Yesterday Microsoft made clarifications and revelations on aspects of their next console’s online functions and used games policy. This new information serves as confirmation that all of our worries were indeed reality
Always on Connection
To be fair, the Xbox One does not require a consistent connection in order to play all games. It has to “check in” every 24 hours to check for game patches and updates, or whether you traded-in or lent your game to a friend (more on this later). For a lot of people that isn’t a deal breaker, but for some this could be a major issue.
Deployed military personnel will find the system difficult to use since a broadband connection is something that’s hardly ever guaranteed in the field. Those living in areas with shoddy internet coverage – whom may not yet have access to broadband at all – won’t be able to use the system consistently. Gamers who simply cannot afford an internet subscription won’t be able to use it.
And this doesn’t even address general issues with relying on getting connected. If a gamer experiences an internet outage for more than 24 hours will be unable to play their games. People moving from one residence to another often times go a few days or even a couple of weeks before internet is hooked up; they’ll be unable to pass the time playing their games.
And let’s not forget that Live is not impervious to outside forces – the kind that took out Sony’s network for six weeks just a couple years back. If something like that happens to Microsoft, the affects would be much more disastrous than they were for Sony.
The kicker for all this is that publishers can also require a consistent connection to play their games. Microsoft has wisely played this part down, because it is not unlikely that most games in the AAA sphere will indeed require this connection, which will only exacerbate the issues above.
Resell and Lend with Permission
While the online requirement will not be a show stopper for many people, the restrictions now put in place on reselling, trading in, and lending games will likely give them pause. Microsoft has been saying that they will not disallow these actions, but they may as well have with some of their more draconian policies.
A user may trade in a game to a publisher preferred partner (read: GameStop) only. The reason for this is because that partnership will ensure that the publisher gets some monies from the used game market. While this won’t entirely kill the used game market, it does certainly limit the players and may do harm to mom and pop game retailers, as they won’t be guaranteed preferred status.
What this also does is eliminate the ability for me to sell a game personally. Say goodbye to picking up games (imports included!) on eBay, at flea markets, craigslist, etc…. The only way you can even lend a game is if they’ve been on your friends list for at least 30 days – and this is a “feature” that won’t even be available at launch!
These policies seek to ensure that the publishers (Microsoft included) get as much money as possible, without giving the consumer anything in return.
Some people will try to defend these policies by saying that popular services like Steam and GOG don’t allow reselling or lending of games. This is true, but those services give their consumers something in return – specifically value on your purchase. PC games are almost always cheaper ($50 for high end in most cases as opposed to $60 on consoles), and deals are plentiful. I also don’t have to worry about backwards compatibility being an issue, and Steam allows for the user to play offline much longer than Microsoft’s new machine will.
For those saying “Screw the Xbone, I’m getting a PS4!”, be wary. It is very likely that Sony is just being quiet – letting Microsoft take all of this initial heat – before they let out that the PS4 will be just as restrictive.
Suddenly it makes sense why EA would pull almost all of their support from Nintendo. With the Wii U possessing none of these “publisher friendly features”, it would only stand to reason that they would try their damndest to push them out of the hardware business. EA, Activision and all the other big publishers are starting to feel the squeeze of the AAA model starting to fail. Instead of restructuring and changing how they budget, market, and produce games, they blame the consumer for “stealing” from them.
This is anti-consumer behavior, and you should all be mad as hell about it. I don’t give a rat’s ass how pretty the next Halo or Gears of War is. Don’t fall into the trap of buying it because of the “gamers buy everything” mentality. Take a stand with your wallet – let’s earnestly try to change the industry for the better.
Because this all makes me want to rage quit.
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