190°

What if Xbox Durango's 'Always On' Features Aren't About Games at All?

Forbes: "The phrase “always connected” conjures up a lot of skepticism in the video game community, especially when it
comes to Microsoft’s next Xbox, codenamed Durango. It makes people think of SimCity, which is only now regaining its core functionality after a disastrous launch stemming from its need to be “always connected.” It makes people think of the sort of DRM controls that PC gamers have been dealing with for years. It makes people think of used games restrictions and the perils of a spotty internet."

Good_Guy_Jamal4031d ago

Somebody has been reading VGleaks it seems. All that hoopla and it turns out the always online stuff was never for gaming. Also Xbox Mini is intriguing.

aviator1894031d ago

Something like an 'xbox mini' would definitely be something cool to have. I'm just hoping, if it is real, it won't be pricey. But then again, I don't plan on selling my 360, so I don't believe it'll be an issue for me but day-1 integration into the next xbox (of backwards compatibility) or gradual roll-out would be convenient.

NewMonday4031d ago (Edited 4031d ago )

Xbox Mini is for backwards compatibility

after the new rumors things make more sense now, could it be MS let something leak to stop the negativity?

but with the TV plans exposed with more detail they showed a hand to Sony, the next PS4 and first official Durango events are just weeks away, cant wait to see how this poker game playes out.

Rusty5154031d ago

Sounds like a lot of HOOPLA.

Robochobo4031d ago

And "Always-Online" doesn't?

trenso14031d ago

@robochobo i think he was doing a spongebob reference, well atleast thats what i got from his comment

r214031d ago

Is that a Spongebob reference i read?

Testfire4031d ago

Good Guy Jamal, "Somebody has been reading VGleaks it seems. All that hoopla and it turns out the always online stuff was never for gaming."

EVERYTHING is still a rumor at this point including the RUMOR that the rumor was false. We need to be patient and wait for official MS reveals.

GamersRulz4031d ago

I might be the most pro-Sony gamer you can find in this site, but to be honest I feel ashamed of whats happening in N4G recently. all news must be treated equally, there should be an equal ground field here, I'm really happy about the "offline play" rumor in Durango. not because of MS " I hate MS" but because its a positive news for the industry as a whole. No forced DRM is a positive news for the industry not just MS fans.

I apologize for you Xbox gamers on behalf of my fellow Sony gamers,I feel really sorry of what is happening on N4G atm. I'll spread the good "rumor" as much as I can. we must celebrate this moment together. we still have a lot to argue about in the next 6 years, but for now I really hope this rumor is true.

Gazondaily4030d ago (Edited 4030d ago )

Fair play for being honest I guess. However, this is quite a petty display from the Sony fanboys and purposely trying to 'drown' out any positive rumours regarding the nextbox is pretty pathetic. What excuse will the likes of the notsosilentnegotiator come up with now?

*sigh* Be classy N4G.

Anyway, this rumour makes a lot more sense and I hope it's true. But this is still a rumour so it's prudent to just wait for E3.

B-radical4030d ago

Nice honesty there. It's disgusting that the ps4 fanboys are not letting rumored articles on this site. Funny thing is its from vgleaks playstation fans loved alllll the vgleaks articles before the one they wouldnt let on this site.

Its like they mad

GamersRulz4030d ago

@Septic and B-radical

I'm a mere member in N4G, I can't submit news or even approve them, I would've done anything to get this news to front page, but sadly I can't.

I encourage every N4G member who read this message to try at least to ensure fair play in this site.

as a Sony fan, we have suffered the same situation in 2007-2009 but that doesn't mean we should do the same thing now, Please guys (mods), lets up our game a little and try to make N4G the best place for gaming news (for everyone).

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4030d ago
FrigidDARKNESS4031d ago

Yes...the cheaper xbox lite is the unit that will be always on always connected. Finally the smoke has cleared the air cant wait till may 27 for the unveiling.

Godmars2904031d ago

"but here’s hoping that Microsoft is planning on using those features for entertainment first, and games second."

Its likely going to be ad related data first, entertainment second and gaming third.

Always online is still going to be an issue. Even though its now - still - about privacy rather than game DRM. And again, this applies to Sony as well. Along with any general consumer too ignorant to change any available defaults.

Loki864031d ago

VGleaks has reported that the xbox WILL NOT require online to play offline content and will play used games. Spread the word since this site will not allow that article to be approved.

