I didn't read the whole thread so this is probably going to be exactly what everyone else said....sorry about that
The rumors about Sony blocking used games had everyone up in arms at first, but it turned out that they are (probably) leaving it up to publishers if they want to do it or not. Same goes for this always online stuff. In the article they say that it will have some sort of always online requirement, but that publishers will likely be the ones controlling if the game boots you without an internet connection. This could be what Thurrott meant when he said that it wouldn't "be as draconian as many seem to believe." It could mean that you need to be online to access the media stuff, or XBLA, or just the downloaded games, or it'll be like Steam where you connect to the internet to register the game, but then can play it offline. (if that's how Steam works......I don't use it because my PC is garbage)
This sounds a lot better than a Sim City like DRM function, if it turns out to be true. Microsoft was pretty bold when it came to requiring a broadband connection for XBL, so it's not like they haven't done crazy things in the past.
It's a bit confusing though when you get into it....always online required, but you can (probably) still play offline......so what happens to the 42% of the userbase that doesn't have XBL at all? (~75m-76m 360's sold, 44m Gold & Silver XBL accounts)...do they just have to find another alternative? I get the whole....anti-piracy thing, but it still seems a bit weird to me....people still hacked Sim City to play it without the DRM so what's to stop them here? People have hacked Halo 4 to play online with mods....the DRM would just seem like a challenge to hackers.
When someone's favorite franchise turns out to require an online connection in order to play and they don't have the internet, or one that is stable enough....they won't be able to get it unless they drag their Xbox to a friend's house, register the game, and then drag it back. If it requires a constant connection, that's the end of that.
It's unfortunate that this is really seeming to be true in one form or another....I have enjoyed my 360 quite a bit over the years. But paying for XBL and then needing that connection to at least register games in order to play them offline is very unappealing....and I have an internet connection that would work just fine. If it's all one big misunderstanding, awesome. Really the bigger issue for me is Kinect...I would rather not absolutely NEED it for the console to function. Also, not a fan of Windows 8 or even the current 360 layout...even after you take away the ads.
Hopefully they don't brush it under the rug on the 21st. This is all getting a bit to crazy to ignore.
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