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Next Xbox ‘Won’t Start Games Without Internet Connection’

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UPDATE: Microsoft have since apologised for the comments below, made by Microsoft Studios Creative Director, Adam Orth;

“We apologize for the inappropriate comments made by an employee on Twitter yesterday. 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.”


Firstly, these are rumours (as always) and should be take with a grain of salt. But according to even more of Kotaku’s “sources”, the next Xbox may go so far as to prevent you from starting a game or app unless you are connected to the internet, and may also interrupt your services/gaming session if your internet drops out for more than 3 minutes straight.

Of course, we are not going to be comforted by Microsoft that these rumours are false, and will never know the truth until its reveal, but the sheer number of similar stories floating around the internet is worrisome. The aforementioned source stated;

“If there isn’t a connection, no games or apps can be started. 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.”

It’s also fair to point out that there have been other “sources” who discount this, and even if it were the case we’d like to think that it is something Microsoft can alter/change their mind on with a firmware update. The bottom line is that I personally do not see people purchasing the console if this were true and Microsoft know that. They must, right?…

Well, according to Microsoft Studios’ Creative Director Adam Orth’s words on Twitter today, they may not see the issue. As disconcerting as his initial statement is, his response to criticism from BioWare designer Manveer Heir was even more troubling;

Orth: “Sorry, I don’t get the drama around having an ‘always on’ console. Every device now is ‘always on’. That’s the world we live in. #dealwithit.”

Heir: “Did you learn nothing fromDiablo III or SimCity? You know some people’s internet goes out right? Deal with it is a shitty reason.”

Orth: “Electricity goes out, too.”

Again, I think there is a distinction to be made between ‘always-on’ and ‘always-online’, and given the earlier report that said all games would be required to be installed onto the next Xbox’s hard drive, I just don’t see the above being a reality. Do you think Microsoft would actually do this? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Zac Elawar
Zac Elawar
I am a graduate of the Bachelor of Interactive Entertainment (w/ major in Games Design) course at Qantm College, Sydney.