| Machiavellian said: I am more interested in see if this rumor is true what does MS get out of it. MS is a for profit business first, so if they are not getting profit, if they cannot sell the nextbox or have the console installed in as many homes as possible so they can sell you their content, then it doesn't make business sense. Its not like there isn't a lot of evidences that the world is not ready for a console that can only be used if its connected to the internet. The always on always connected I can see that and I agree there are some benefits to a console always being on and connected. This actually will be the same model that the PS4 is using and there isn't anything bad with that approach. What I would like for people to do is to separate the two issues. The one that I believe people are concerned about is that the console must be connected to the internet in order for you to use the console. These are two very different issues and only the later where I can see that as being bad. |
People don't care about a console that can be always on. If they can use it offline aswell. Thats not the issue here at all, thats an expected feature:
But his analogies-> Vacuum does not work without electricity suggest Xbox does not work without being connected.
And what MS gains by that is obvious. Total control over every game you "own". You need MS to allow you playing the games you bought. That way MS ties you to them forever.
Lets say they get stupid ideas and sell only 99 Dollar Xbox with 3 years Xbox Live Platinum for 99 a year. -> See the new office subscription which is 99 a year.
After 3 years your 99 Subscription runs out. You bought 30 Games for 1500 Dollar. Now if you don't refresh you won't be able to play the games you bought and if you want to keep your games forever you have to pay for the rest of your life 99 a year (at first).
This is definetly MS endgoal in the future and always online is the first step. You practically give up any control over your property its an insane concept. If I buy a game now I can keep it forever and play parts of it forever. In 50 years it will have insane value especially if nobody owns anything anymore.
MS will give you everything stop paying and you will have nothing. MS is smarter than the people who buy their stuff (maybe not if always on fails). They take slowly all the control at first it won't be expensive and seem like a good deal but once they lock up all your movies/games they can slowly raise prices and take your stuff hostage if you dont pay.
Thats what makes people upset and cautios. And MS WILL DO THAT they just have to REEDUCATE the Consumer slowly and tie enough games and videos to their servers so that people rather shut up and pay instead of losing their expensive libraries
Sony does a similar thing with PS+ already MS will eventualy expand on that and force it on customers Xbox Live Gold was the first step.
Sony is no different they have the same idea brewing (Gaikai,PS+) but atleast they seem to give you options. If its always on it means MS forces you into dependance.
Even if Internet was as widespread and reliable as electricity, always on still is a bad thing. Customers should still have the option to decide if they want hand over the control of their games/books/movies to someone else. I rather pay a premium to own my stuff.
And maybe MS will take the risk with always on and lock down big parts of the US market at the cost of selling 25 million less worldwide
Maybe the box will be for free at some point. But who will stop paying the subscription once they could lose 100 games ?
I am not saying nextbox will be always online. But it would not surprise me, that has MS tactics written all over it.
Edit:All ofhis was just one example how MS could profit from always on. Another -> ads maybe Kinect powered TV ads
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