Joystiq

Microsoft: Xbox One isn't always online, but requires internet connection

Jessica Conditt — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:12:00 EST

Xbox One, Microsoft's next-gen console, does not require users to be constantly connected to the internet, but it does require an internet connection, a Q&A post on Xbox Wire said. The post itself has since been removed.

The answer said the Xbox One "does not have to be always connected, but Xbox One does require a connection to the Internet."

Developers are able to use Microsoft's Azure cloud computing service with Xbox One - this could potentially shift certain computations to the cloud and require players to be online, even for single-player runs, Wired reports.

For pre-owned games, the Xbox One is designed "to enable customers to trade in and resell games," Microsoft said in the same Q&A post, promising more details later.

All games can be installed to the Xbox One's 500GB hard drive, removing the need for a disc entirely after the initial load-up, Microsoft tells Wired. If a second account wants to play that game the player will be asked to pay a fee and install the game on his own console. Whether this is a mandatory installation for every game, Microsoft says, "On the new Xbox, all game discs are installed to the HDD to play."

Microsoft: Xbox One isn't always online, but requires internet connection originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 21 May 2013 15:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yoshida: Sony did not consider an always-on PS4

Jessica Conditt — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

The PS4 won't require an "always-on" internet connection, and it was never going to need one, Sony President of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida told Game Informer (via Gamespot).

"Did we consider it? No, we didn't consider it," Yoshida said. "The main reason being that many countries don't have robust Internet connections. It makes sense for people to have Internet connections to play online games, but for offline games there are many countries that we saw [that] do not really have robust Internet."

Fair point. Yoshida previously confirmed an offline mode in terms of the PS4's social and sharing features, saying, "Oh yes, yes, you can go offline totally. Social is big for us, but we understand there are some people who are anti-social. So if you don't want to connect to anyone else, you can do that." Developers, too, will be able to limit which aspects of their games players can share with the world.

Sony's major next-gen competitor, Microsoft, is set to reveal its new console on May 21. The latest internal memo regarding the next Xbox's online functionality says that some features should "just work" whether a player is on- or offline.

Yoshida: Sony did not consider an always-on PS4 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 08 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Internal Microsoft memo outlines 'always-on' connectivity for next Xbox

Xav de Matos — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:15:00 EST

An internal Microsoft memo regarding the "always-on" connectivity of the next-generation Xbox reveals the hardware manufacturer's plans for modern connectivity issues, Ars Technica reports. Microsoft's primary focus: specific console functions will "just work" regardless of connection status.

"There are a number of scenarios that our users expect to work without an Internet connection, and those should 'just work' regardless of their current connection status. Those include, but are not limited to: playing a Blu-ray disc, watching live TV, and yes playing a single player game."

The memo also adds that Durango - the code name for Microsoft's next-gen console - is "designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today's Internet."

Though the supposed memo does much to assuage fears the next Xbox system will be useless when in an offline environment, it still does not detail the depths of the console's offline functionality. Rumors of the console's always-on connectivity have persisted, leading one Microsoft employee to express his personal opinion on the matter before leaving the company after a public statement from Microsoft, which distanced itself from the comments.

Microsoft's next Xbox is scheduled to be revealed on May 21 at an event in Redmond, Washington. Joystiq has contacted Microsoft for comment regarding the supposed memo, but has yet to hear back at the time of publishing.

Report: Internal Microsoft memo outlines 'always-on' connectivity for next Xbox originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 May 2013 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Microsoft Studios creative director Adam Orth no longer with company

Jordan Mallory — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:00:00 EST

Adam Orth, the Microsoft Studios creative director who caused a stir among consumers last week by tweeting his opinions on "always-on" devices, is no longer a Microsoft employee, according to "two sources" speaking with Polygon.

Last week, Microsoft publicly apologized for Orth's comments, saying that "this person is not a spokesperson for Microsoft, and his personal views do not reflect the customer centric approach we take to our products or how we would communicate directly with our loyal consumers."

We have reached out to Microsoft for a statement on the situation and will update this story if we learn more.

Report: Microsoft Studios creative director Adam Orth no longer with company originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft responds to creative director's 'always-on' console comments

Jordan Mallory — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EST

Microsoft has issued an official missive (via Major Nelson) in response to the comments made yesterday by Microsoft Studios creative director Adam Orth's tweets regarding his opinions surrounding what he called "the drama around having an 'always on' console."

"We apologize for the inappropriate comments made by an employee on Twitter yesterday," the response reads. "This person is not a spokesperson for Microsoft, and his personal views do not reflect the customer centric approach we take to our products or how we would communicate directly with our loyal consumers."

"We are very sorry if this offended anyone, however we have not made any announcements about our product roadmap, and have no further comment on this matter."

Yesterday, Orth took to Twitter to publicly dismiss criticisms of always-online consoles, likely in response to rumors that the next-generation Xbox will require an online connection to play games. As of press time, Orth's Twitter account remains under lock and key.

Microsoft responds to creative director's 'always-on' console comments originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maxis: SimCity offline mode is 'just not possible'

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 15:00:00 EST

@azbiker72 The game was designed for MP, we sim the entire region on the server so this is just not possible
- SimCity (@simcity) March 9, 2013

The issues barraging SimCity stem from its requirement that players are always online and connected to EA's servers, even if a player wants to experience the game alone. Making the game available offline could solve many players' issues, but that's "just not possible," developer Maxis General Manager Lucy Bradshaw said during a Twitter Q&A session.

