Next-Gen Consoles May Not Require Internet, But The Games Might

Unigamesity: This year has been quite the roller coaster for next generation consoles. Initial reports of always-on internet requirements kept a lot of gamers off of the excitement train. A quick few months later and both consoles are ready to release to internet-free houses across the globe. However, while the initial reaction may be that it’s best for everyone this way, some might argue the opposite.

[alexkoepp]

Maybe I'm selfish but I think they should always be online, I don't really care if others don't have the internet. I can't imagine owning a PC without having an internet connection, wtf would be the point? Consoles should be the same... without internet I dint think you could call these systems next generation haha

How bout they drop the prices of these consoles and leave out WiFi and Ethernet for all those poor fools without the internet

[colonel179]

It's not going to happen until there's a good enough internet connection worldwide. No company is going to just focus on one country for a product that sells around the word.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

"It's not going to happen until there's a good enough internet connection worldwide."

Not even that.It's just that not everyone has internet and internet's not perfect.

Everyone has internet screw ups all the time.

That's why I frown upon Destiny, The Division, The Crew and Titanfall. (Though promising looking games)

My internet's not up 100% through out the year. It goes down at least once or so a year.

[FamilyGuy]

Why?

What are the benefits of FORCING gamers to be connected to the internet?

There are tons of reasons why one might not want to be connected, a big one could be bandwidth caps. Others could be budget, lack of interest, availability being scarce in your location.

What positive aspect is there to forcing everyone online? As far as I can tell the only thing we really need it for is online multiplayer gaming.
Some people play games for story mode or don't like to be interrupted by other gamers or having them affect the outcome of a game they're playing.
Some prefer local co-op with close friends/family, playing on the same couch.

I'd personally be pissed if I could play my games without being forced online. Sometimes I just don't want to be bothered or I want my connection free so I can download, stream or browse the internet on my laptop without at its fastest speed.

[jc48573]

RE6's online co op setting was annoying as f***. Sometimes I want to play by myself and Capcom kinda forces it on you as if that was the default.

[MightyNoX]

Aren't you the peep who said the PS4 costs more than the Xbox One?

Yeah, we're done here. Everything you say is invalid.

[Chris558]

always on would fail even when most of us have access to internet there still might be accidents like a lighting storm and your internet will not work for days and why would i need to be on when I want single player..

[KwietStorm_BLM]

You probably just...shouldn't.

[JackISbacK]

personlay ,when they announced it ,i was happy with it ,but i'am not the only man who wants to play games on xb1 there are many more people who wants it ,so i was divided and was silent i never discriminated it but also never incourages it,i can afffort it but not every one around the world,people will be able to use it in usa,uk,or other parts of the world or may be eastern asia ,like china japan ,but what around the rest of the world ,like undeveloped parts of south america or inida ,pakistan and other counntries ,all people will not be able to but ,i'am also kind of people wh thinks that it is the future cloud is an amazing technology and if people get ionnovative with it ,so it will not take time for xb1 to be more powerful than ps4. companies wants to inovate and we know companies have to are not gona make their conoles very powerful like a high end pc of 1000$,no its never gona happen consoles will not come at price of 1000$(leaving steam box) and cloud is the solution of it yopu can make a mid end device and make it high end by online cloud ,ms is on a right track and are innovating but at other point it is not right time ,people will not accert it now(most of them) but may be in future where cloud will solve many problems.

[pyramidshead]

That is considerably selfish to be honest. lol. Not because people don't have internet as good as other people but it's a complete disregard to the understanding of some countries state of infrastructure. Incredibly nonsensical business move it would have been by MS.

Just laughing at what the sales, hype and public opinion would have been if the original XB1 vision would have followed through. It would have gotten absolutely slaughtered by PS4, without contest or quarter.

[AlexFili]

Unless you're prepared to pay for everyone else's internet connection then that really isn't a feasible option for many people

[denawayne]

I said this was going to happen 6 months ago. Being online is integral to both systems.

[JackISbacK]

yeah it is right ,sony fanboys are discriminating and those people who wants to play games on are also discriminating,but it is truth ,every thing is going online imagina your iphone or android device without internet ,yeah will be a piece of junk and now it is happening with consoles and i'am having a example when it gona implement in a better way(officily many games are getting online like destiny,titanfall,the division,crew and fable legends) but may be cloud is gona implement in non-multiplayer story mode ,i'am having a link of neogaf where a user is leaked the details of halo 5 as how its gona be like ,thui leak is from an guest neogaf user may be someone close to 343i an here it goes
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/ar...
check it by yourself ,this leak states some bold news like halo will be openworld with multiple regions and long gameplay ,master chief will have its own spaceship .he also states that yhis willl be the first to utilise fulll power of cloud and enami ai and lighting effects and some special effects will be streamed on cloud and will not require fast connection because packs will be of small size ,he states this is only to story mode which will have no mutiplayer invovement but graphics will be proccessd from cloud,if this comes out to be true than we know the results ,people are fan of halo ,people will get it and will always play it connected online,yeah it seams like forced but will have better results like companies getting their sevice better and cheaper because already many people are switching to internet and involvement of games in internet for a whole (including singerplayer)this will incurage them more ,belive me future is online for how long you can rely on raw power and i'am not a fanboy but incourages innovation.