Godmars2904031d ago

"Spread the word since this site will not allow that article to be approved."

Because a tag hasn't been removed. remove the tag and I'll vote for it.

Robochobo4031d ago (Edited 4031d ago )

I think he's talking about the fact that there're multiple 720 articles on this topic, that are in the failed tab of the pending news section.

Good_Guy_Jamal4031d ago (Edited 4031d ago )

Remove tags huh. . . http://n4g.com/news/failed/... so all these xbox mini and nextbox not requiring online rumors were ALL failed because of tags?

I'm told it's because the head honcho mod does not approve of VGLeaks because they don't have sources. Which makes you wonder how 14 stories from vgleaks slipped through the cracks, especially these ones
http://n4g.com/news/1213397... Durango always online and must install rumor
http://n4g.com/news/1207383... Durango memory rumor
http://n4g.com/news/1183322... Durango CPU rumor

Why not include vgleaks as a no-no in the submission tutorial is what I say. That way there's no confusion. Lastofgen, it truly is suspect. meh -__-

lastofgen4031d ago ShowReplies(4)
bomboclaat_gamer4031d ago

haha these people are in complete anti MS mode
they want the xbox to fail so bad

dont cry

MS is not that stupid

Show all comments (49)
70°

Disney Dreamlight Valley teases part two of paid expansion

Disney Dreamlight Valley devs have officially teased the second part of the paid expansion titled The Spark of Imagination.

70°

Best Stardew Valley Farm Names – 100 Funny, Nerdy, Cute Ideas and More

Starting out a new farm, but need help choosing a name? Check out this article for a 100 farm name ides for Stardew Valley.

190°

Bethesda Needs to Reduce the Gaps Between New Fallout and Elder Scrolls Releases

Waiting a decade for new instalments in franchises as massive as Fallout and Elder Scrolls feels like a waste.

Read Full Story >>
gamingbolt.com
-Foxtrot12h ago

Microsoft have Obsidian but I feel it's Bethesda who just don't want to play ball as they've always said they want to do it themselves.

Once MS bought Zenimax in 2020 they should have put the Outer Worlds 2 on the back burner, allow Bethesda to finish off its own Space RPG with Starfield (despite totally different tone why have two in your first party portfolio with two developers who's gameplay is a tad similar) and got Obsidian for one of their projects to make a spiritual successor to New Vegas.

When the Elder Scrolls VI is finished Bethesda can then onto the main numbered Fallout 5 themselves.

The Outer Worlds 2 started development in 2019 so putting it on the back burner wouldn't have been the end of the world, they'd have always come back to it once Fallout was done and it would have been nicely spaced out from Starfields release once they had most likely stopped supporting it and all the expansions were released.

If they did this back in 2020 when they bought Zenimax and the game had a good, steady 4 - 5 years development, you might have seen it release in 2025.

We are literally going to be waiting until 2030 at the very earliest for Fallout 5 and all they seem bothered about is pushing Fallout 76.

RaidenBlack11h ago(Edited 10h ago)

Its not just only Todd not playing ball.
Obsidian have made a name for themselves in delivering stellar RPGs, but most famous once have always been sequels/spin-offs to borrowed IPs like KOTOR 2, Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Stick of Truth etc.
Obsidian wants to invest more in their own original IPs like Outer Worlds or Pillars of Eternity with Avowed.
Similar to what Bluepoint & inXile wants to do or Kojima is doing (i.e not involving anymore in Konami's IPs).
So yea, even if New Vegas has the most votes from 3D Fallout fans, Obsidian just wants to do their own thing, like any aspiring dev studio and MS is likely currently respecting that.
But a future Fallout game from Obsidian will surely happen. Founder Feargus Urquhart has already stated an year ago that they're eager to make a new Fallout game with Bethesda, New Vegas 2 or otherwise. Urquhart was the director of the very first 1995's Fallout game after all.
And don't forget Brian Fargo and his studio inXile, as Brian Fargo was the director of Fallout's 1988 predecessor: Wasteland

KyRo7h ago(Edited 7h ago)

Obsidian should take over the FO IP. They're do far better with it than Bethesda who hasn't made a great game for almost 15 years

RaidenBlack1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

@KyRo
So, by 15 years, you mean Fallout 3 was the last great game Bethesda made?
You don't consider Skyrim a good game, which came out 13 years ago?
I'd consider Fallout 4 a pretty decent game as well. It's Story & RPG elements were a bit downgrade from New Vegas but the exploration and shooting on the other hand, were upgrades.
FO76 was disappointing and Starfield could've been better at launch I'll agree.

