whats so hard about just saying that it isnt always online?.. and be done with it.. really now.. unless

Ohoh, XBOX360 is even a generation behind Wii. The has an always On as you describe it AND was connected in this mode to the internet.

Really, people exaggerate these rumors. Always on could mean anything, but people assume you have to be online to play games. So far I see nothing that really confirms this. Always on can be low-power-state as you explain, it can be low-power-state with some connection to the Internet for getting messages and stuff like the Wii, it can be downloading patches and games while you are playing - and probably a lot of stuff I can't think of at the moment. I can understand that people FEAR you need online to play, that really would suck. Simcity shows how that can turn out. But so far I see nothing that supports this interpretation. Microsoft has unveiled nothing. Somerumors of always-on COULD be interpreted this way - or a completely other way. And I see, that many who support the only-online-gaming-theory wouldn't have bought the Nextbox in the first place.

What a meaningless statement.

Fact is:
Adam Orth may not be an "official spokesperson" for Microsoft, but that doesn't mean he's lying. In the end, he's still Creative Director at Microsoft, so if one believes what he said was just utter bullshit, the inevitable question remains: Then why did he say so?

Personally, I find it rather hard to believe that he has simply fantasized and there's not the slightest truth to what he says, putting his own job in big danger by publically spreading complete lies under his real identity.

His statements on the always-online policy must come from somewhere, and I see two possible explanations:
- Adam Orth was really absolutely convinced that the Xbox 720 will be always online, which would strongly suggest that Microsoft indeed planned to take that path (but after seeing the public reactions, Microsoft might now reconsider this)

- Microsoft did indeed think about always-online, but they didn't decide yet, for they realized how unpopular and thus dangerous for their business such a move could be. Adam Orth's statements were a kind of "test-balloon" to see peoples reaction - if the idea would have been accepted, it would be implemented, but if people would protest, Microsoft would simply be able to say something like: "Hey, he's not an official spokesperson, we really don't know how such bizarre ideas could even come to his mind!" (In that case, I'd personally still expect a more professional and less arrogant approach though)

The fact that in the statement they are saying absolutely nothing on the actual topic speaks for itself. Microsoft definitely wants to go that way - but we might not see that feature in the Xbox 720 already, because Microsoft may realize that people are still too strong against it. Eventually this might mean that the Xbox 720 gets delayed, because they may have already designed the Xbox 720 to be always-online and in that case going back would probably involve drastic changes.

Him being fired lends credence to always online DRM being present. I don't think they'd fire the Creative Director of MS Game Studios if all he did was 1) 'joke' about people with bad internet 2) shoot the shit about an always online console that Microsoft are not actually making.

His comments have obviously done significant damage to the message they wanted to convey, and the only way that would be true would be if there was indeed that drm in place in the console. I mean, as if we couldn't all have guessed it by this point. Fun times ahead.

It is good that someone like him got fired, I feel sorry for his kids though, must be hard to have a father like him but it will motivate them to work hard and not become someone like him.

Typical PR rubbish, nothing to see here.

For me this statement boils down to: "What this man said: He said it the wrong way."

They will,ask Machiavellian

No it doesn't. The guy would have been fired regardless because of the way he was talking to potential constumers to the next Xbox. He represents Microsofts brand with whatever he does in life. You can't go online and tell people to deal with it or act like you are better than people by saying I would never live in a certain place.

Eh it's a genre that needs to go down in popularity. The return of the platformers!