Is there any way around Microsoft’s mandatory 24-hour “check in” on the Xbox One? Nope. Well, there is one. It just doesn’t involve buying an Xbox One.
Speaking with Destructoid, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer was asked what someone with no internet access would do if they wanted to buy an Xbox One.
“I mean the analogy, and I don’t know if it’s a great analogy… let’s say I live in an area that doesn’t have cell service. I wouldn’t go buy a cell phone. Now, I might roam in different areas where my mobile phone becomes active.”
“The 360 ecosystem is a great ecosystem for somebody that’s in a purely disconnected state for long periods of time. We have built a natively connected device with Xbox One and we think the experiences are moving in that direction.”
I wonder just how long it’s going to take hackers to break the “check in” requirement once the console is released in November.
Here’s why you’ll need to be online [Destructoid]
UPDATE: Here’s video of Microsoft’s Don Mattrick saying much the same thing to Spike’s Geoff Keighley, courtesy of lnsomniacGamers.
Comments
62 responses to “Can’t Get An Xbox One Online? Buy An Xbox 360”
Always online and full digital distribution are definitely the future of consoles. I’m thinking with all the vitriol leveled at them, maybe Microsoft jumped the gun. Telling people (read: gamers) to choose the 360 until they can get online is only rubbing salt in the wound.
Day one sales are going to be everythig this christmas and all we’ve seen from Microsoft is the Day One package which is more than a little dissappointing.
Microsoft better have an ace up their sleeve or they will not be around for a 4th console generation.
I don’t think always online should be something that’s required, but I can agree with digital distribution being the future of consoles, it is however, far too early for that.
There are still regions, even within America, where users only have access to dial-up, if anything. Lots of areas won’t have a fast enough dl speed to make downloading games anything more than an overnight job for their consoles, if not worse.
Full distribution, true. But unless it is a mobile phone, always on will not be welcome especially since the always on approach is used to hide the (archaic) DRM.
Unless I am using a service such as OnLive, I as a consumer should have the right to decide when my device is online and when it is not.
yea if you live in the states, in a google fiber area with your unlimited gigabit internet. The rest of the world just has to burn first of cause with there measly adsl2/fiber
This. These are my thoughts. Yes, I’m aware this is the 21st century but they’ve acted so aggressive about it that I’ve lost interest.
Started playing my PS3 recently and gotta say, I’m converted. Sorry MS, it wasn’t your console that turned me off, it was your arrogance.
They just don’t get it.
or PS4
It seems a little Deamcasty – packing the console with features people don’t necessarily want or need yet. Cloud will no doubt play as big a role in gaming as it does in mobile – eventually – the question is whether MS have jumped the gun on implementing it so uncompromisingly.
Or it’s thinly veiled DRM.
Well it makes sense. If you don’t have an internet connection you should probably stick with the last gen. Although even the last gen has slowly been moving towards predominately online connected “experiences” in games these last few years.
You’re just not going to get much out of the next gen if you don’t have an internet connection.
Having a constant internet connection on the other hand…
Or get a Wii U or PS4?
It’s not about whether you have a net connection or not, it’s about being told you must have one. That if anything should happen to your connection or should your circumstances require forgoing your net for a few months while you pay more important bills. My sister just went without the internet for 3 weeks after moving into a new house. Their PS3 (Which is normally connected to the net) worked fine the whole time.
Yes, you could tether your 3G phone for that initial connection, but should you really have to?
WiiU hardly classifies as next gen 😛 They’re doing their own stuff separate from the rest of the game industry.
For sure, needing a constant internet connection will cause problems. I’m saying if you don’t have an internet connection at all, not just temporarily (which is what I thought the destructoid guy was asking about in the first place), you’re not going to get much out of the next gen, whether you’ve got an Xbox One or a PS4, because games seem to be heading towards being “connected experiences”.
Wii U is still part of the next generation of consoles, even if graphically it’s more like the last one. 😛
And yeah, net connections are a must to get the most out of your console, I just really dislike Microsoft’s attitude towards it all. I want my console online, but I don’t know if that’s going to be the case. Things happen. A mandatory 24 hour online check is insane.
