To me, the only major con is the 24-Hour connection

[Yakuzaice]

Adinnieken said:

Why?

Why is a the need for your Xbox One to phone home every 24 hours a big issue?

Is your Xbox 360 not currently connected up to the Internet?  Is your network going to slow down because of a single 10K text file being transfered up to Microsoft?  For the former, I suspect it's connected.  The latter, I suspect you won't even notice it.

Anyone who leaves their PCs on 24/7 already deals with their computers doing something at night, when they're not using it.  In fact, I have mine check for Windows Updates and download a new anti-virus update and run a scan.  That way, I don't have to be inconvenienced by it when I'm actually trying to use my computer.

Not to mention, your Xbox One isn't just verifying and authenticating your license situation.  It is checking for updates, downloading them, and installing them.  It's also updating the Xbox One programming guide.  Granted, the latter isn't an important feature if you don't use it, but certainly if you do it is.

It's also likely not going to do it unless the console isn't being used or used when network performance is a priority to your games or other services.  So, the likelihood of you even knowing it happened or when, would be unlikely.

Military personnel and people without Internet aside, I don't see the connectivity requirements of the Xbox One a big deal.  For people in the military and people without Internet I really think Microsoft needs to work out a compromise.  Granted, for those with a phone and data service plans, there is the possibility of tethering.  I won't dismiss that it is frustrating that Microsoft didn't have a game plan for this, but as for someone like yourself who is connected to the Internet, communicating on a forum routinely during the day, I'm having a bit of trouble understanding why an Xbox One connecting to the internet once every 24 hours is a big issue for you.

Even if it had zero downsides, what benefits does it bring?  All the things you mentioned are done on other services without the online check being mandatory.  What advantage is there to the consumer in making it required?

Then of course there are the actual downsides.  What will happen in 20 years?  What if you get banned?  What if Live goes down?  What if you don't have a stable connection?  Even if these aren't exactly big issues for most people, how can you justify it from the consumer perspective?