago (Edited 3958d ago )

lol...always online is a killer for games. Look at Diablo 3. I know that game isn't that good, but one of the main reasons I think it didn't do well is because it's always online, no matter what, you cannot play it offline.

I remember the days of playing D2 offline on a laptop while I was somewhere with no internet connection...good times.

Now Xbox One says I can't do this. I am just really glad PS4 isn't going in the same direction! I am a life long Xbox fan who is probably going to buy a PS4 this time.

creepjack3958d ago

an online requirement has nothing to do with the reasons people dont like Diablo 3, lol.

HammadTheBeast3958d ago

Partially. A better example is sim city. Although its because they forced the game to work with always online, and the game play is sucky now.

vector4153958d ago (Edited 3958d ago )

Yeah Sim City is a better example you're right. But I still stick to my Diablo 3 comment, because many gamers were REALLY pissed when they paid 60 bucks for a game they couldn't even play because of online issues. This wouldn't have happened if the game had an offline single player mode.

The point I'm trying to make is, I am sure a lot of gamers would prefer to have an option to play games offline if they wanted, and would be less likely to purchase a game or console that required for you to be online, or have to connect to the intrnet, just to play.

RavageX3958d ago (Edited 3958d ago )

Oops, what I had to say had already been said so...carry on.

fermcr3957d ago (Edited 3957d ago )

I agree, Diablo 3 is not very good, but saying Diablo 3 didn't do well ? Are you referring to sales ?
That game sold millions and millions of copies. More then 10 million the last i heard.

Gravitic3958d ago

Wait, so that guy I just sent my digital game to, would have it revoked when I decide to go in to offline mode. It doesn't make sense. What stops me authenticating, sending a copy and then going offline to get the other benefits.

Moonman3958d ago (Edited 3958d ago )

They got the word they f###'d up. haha

Show all comments (169)
280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple1013d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref2d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde2d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander19722d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville2d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff21831d 23h ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos1d 22h ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 1d 22h ago
isarai3d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref2d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan2d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis0071d 14h ago (Edited 1d 14h ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander19722d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

2d ago Replies(3)
Einhander19722d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

2d ago
2d ago
Zeref2d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde2d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander19722d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander19722d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier2d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto2d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff21831d 23h ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto1d 20h ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 1d 20h ago
Hofstaderman2d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts2d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts1d 9h ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic1d 17h ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

Show all comments (43)
370°

Could Xbox Soon Become The Next Dreamcast?

Microsoft's future in the video game space is murky right now, so let's break it all down.

Read Full Story >>
thegamer.com
ApocalypseShadow15d ago (Edited 15d ago )

Not anytime soon. But they're on that path.

One thing not mentioned in the article is Microsoft's money bags. If Sega had Microsoft's money, they would have still been around as a hardware manufacturer. Xbox as a platform only survives because of the money bags. They can continue making consoles for the core and port to PC.

The multiplatform strategy is only the result of arrogance and misguided leadership that blew up in their face. They thought gamers would jump on Xbox in droves if they knew that many of their favorite games would be only on Xbox. But that's not happening at all. Sales didn't increase. They decreased. Why? Because the dumb asses thought giving away these expensively made games in a cheap service would also turn the tide.

Gamers on other platforms are willing to buy quality. They don't need to be handed nearly free games in a service that aren't even finished and sometimes average in their development. Gamers buy Nintendo games. They buy Sony games. Microsoft groomed their base to not buy games. Even the quality ones. It has always been their plan to go digital. But most gamers still like single player gaming. Still like physical releases.

Microsoft's problem has always been that they don't produce high quality games at the same output as Nintendo and Sony. Actually, they should be producing quite a lot more because they're worth over 2 TRILLION. How they don't have more is ridiculous and no excuse. Buying publishers to take away from competition only backfired. Because it still takes millions of dollars to continue to make those games from the publishers they snatched. Their only choice was to crawl back to their competitors to help sustain those developers because Nintendo and Sony platforms were the ones buying games.