I’m just glad Sony didn’t go the same route. Makes it much easier to choose my next console. Should I suddenly find myself without internet for a few days, I know the boredom won’t be worsened by an inability to use my games console as well.
Here’s another link to the Youtube clip:
Getting it taken down is pretty dodgy if you ask me.
“I mean the analogy, and I don’t know if it’s a great analogy… let’s say I live in an area that doesn’t have cell service. I wouldn’t go buy a cell phone. Now, I might roam in different areas where my mobile phone becomes active.”
I’d do a bit more research before committing into a cell service that doesn’t have reception where I need it. In fact, I’d make sure I choose a service that can provide for me. I wouldn’t just choose some random company and hope for the best.
Same applies to this console generation.
wait, hasnt MS anounced that regional areas and army etc will be re-asssessed for their online checks etc. you just have to contact MS and they’ll sort you out?
so if youre out in teh sticks with crap internet connection they’ll likely let it slide for you.
They might aswell say, Cant get online? Buy a PS4, not good.
Yep, the implication is ‘pfft, you want to live like it’s 1996? You’re going to have to play an out of date machine’, but it ignores the fact you can get a next generation console that’ll function offline.
This is terrible! In all seriousness, what the hell was going through Microsoft’s head this whole time? What a mess…
What’s going through their head is that they thought they were popular. They thought they had a big, loyal install base due to the 360’s success. They thought people would follow the exclusives. They thought they’d be able to make the XBOX One the Apple Store of gaming.
I know they don’t say it here, but Microsoft have said before that basically everything is on the internet now and that’s their excuse for making the Xbone online. The thing is, yeah we can get internet on our phones and tablets, but we can turn off the internet whenever we want and still use our devices indefinitely.
It’s going to be interesting to see how many uninformed people buy one, then return it because they don’t have the internet/when they discover it won’t work longer than 24 hours without an internet connection. This thing is gonna crash and burn.
Once it’s been hacked to play games offline, play used games, work without the Kinect and the price has come down (which won’t take long), or Microsoft release an updated version that has those features, I may consider buying one, even then I would only get it for exclusives.
I have never seen a company make such a massive amount of their customers go to the opposition so quickly.
How are these people reading this article? Whats wrong with tethering your phone? I live in the suburbs of Adelaide my adsl2+ speeds are shocking, but there are 3 laptops, 2 pcs, 3 phones, 2 tablets, a tv, a home theatre, a ps3 & a 360 all connected to the wireless router at all times. K dont get 1.5mbps up like the One wants but im pretty sure ill be fine. What is the big deal? Who cares if it checks every day? Dont people buy an xbox for online gaming? Most of my single player gaming happens on the ps3 and a pc. I jump on the 360 for multiplayer with my irl mates?
Im buying both new consoles, I rarely buy second hand games because I want the dev to get something. As the GoD deals get better I use digital purchases more and mote. Steam doesnt let me trade.
What is the issue? If people dont have the net then how are they on kotaku? M$oft want the online gamer that buys dlc and has a continuous live account. If that’s not you then buy a ps4.
At least three weeks a year I’m without internet. I’m willing to go without the internet on devices that require it during that time, but the XBOX One doesn’t actually require an internet connection. It chooses to force the user to be connected but it doesn’t require one for any of the core functions. It’s like an always online toaster. Odds are it’ll still work just like it does now, but there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to make toast if your internet connection is out.
At the end of the day they’re drastically changing game ownership with little to no justification and zero benefit to the customer.
Except online only games like destiny, the crew etc
I’m struggling to see how that fits into anything I said. Yes, online only games exist, but that simply means the XBOX One requires the ability to connect to the internet, not a near constant connection. If the XBOX One actually required an internet connection to play games a 24 hour grace period wouldn’t be possible.
Think of it this way, Castle Crashers can make use of all four controllers, by your logic that’s justification for making four connected controllers a requirement to boot up any game.
I’m online most of the time. I’ll probably use my PS4 online. The problem is that Microsoft have taken away the option/choice to play offline. It’s like having a police officer permanently a passenger in your new car.
This.
