XBOX ONE Part One: Online Capabilities.
With only four days left before its official E3 press briefing, Microsoft took to the Internet to in an attempt to allay many of the fears of the gaming community relating to its new gaming console.
Previous to May 21, rumors were circulating widely concerning a number of features of the upcoming Xbox One console. Rather than take the opportunity to address these rumors during a televised press briefing, on May 21, Microsoft used the time to focus on the non-gaming features of the console. It is likely Microsoft took this time to address television and sports-heavy features so that the E3 presentation could be left solely for games.
The move proved to cause even more backlash, with naysayers claiming a lack of games, a focus moving away from games, crippling decisions like digital rights management and online connectivity, privacy issues concerning the Kinect motion sensor, and more. Instead of filling in the hole it had dug, it seemed like Microsoft had brought out a steam shovel to make it bigger.
Today on June 6th, Microsoft posted a three-part primer on the new console, in an attempt to clarify some of the confusing statements made during the televised briefing, and change the mindset of games before their game presentation on June 10th at E3.
The primer is broken down into three parts that address online connectivity, licensing and sharing of games, and safety and features of the Kinect. This article will focus on the online capabilities of the console.
“A new generation of games with power from the cloud.”
Pros:
Cloud Computing and Cloud Storage as buzzwords are all the rage these days. Cloud Storage is basically the equivalent of a virtual hard drive somewhere with your name on it. Anything you upload to the “cloud” can be retrieved anywhere, from different hardware to different kinds of hardware. If you forget your profile or game save, or even your game, you can retrieve it from wherever you are, as long as the hardware available to you will support it.
Cloud Computing is a different matter. Imaging if everyone had to purchase only the best computer available. It would be prohibitively expensive for the majority of people. However, if a company had many of these computers and all the end user needed was a way to get the information after it had been processed, simple terminals could become conduits for amazing processing power done elsewhere.
This power could enable a developer to have one computer that could generate “Pixar”-quality graphics and feed the images to gamers, within every gamer having to have a computer capable of that type of processing power. Ideally, and this will work only if the game developers utilize it, gamers will never need to purchase another console because it’s the developers who will be upgrading their systems.
Cons:
The assumption is made that every Xbox One owner will have broadband internet access. The Pew Internet & American Life Project handles studies of broadband internet penetration in the United States. According to Pew, at the end of 2012, 65% of Americans have broadband internet access at home. With just over 300 million citizens, that means that roughly 200 million have broadband and 100 million do not.
It would be easy to say that means Microsoft is ignoring a potential market of 100 million people, but according to WebProNews.com, the current Xbox 360 has reached sales of only 76 million consoles worldwide, or likely only 16% of the US. It is almost certain that broadband use among Xbox 360 owners is much higher than the national percentage, so the number of current console users without broadband is relatively small. It is also likely that, not only are existing Xbox console owners also broadband users, but they’re also most likely the biggest spenders on games, accessories and downloads. While the current number of Xbox gamers who will not be able to enjoy the Xbox One will be small, and they will be vocal in their displeasure, it is unlikely the bottom line will be affected much by their absence.
Probably the biggest "con" will be the inability of deployed military members using the console in areas where internet service is not available at all. Expect this to be a major point of contention between Microsoft and gamers.
“Your Xbox One is always ready.”
Pros:
The Xbox One was built to stay connected to the internet at all times, running in a low-power state so that it can process updates as they arrive, rather than backlogging updates until gamers want to play and then forcing them to wait for the updates to install. This also means that users may activate their system with a word or two, without having to wait for the system to power up and load the games.
Cons:
In our current “green” culture, there has been a move away from “always on” devices as they are considered wasteful. Power use may be negligible, but it will also draw power from the broadband connection, and in areas where broadband use is metered, this may prove prohibitive.
“Stay connected to your friends.”
Pros:
Think of a constant connection like always having your phone on you. If someone calls, you can answer. Now imagine leaving your phone at home. No calls, no texts, no Facebook updates, no Skype calls. One advantage of a constant connection is that you never miss those attempts at contact. Xbox One has a “snap” feature that will allow users to “snap” open a window to accept a Skype call, while they are playing a game (or watching a show.)
Cons:
Even if connected to the Internet, there are times when users won’t want to be bothered. Presumably, even if a constant connection is required, notifications are a feature that can be deactivated.
“Access your entire games library from any Xbox One – no discs required.”
Pros:
Once you purchase a disc and put it in the console, it will be saved to the 500 GB hard drive. The best part here is that it will also make a note in the cloud that you purchased this game, and no matter what Xbox One you are on, as long as you are using your gamer profile, you will be able to play that game thanks to cloud computing. Go to a friend’s house, a family member’s, a LAN party, and never have to take your library of games with you. You will always have your entire library at hand, and never have to regret not grabbing that other game before you left the house.
Cons:
The majority of gamers only play on the one console they own. This feature will benefit some gamers greatly, but it will be a non-issue for most gamers. If there is a real, universal advantage, it will be that once you install a game, you can put the game away and never need to drag it out to play a game.
“Buy the way you want – disc or digital – on the same day.”
Pros:
Right now, console games come out on street date on discs, while PC games can be purchased either on disc or via download through services like Steam. Console games are not usually downloadable until they are added to the “Games on Demand” catalog at a future date. According to an article at Joystiq, this is because direct sales of titles risk ruffling the feathers of retailers.
It was not announced whether a “preorder” system will be in place. This would allow gamers to “buy” the title before it releases, and once it goes live, the console would begin the download automatically. Another possibility might be pre-downloading the title so that it was available immediately upon the “release date and time” of the game.
Cons:
Most of the cons of this issue relate to the resaleablilty of the content, because there’s really not a downside to offering users a choice. One large potential “con” is the concern that downloadable content offered by the console makers will not be as aggressively priced as physical media. As anyone who uses the “Steam” service can attest, it can use as easily work in users’ favor.
Microsoft has additional information available regarding optimal broadband speeds, frequency of connection and more. The complete article at Xbox.com can be found at http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/connected