[kingdip90]

I would definitely argue the opposite, you make your product as accessible by consumers as possible to maximize profit. Not everyone has internet so making a system that works offline makes sense...

unless of course your main business was not about the games and your profit came mainly from some kind of monthly subscription service and your business model thrives off keeping people subscribed to said model by throwing internet features at people and convincing them it somehow enhances gaming...

oh wait...

[denawayne]

Which company are you talking about?

[kingdip90]

Im trying to make it as ambiguous as possible, both consoles rely heavily on the internet but I think one more than the other

[FamilyGuy]

One game company hardly releases any games that focus more on the single player aspect or story mode. Instead they crap out 5-6 hour games and expect you to get your moneys worth by playing online. Another company has many 1st party exclusives that have a lot of effort put into their story lines and they average 8 hours minimum.

You know what this gen is missing at launch? A nice long single player RPG or jrpg. I like that the PS4 has streaming integrated so it would be cool to see game play of some one on a game with a long and interesting story.

[kingdip90]

I love a good rpg some of my greatest gaming experiences are me playing by my self on zelda, oblivion and secret of mana.

interacting with other people is what I have a social life for, sure playing a shmup online is fun but it shouldnt be the primary focus of a console. I play games to escape other people and enjoy the imaginations of the devs who made the games for me to enjoy...

if the internet is the future of gaming I honesty dont see it being as fun as it has been up to this point

[HighResHero]

People can easily vote with their wallets.

[annus]

Yeah, gamers sure taught Blizzard that lesson with all the bitching about Diablo 3 on PC! Just like when everyone voted with their wallets and destroyed EA and Activision!

Minority doesn't mean much to billion dollar companies these days, and people will continue to buy stuff regardless of their policy.

[HighResHero]

The minority often becomes the majority if it is something that bothers enough people.
Look how the outrage that spread after the XB DRM announcement and what it lead MS to do.
Gamers' unwillingness to go along with this crap has a lot to do with why they are being much careful about how they go about things.
Your example is sound and of course there are exceptions but there are plenty of instances where gamers have successfully "voted with their wallets" and of course their mouths.

[jc48573]

so why do I need to be online for Single player? Not like I am going to play an MMO.

[Gabenbrah]

It's already happening with future titles (e.g. The Crew, Titanfall, The Division, Destiny, Fable Legends)

[Stoppokingme]

Sometimes you just want to turn the machine on and start playing. Is that too much to ask for nowadays?

Gone are the days of the simple 'press start to play' now it's press start, connecting to servers, downloading updates, applying updates...to those without a decent net connection it's hell.

If you can and want to be constantly online that's fine, but those who can't are punished for it and end up paying for some things they can't have.

Take halo 4 for instance. I paid 110 AUD for it and half of the game was unavailable to me cuz my internet is shoddy. And now that i've finished the SP it's become a very expensive paperweight.

[MasterCornholio]

"Sometimes you just want to turn the machine on and start playing. Is that too much to ask for nowadays? "

That's something that I ask Microsoft. Seriously the need to download a patch just to play games is a bit ridiculous to me. At least the Wii U and the PS4 dont need to do that.

[JasonKCK]

After a generation of online passes, tacked on MP modes, and DRM. Were people really expecting different?

[BlakHavoc]

Always online is an idiotic idea, first off most of you only think about this through your current situation, no one's asking you to keep others in mind as people are naturally selfish to some extent. But more importantly, these companies have to think about other regions they sell these consoles in, not every country can provide excellent connection, this has an immediate impact on people in the military. So although some of you may want or think it's a good idea that games are always online, I don't see it being anything more than an option. And saying all games should be strictly online is dumb and a fanboy statement, what good does making ALL games online do for you? A lot of games today you can play through the campaign with a friend online anyways, or play competitive multiplayer. So why would you want other people to be forced to have to get internet just to play games? It's a selfish statement considering it does nothing directly for you since most games you can play online anyways, I think anyone who makes this comment is clearly a fanboy. Neither Sony nor MS will do this any time soon, especially since it was so widely rejected by the gaming community.

[Dogswithguns]

Yeah yeah, stop whining people.. it's gonna be online all the time soon enough.

[CEOSteveBallmer]

I said this before and i'll say it again for mindless guys who thinks that internet should be mandatory.

So What advantage does an always online connection have against an offline device which "optionally" can connect online anytime?? always online means your connected forever and everytime. But an Offline device can also do the same which can be connected for as long as you want and anytime you want. so whats the advantage?? if my internet goes down my console will just be a paperweight. i have 10mbps connection thats more than enough speed but every 2 days a week it fluctuates and im always signed out of PSN. luckily i can still play my games offline. So can you answer my question? what advantage it has?? that's right it doesn't!!

Some people doesn't think any sense. yes theres the division, the crew, titanfall and destiny. But you can make offline games that can connect to the net right?? imagine playing a single player uncharted and when your internet goes down, the screen will tell you, connection error please sign in to continue playing. Nice right??