"The game was designed for MP, we sim the entire region on the server so this is just not possible," Bradshaw said, in response to a question about offline modes. Previously Bradshaw responded to another question about an offline patch: "We have no intention of offlining SimCity any time soon but we'll look into that as part of our earning back your trust efforts."

Making SimCity offline would be a significant undertaking, if it were in the cards at all. Bradshaw further reiterated the sentiment of a leaked internal memo, noting that EA wasn't responsible for SimCity's issues; Maxis was.

"Hey, this is on Maxis," she wrote. "EA does not force design upon us. We own it, we are working 24/7 to fix it, and we are making progress."

Recent progress included increasing SimCity's server capacity by 120 percent, disabling "non-critical" game features, and a report that EA asked SimCity affiliates to stop actively promoting the game.

Maxis: SimCity offline mode is 'just not possible' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 10 Mar 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PS4 doesn't require an always-on internet connection

Jessica Conditt — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:45:00 EST

The PlayStation 4 does not need to be constantly connected to the internet, president of Sony Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida told Eurogamer following Sony's conference yesterday. The PS4's internet settings are fully customizable, whether someone is concerned about data limits or simply wants to be left alone.

"Oh yes, yes, you can go offline totally," Yoshida said. "Social is big for us, but we understand there are some people who are anti-social. So if you don't want to connect to anyone else, you can do that."

The PS4 has a secondary custom chip that allows users to play games as those games are downloading, and Yoshida said the PS4 will have a low-power mode where the main system is asleep but the subsystem is awake, downloading or uploading content.

Players will be able to wake up the PS4 via tablets, smartphones or with the Vita, Yoshida further explained. The Vita will be able to play PS4 games remotely, with the goal of all games using remote play functionality.

PS4 doesn't require an always-on internet connection originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ubisoft doing away with 'always-on' DRM

Richard Mitchell — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:30:00 EST

Ubisoft is doing away with its always-on digital rights management (DRM) policy, the company's worldwide director for online games Stephanie Perotti told Rock, Paper, Shotgun in a recent interview. The policy dictated that those playing Ubisoft's PC games would have to maintain a constant connection to the internet, even when playing single-player content. According to Perotti, Ubisoft PC games will now require "a one-time online activation when you first install the game, and from then you are free to play the game offline." In fact, Perotti noted that this has been Ubisoft's policy since June of 2011.

Digging into the ol' Joystiq archives, it looks like that isn't exactly true. While there have since been high-profile releases that shipped without the typical always-on DRM - notably Assassin's Creed Revelations - others definitely shipped with the restrictive protection. From Dust and Driver: San Francisco, both released after June 2011, each shipped with always-on DRM - only to see Ubisoft patch it out after receiving negative feedback.

Still, if the new policy is now firmly in place, it marks a huge change in direction for Ubisoft's PC releases, especially considering that CEO Yves Guillemot stated only two weeks ago that the company's PC products have a "93-95 percent piracy rate."

Beyond the issue of piracy, Perotti also addressed the customary delays faced by Ubisoft's PC games, saying, "We need to improve our communication, and make sure we provide better visibility to the PC community on our release dates for PC." She added that Ubisoft is "committed" to doing better and releasing its PC games "as close as possible to console releases." As an example, she mentioned Far Cry 3, which is slated to release on the same day as its console counterparts, and Assassin's Creed 3, which arrives November 23, "just a few weeks after the console version."

Ubisoft doing away with 'always-on' DRM originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard responds to complaints over Diablo 3 connection requirement

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 09:15:00 EST

Diablo 3 requires a constant internet connection -- a decision that has caused some strong reactions from folks looking to play the game solo, or those pushing against overly demanding DRM schemes. MTV spoke with Robert Bridenbecker, the Vice President of Online Technologies at Blizzard to get the developer's side of the story.

"Internally I don't think [always-on DRM] ever actually came up when we talked about how we want connections to operate. Things that came up were always around the feature-set, the sanctity of the actual game systems like your characters," said Bridenbecker. "You're guaranteeing that there are no hacks, no dupes. All of these things were points of discussion, but the whole copy protection, piracy thing, that's not really entering into why we want to do it."

Bridenbecker goes on to mention that Diablo 2 offline characters couldn't be used online, which got messy for players and the developer, so this time they decided to "just keep everything clean." As for those looking to play alone, they don't have to interact with any other online players if they don't want to -- but they'll still need that internet connection.

Blizzard responds to complaints over Diablo 3 connection requirement originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ubisoft 'always on' DRM hated, hacked - circle of life continues

Mike Schramm — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:14:00 EST

Ah, the circle of life. Here's how it works: Game developers claim they've created some sort of unbreakable DRM that will lock pirates out, and then the pirates break their way in, leading to even more repressive forms of DRM. The snake has eaten its own tail once again, as Ubisoft's "Online Services Network" - also known as the obnoxious "always on" DRM that's already caused problems for paying customers - has reportedly been hacked. The hack, by a group named Skid Row allows users to circumvent the DRM entirely and play the affected games without connecting to Ubisoft's authentication servers.

In a statement attached to the crack's release, Skid Row proclaims that their crack "can't be compared" to other ways of hacking the games (which include having the software check in with an unofficial server), and that Ubisoft should "next time focus on the game and not on the DRM. It was probably horrible for all legit users. We just make their lifes [sic] easier."

This crack is specifically for Assassin's Creed II but if the method works, it could theoretically be tweaked to include all of the games protected in this manner, including the upcoming Splinter Cell: Conviction. And thus, the circle, the circle of life continues on.

Ubisoft 'always on' DRM hated, hacked - circle of life continues originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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