Duke197h ago(Edited 7h ago)

I disagree. Part of these games is the support for the mod community. If they move to releasing a "next game" every 2 or 3 years, the modding support plummets and the franchises turn into just another run of the mill RPG.

Make the games good enough to withstand the test of time, to keep people coming back to them and expanding on them with mod support.

--Onilink--4h ago(Edited 4h ago)

I dont think anyone is saying they need to come out every 2 years (not to mention almost no game is released that quickly anymore)

By the time Fallout 5 comes out, it will be more than 15 years since Fallout 4 came out (same with ES6 coming out 15 years after Skyrim). Even if you want to use F76 as the metric for the most recent release, that one came out in 2018. It will be a miracle if F5 comes out before 2030

The point is that for a studio that doesnt seem to operate with multiple teams doing several projects at once, that their projects normally take 4-5 years as a minimum, and that now they even added Starfield to the rotation, it becomes a 15+ years waiting period between releases for each series, which doesnt make sense. Imagine that Nintendo only released a mainline Mario or Zelda game every 15 years…

They either need to start developing more than 1 project at a time, let someone else take a crack at one of the IPs or significantly reduce their development times

Duke192h ago(Edited 2h ago)

Why should someone else take a crack at one of the IPs? Look at what happened to Final Fantasy as a recent example - there is pretty clear FF fatigue setting in because they are now pumping out titles in the franchise every few years. Pumping out more games faster doesn't always make a series better.

There are plenty of options to make new games, not just create more titles in the same universe at a faster pace.

-Foxtrot24m ago

"Why should someone else take a crack at one of the IPs"

He's literally just told you why

We're waiting like 15 years before a sequel comes out, it's insane

Skyrim came out in 2011, the next game is expected to come out in 2027 at the earliest so that's 16 years apart while Fallout 4 came out in 2015 and might not release until 2031, again 16 years.

We're fine with Bethesda trying new things and doing new IPs like Starfield but adding a new game to the cycle now means a bigger wait. Also Starfield didn't meet most peoples expectations, can you imagine waiting 15 years or so for a sequel and it's disappointing? It would feel even worse because you would have to wait another 15 years to see if they manage to come back from it.

They need to give it to another developer, we don't need main numbered titles but a spin off of Fallout and Elder Scrolls should be cycled in between the long gaps of the main releases.

Once again you are making out people want these games as quick as possible when all we want is a standard development time of at least 4 years or so rather than waiting 15.

mandf4h ago

Yeah I’m going to say it, who cares about the modding community when making a game? Half the time developers only tolerate modders because they fix there game for them.

Skuletor6h ago

Yeah, let's all advocate for smaller gaps between series' releases, then we'll probably get headlines about how the series have dropped in quality and they could have benefited from more time in the oven. Let them cook.

SimpleSlave4h ago

"how the series have dropped in quality and they could have benefited from more time in the oven" So every Bethesda game then? Got it.

Listen, I would agree if this was about From Software or something, but Bethesda?

🤣

C'mon now. What timeline are you from?

Skuletor2h ago

Think about it, they're already bug filled messes on their current schedule, can you imagine how much worse it would be if they rushed things?

-Foxtrot20m ago

@Skuletor

Who's saying to rush the releases? No one is saying that...

People just don't want to be waiting 15 years for a sequel, they aren't working on the game for that long, you do realise that right? The issue isn't coming down to them working on the game and us "rushing them", it's the fact they are working on other games like Starfield now meaning bigger gaps before they even get started on them.

I bet you any more Elder Scrolls VI only entered full development last year when Starfield was finished despite being announced in 2018.

Duke192h ago

I mean you aren't wrong. People are going to complain about anything

isarai5h ago

Hows about you focus on quality, just a thought 🤷‍♂️

Sciurus_vulgaris4h ago

Bethesda [or Microsoft] would have to reallocate internal and external studios towards fallout and elder scrolls titles. Bethesda has the issue of developing 2 big IPs that are large RPGs on rotation. If you want more Fallout and Elder Scrolls, development will have to be outsourced.

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