Microsoft: No Internet connection? You can still buy an Xbox 360!

[shamu726]

Microsoft's efforts to calm the Internet fury over the Xbox One's game licensing scheme and required online connection continued apace recently with some rather impolitic statements toward offline gamers from Microsoft Xbox chief Don Mattrick.

Speaking to GT TV's Geoff Keighley Tuesday, Mattrick called the decision to require a regular Internet connection for the Xbox One "a future-proof choice." And for the present, in which nearly three in ten American households still don't have a broadband subscription and some don't even have it as an option? "Fortunately we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity," Mattrick said. "It's called Xbox 360."

Encouraging some users to stick with your current, soon-to-be-outdated system is not exactly the best messaging when you're trying to launch a brand new console. But Mattrick stuck with it upon a gentle follow-up from Keighley. "Well, if you have zero access to the Internet, [the Xbox 360] is an offline device."

He went on to specifically mention the extreme offline gaming use case of playing on a nuclear submarine. "I don't even know what it means to be on a nuclear sub but I've gotta imagine it's not easy to get an Internet connection… Hey, I can empathize. If I was on a nuclear sub, I'd be disappointed."

Personally, if I were on a nuclear sub (or another part of the world without access to broadband) I'd be looking a lot harder at the PlayStation 4 and Wii U right about now.

Source: Ars Technica

[VileTouch]

Speaking to GT TV's Geoff Keighley Tuesday, Mattrick called the decision to require a regular Internet connection for the Xbox One "a future-proof choice." And for the present, in which nearly three in ten American households still don't have a broadband subscription and some don't even have it as an option? "Fortunately we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity," Mattrick said. "It's called Xbox 360."

WRONG!. It's called Playstation 4!

[amor.love]

*facepalm* that quote is all over latest xbox news. they really aren't helping themselves. the fact he says it such a snarky, ignorant way, like gamers didn't already know there was such a thing as 360. really was a subtle way of giving the middle finger ppl opposed mandatory internet checks. and he still hasn't said why mandatory internet is the way forward, or how their console is 'future proof' compared to other consoles.

[CODYQX4]

Yes MS has really been "screw you, accept this product no matter how much you hate it, we don't care". They are giving consumers the middle finger, with the DRM, telescreen (oops I mean Kinect...), and the whole, here's a "Start Button", with no menu behind it (which is what everyone really meant).

Also they want to destroy their dev community (their strong point) by throwing then under the bus for WinRT (I fear they may do to .NET, a great platform, what they did to Silverlight (which wasn't really used)).

They have no apps, they failed to make it in mobile (Surface will kill iPad when hell freezes over, it can't even compete with low end Android tablets, because it has no apps that aren't useless trash).

Let Apple, Google, and Sony destroy them then. All we need is a good multi-platform Microsoft Office (LibreOffice is too crappy at this point, it breaks every Office document I've ever thrown at it, Google Docs too).

Everything else they have is replaceable, only the horrifying slowness of the Enterprise to change (still using XP+IE6 organizations) will keep them relevant, and those licenses are milked already so no new money there.

[MidnightDistortions]

Believe it or not some gamers either don't have internet or they have dial up. I have been tempted to cancel my internet service because for one thing it's expensive. It used to be like $40, now it's $80. I have also heard that internet users are switching to mobile because that's all they really need.

Already gamers are raging against the Xbox One and it has not been released yet. And the required internet connection is only a small problem. Of course though, there are days where your internet service is down. I have been there. It's the DRM that's got gamers annoyed. And having gamers going back to the 360. Well that's generally not good, neither Sony or Nintendo ever mentioned that but they have always strived to give gamers what they want (most of the time anyway).

Microsoft is doing what they want instead of what consumers want. I am also not sure what they mean by making sure the Xbox One is future proof by having internet activity. PS2-PS4 has internet activity, the same with Xbox and Xbox 360. That statement doesn't make any sense. Anyone could get internet activity if they can afford it. Having forced internet connection on a game console will only cause less gamers to go for that system, especially if they don't have internet service. The PS4 doesn't require you to have internet service.