I like to think of it as automatically being on parole with 24 hour check-ins. The system assumes you’re a criminal.
Both ps4 and xbOne will be permanently connected to the net. I havent had one issue with my current net provider of the last 5 years. I can see why people with a bad net connection would be worried. I cant be the only one who isnt bothered by this.
Both *my* ps4 & xbone
I live in a big and fairly modern suburb 15 minutes drive from a major east coast city. Every time it rains solidly a few streets either side of us, ourselves included, lose our ADSL1 (thanks Telstra) and sometimes phone service for a day or two. Over the last few years we’ve had a few outages lasting over a week.
There’s enough people that this will impact to make it a silly decision. Sure, innovate; but do it to improve the customer experience, not damage it.
lol I live in a new suburb near Sydney cbd and I can’t get any broadband. This system is useless to me.
Why should I have to go to the effort of tethering my phone once a day to just do an online check? That completely defeats the single most important selling point of consoles; “they just work”. If I’m going to be constantly forced to piss away my time to get it to work I might as well game on PC instead.
And if XBOX 360 compatibility is anything to go by, tethering your phone will take effort.
I’m guessing it will be insanely easy if it’s a Windows phone.
It’d work by setting up your phone as a WiFi hotspot.
I have no idea how to do that, and that’s ok with me, I don’t want to know.
That’s okay because I’m going to tell you how to do it anyway 😛
Platform agnostic instructions: Go into settings. Turn on the internet sharing or hotspot option. It’ll be either right under settings or in the WiFi or Internet sub categories.
Lol, I’ll still never do it.
pretty sure the 1.5 isdownload, right? its quite commontoget lower in Aus. My upload speed is under 1
megabit or megabyte?
Id say its up and down.
Wow faux pas award goes to Phil Spencer.
Don’t like being online buy our old console (or a PS4).
I agree that eventually the consoles will be going online.
If this is Microsoft’s direction that they are pushing towards then the console should’ve come with an upgradeable hard drive. Also 1 tb from launch would’ve been nice.
#DealWithIt…..still don’t understand why it HAS to be online so much. Sure internet will make next gen better but why tie the operation of all games to it?
Realistically, they probably crunched the numbers on modded xbox’s vs people who don’t have a net connection/people who won’t roll with the punches and I’m sure it’s going to work out in their favour.
Both look like great consoles but I’ll be picking up a XBOne on launch, psyched !!!
Well I live in the sticks & am an avid gamer, had the orig xbox, & a 360
Now the reason xbox was a success was because of one game….. HALO
Microsoft for whatever reason decided to go it alone aka 343 industies
Halo 4 was far from a success
I still play Halo Reach in Multiplayer it still has 20,000 players on line
Halo 4, 220 players.
Bungie are bringing out “Destiny” also on the PS4, Bungie MADE the Xbox what it is
Open & shut case when it comes to choice
Microsoft have lost the plot
All they need to do is say “ok, you can play offline, but online related options will be greyed out. Be warned that might affect the game. We will put labels on the boxes of games that need it.” Problem would be solved, Microsoft would be redeemed.
This. I was just thinking something similar, and if they talked more about how connecting to the internet might actually be useful they could actually turn it into a positive spin, rather than an overwhelmingly negative one.
I think they’re about 10 years too early for an always online console. I get that they need to verify that you own the games that you installed off the disc but they should include an offline mode that is as simple as requiring the disc to be in the drive so that they know you own the game without checking with the mother ship. If people want to play without the disc they either have to be connected or buy a digital version.
It still doesn’t excuse the used games limits and that is going to hurt them. People will be less likely to shell out for a new game if they know they will be stuck with it forever. They will get it on a platform that will let them trade/sell or just wait for the game to be discounted 6 months later. It will be interesting to see how multiplatform titles sell.
Well just about everyone has a smart phone with Internet access. That would mean most people would be able to activate a wireless hotspot and connect everyday as needed.
I use my phone to play online all the time with my xbox. I have never had an issue. I live 45 minutes out from the city. We don’t have the best reception but it still works fine.
I doubt very much if there are many households in Australia that have no internet access.