Am I sorry for Microsoft? Hell no! They deserved last place for putting in the least effort. They deserved the fallout for buying up the industry and didn't make a single blip on the radar against their competitors where they now need those same gamers they took away games from to support them. Part of it may have been to cash in on their competition. But the result is the slow death of their platform. They may go 3rd party. They may keep making hardware. I don't give a shit about them to worry about it. I only give a shit about the destructive nature of their industry moves that only negatively affect gamers. They could sell and drop out of the industry and I wouldn't blink. Probably laugh. But not blink. They deserve whatever comes to them. At least Sega put in the effort when it came to games. They just had poor leadership. Microsoft has poor leadership and barely makes memorable games. That's a killer combination. And not in a good way.

Cacabunga14d ago

That would be an insult to Dreamcast.. it had a crazy line up of legendary critically acclaimed games.

Crows9014d ago

I was thinking the same. Dreamcast had incredible games in such a short amount of time. It was truly exceptional.

darthv7214d ago

...and yet all those great games were not enough to sway people from the looming release of the PS2 at the time. Sony just has that kind of brand loyalty.

Cacabunga14d ago

Darth

I do not agree.. Sony had even better games thanks to an unprecedented 3rd party support..
DC had amazing lineup but 90% were arcade games..

88314d ago

@darth:
And Sony showed off "The Emotion Engine" and their real time demos that made everyone think they would miss out on REAL next gen 128bit magic if they jumped in before PS2s polygon pushing monster (and early lack of anti-aliasing with a healthy heap of shimmer + DVD playback) stepped up. PS2 was a fantastic system though with amazing games.

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blacktiger14d ago

That's not true. Just because Microsoft has the money doesn't mean Microsoft can allow xbox to bleed entire Microsoft money. It doesn't work like they. Also SEC will be watching and investor won't allow it. Lot of reasons why Microsoft can not continue even if they wanted to. SEC regulations is expensive.

fr0sty14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

Exactly this... Microsoft is a publicly traded company, mostly owned by their shareholders (Approximately 59.24% of the company's stock is owned by Institutional Investors, 7.73% is owned by Insiders and 33.03% is owned by Public Companies and Individual Investors.). Their shareholders call the shots on the business decisions, and their shareholders want one thing and one thing only, for their stock price to go up. Losses do not make stock prices go up... so if the division continually posts losses on hardware, but shows profits on software and services (which has been the case with Xbox its entire lifespan, for over 20 years now), the shareholders are going to grow impatient and demand they stop making hardware and focus on the only thing that has ever made them money, software and services.

When Microsoft bought Blizzard and Activision for almost 100 billion, I knew that was the nail in the coffin for Xbox as a console... as the shareholders were going to expect a quick return on that investment, and when it didn't materialize, they were going to be out for blood... out to force Xbox to sell those games on as many consoles as possible, "and while you're at it, sell those first party exclusives that aren't selling well on other consoles as well... hell, just stop making consoles and sell games."

If there is another Xbox console generation, it will definitely be the last, but I doubt there even will be one at this point. I think the Xbox division planning on it just in case, but I don't think the project has been greenlit from Microsoft itself. The rumors that they have not yet even secured the chips needed from the chip fabrication facilities ties into this.

shinoff218314d ago

While I usually agree with you . Alot of what was said can just also be asked before any of that.

How long will the shareholders wait? It doesn't appear long at all

Babadook713d ago

I think I get your point. Like just because MS has money does not mean they are content to throw it away on a dying ecosystem. Xbox has to be profitable or “what’s the point?”

ifinitygamer14d ago

Money bags, yes, but are we ignoring that Xbox actually makes a profit on games and GamePass? Hardware is often a loss leader, and they're probably making profit 4 years into the life cycle, but games and services revenue have been very profitable while other parts of Microsoft's business is struggling. Say what you will about the quality of those games, of course, but this is kind of a reverse Dreamcast situation, where the console was dragging down the company and put it at risk of shuttering entirely. Killing that console saved the business and allowed it to continue to make games on multiple platforms. In this case, the service is very profitable, as are the games, and they're also double-dipping into Multiplatform to extend this further, while their hardware is just sort of what they believe to be the best for gamers and their own titles (whether that is the case or not...)

fr0sty14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

The issue is, they aren't selling enough hardware to make their exclusives profitable, and now that they've bought half the gaming publisher/dev industry, they have no choice but to go third party to make a profit... and that is making their shareholders take a real close look at their hardware division under the microscope... why keep making the hardware if the software is all that is making them money, and they continually, generation after generation come in dead last with hardware sales?

