| Subie_Greg said: Ok lets go ahead and breakdown the last Kotaku article because it's the newest. Here we go
"If there isn't a connection, no games or apps can be started," the source continued. "If the connection is interrupted then after a period of time--currently three minutes, if I remember correctly--the game/app is suspended and the network troubleshooter started."
Ok so how did he or she confuse Always On with Internet Connection Required? After 3 minutes of no connection, no games can be played. Talking about internet there... not electricity.
Going further
"No one has been able to say it's not true and some have speculated that this is required at the operating system level and therefore isn't something Microsoft has to tell all developers or retail partners. Microsoft also has the ability to change this type of requirement seemingly at a moment's notice through changes in firmware or networking infrastructure."
"Meanwhile, the site VGLeaks, which appeared to have access to many of the same Durango documents shared with Kotaku by SuperDaE posted a new document that appeared to indicate an online connection was required for the console. It referred to an "Always Online, Always Connected" console, the better to give users current content and quick access to their entertainment, without waiting for updates or for the machine to boot up. We were unable to confirm this document's authenticity, but the major gaming website IGN reported that they confirmed that it is real. The gaming magazine Edge has also reported that their sources say the next Xbox will require an online connection."
I don't see how the document you presented nor the article from Jan 2012 debunks this. Again I don't think Microsoft with go through with this. But this, the Edge article and whatever else does mean something at this point |
Analyze the experiences the various sources have had with the what happens with the current Xbox
360.
What happens today if I take a HDD from one Xbox 360 console to another Xbox 360 console?
If I have a game installed to the HDD does the game operate from the HDD? No.
Will the Xbox LIVE Arcade or Games on Demand games work? No.
Will any DLC work? No.
The only way those gaming experiences will work is if you're connected to Xbox LIVE with an account
that has a valid DRM license. This is because DRM is split into two licenses, one for the device and one for the person. So long as the device
license is valid, any user can use the content on that device off-line. This is no different on Xbox 8.
The functional difference is that Xbox 8 attempts to connect to the Internet so that it can validate the user license. Where as if you
attempted to use content that wasn't properly licensed on the Xbox 360, it did nothing. The content just wasn't available to you until you connected
to the Internet. In the case of the Media Update, you couldn't even play content that was physically on the device.
The ability to restrict second-hand games exists today, if Microsoft required a HDD on every Xbox 360. Xbox 360 games already include a unique
identifier in order to associate a game to a user and a device. In fact, it's used every time a person installs the disc to the HDD today. As I
mentioned before, if those games aren't removed (deleted) then reinstalled, the game won't run off the HDD. It uses the disc instead. With Xbox 8 you
can't run it off the disc, so in an order to run the game you have to connect to Xbox LIVE in order to validate the user license.
If a developer moves the HDD from say an older DevKit to a new DevKit, the device license will no longer match. At which point with Xbox 8, until
Microsoft creates a process to transfer devices licenses, you're locked into an always online operation. With the Xbox 360, you can go
online and transfer device licenses, no such process exists for Xbox 8.
Also, Kotaku is in error when they say the Developer Documentation says "Always Online/Always Connected" It says "Always On/Always Connected". Always On is a reference to the low power operation of the console. Always connected speaks to the overal operation of the console, not DRM.
The intention of Xbox 8 is to provide more connected experiences, between devices (PCs, tablets, phones), between people, as well as with live applications that get data online. The console is being designed primarily for people who have Internet connectivity, but the basic functionality is still there. The current implementation of DRM works, it just needed a hole closed. By eliminating the ability to run software from the disc, Microsoft closed that hole.