I don’t agree with the policy but its an anti piracy requirement they have added to the system. Wont take long for the hackers to work a way around it.
No it’s not. Piracy and used games are just smoke screen arguments here. This makes it more vulnerable to piracy, seeing as there’s no longer physical media involved. If used games were a problem Microsoft and the other major publishers wouldn’t have supported the used game dealers to the point where they wiped out almost all competition. If used games were such a serious issue EB, JB, etc wouldn’t be getting all the best pre-order exclusives. It’s well within their power to break the back of the used game market without nuking gamers in the process.
The reality is there is only one reason Microsoft want this. Microsoft want games to become more like Apps. They think it’s the future of console gaming, they’ve seen the money Apple rake in with their store and they’re strong arming theirs in early because they don’t want to risk Sony/Nintendo getting in first and locking them out like Apple did with mobile Apps.
MS policies are rubbish but what is becoming more concerning is their attitude. Ever since #dealwithit I’ve been seeing more and more contempt for the consumer. Even if they grudgingly fix this issue, I won’t be buying another xbox until I can see they’ve purged this internal dudebro culture they seem so proud of.
the interviewer should have just looked at the camera and said, so if i want to play offline, i should buy an xbox 360, or you know a PS4.
Plot Twist: Apparently, SpikeTV weren’t even supposed to air that clip. LOL
The guy is right.
Stick with the 360 if you are an Xbox fan, and must have a console that plays offline for more than 24 hours. Or, buy a ps4 (which he obviously isn’t going to say).
MS are not changing their policy any time soon. It doesn’t matter if it pisses people off. They don’t have to buy the xb1. Move on. No offense, but, if you can’t afford good internet, too bad. If you want a next gen machine, buy a ps4.
Or… #dealwithit
Are you people all using School or Maccas wifi for your internet access? Who cares if it needs internet access momentarily every 24 hours?
“You know what a fun game is for people who don’t have 24/7 online access? Not asking questions.”
^^ Well you’re obviously in the minority of brainwashed, irrational fanboys. I really find your post hilarious LOL. You actually think that at this point the smart gamers are doing anything but laughing at Microsoft? The PS4 is everything this pathetic Xbone should be, but instead MS are wilfully ignoring reality, attempting to bend you right over! Even the mainstream will ditch this box of spyware once they realise just how downright laughable it is in comparison to the PS4. Some people actually have principles, shock horror!
No one with a brain actually wants MS to change their policies at this point. All I see is people just shaking their heads or pointing and laughing. It’s the inferior product.
I’ll definitely be going with the PS3 – region free games, no crappy DRM, oh and everything else the spybox lacks.
Microsoft is sayin I have a gun and my feet..which one do I shoot off today…good way to get people to buy your next-gen console
PS4*
Microsoft is the superior gaming company. I don’t care who watches me eat Doritos and play games while half naked through a Kinect sensor as long as I’m playing the best of the best. And with the XBOX ONE, I will be. I also maintain that online connection is already an essential part of gaming with the XBOX 360 so it matters not whether it’s essential next gen too.
Microsoft is the superior gaming company???? Ok…whatever…that’s a matter of opinion
Of the current-gen consoles….an online connection is not essential for gaming…hence being able to play games offline…The Xbox One, you won’t be able to do this with it’s silly phone home DRM…What happens if heaven forbid your internet goes down for more than 24 hours and your Xbox One can’t “phone home” and then you are effectively locked out from gaming..
“Oh but you can watch TV while you wait” people will say…”Sorry I live in Australia so those features are useless/not released here” I say.
At least Sony got it right about offline gaming….maybe some people will want to take their PS4 to say their holiday house where there is no internet to play games to pass time…they will be able to with the PS4…if they have Xbone…then essentially its a black brick box
Or, you know, instead of the 360 for their offline gaming, or choice to be offline she not needing to be connected, people can buy a PS4 instead.
By the way, the analogy doesn’t work. A mobile phone’s purpose is calling or texting people, which it needs reception to do. A console’s purpose is to play games. It does not need to be connected to the internet unless playing multiplayer, or perhaps now to utilise cloud technology some guys will be utilising. It should not be mandatory.