Look at a game like Spiderman 2... if it had been an Xbox exclusive, with the amount it cost to develop, it would have been a huge failure... simply not enough consoles out there to sell it on. They would have been lucky to break even.

ifinitygamer14d ago

@fr0sty agreed completely, which is why they're hedging by releasing other games to multiplatform, plus they have PC to make up for the difference in a lot of ways, which is why their games are not complete money pits. It brings up the question of whether or not those exclusives would drive sales of consoles, though. Let's say Spiderman 2 was an Xbox exclusive, it would certainly have pushed console sales, though who's to say how much is anyone's guess.

fr0sty13d ago

That's why you can't rely on just one exclusive, Sony has always delivered on a wide range of solid exclusives, even this generation (even if they haven't been strong on the first party exclusives, they've made up for it with third party). They don't rely on just one "system seller", they have a portfolio of them.

14d ago
JBlaze22613d ago

ApocalypseShadow To be honest Sony has more of a chance to go 3rd party because like you said Microsoft has money, Sony does not. Sony does not have games, Only games they have come from 3rd party. Sony has been losing money for years and you. Saying Microsoft has been putting the least effort just proves you have no idea what's been going on. All Sony has done is repeat and recycle, never innovating or doing something new. All Sony has is brand loyalty nothing else and it shows.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 13d ago
LG_Fox_Brazil15d ago

Not sure about that. It's been two decades and I still think about Power Stone, Shenmue, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Seaman and others, but I'm not sure I'll remember Xbox Series X/S games in a few years from now... Maybe I'll remember about the franchises that the Xbox brand spawned, but I don't believe that the Xbox Series lives up to the late Dreamcast or even to the Xbox name itself. I do have great memories about the 360 with Blue Dragon, Gears 2 and Lost Odyssey though

isarai14d ago

Nah, sega actually makes good games

Becuzisaid14d ago

No, Dreamcast was ahead of it's time and most still have very fond memories of it that had one. It also had some good games on it even in it's short lifespan. Xbox has none of these qualities.

Profchaos14d ago

I remember it coming out at the time in a really bad place they hit the market before the PS2 but it was during this transitional time when Sony was promoting the power of the PS2 and so many of the Dreamcast games were awesome but often third parties simply ported the PS1 version increased resolution and performance but rarely fully utilise the capabilities of the console.

I think in the end bad marketing done it in and like the GameCube so many people are fond of it now but at the time it was looked at in the lense of the day and it didn't stack up.

Personally I miss Sega in hardware they took risks that many companies won't

Becuzisaid14d ago

I never owned it, and got the PS2 right when it launched. But there were certain games it had that I was always jealous of that I didn't have access to - Sonic adventure, crazy taxi, power Stone, code Veronica, shenmue, skies of Arcadia. I always thought it was a really cool machine though. I've never heard a bad thing about it though from those that had it.

FinalFantasyFanatic14d ago

I only ever saw one Dreamcast, and that was one my friend owned, pity I never got to play it, I wonder what games he had for it?

It would be nice if some of those games got ported to modern systems.

Profchaos14d ago

Oh man sonic adventure on the Dreamcast made me so jealous as a huge sonic fan on the mega drive who also moved to PlayStation 2 I never got the chance to play it back in the day either. The Dreamcast in Australia where I am was always relegated to the smallest corner of EB Games it was kind of a strong first indicator that things were not going well at the time.

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Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox and weekly streaks to be killed off soon

Microsoft has announced the Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox will be discontinued in April and has confirmed that weekly streaks will also be coming to an end.

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