"Always Online"

FIFA1966FIFA1966 Posts: 1,101
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What does always online mean, does it mean that if you switch a device (In this case the next Xbox) off, it will remain online?

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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,609
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    FIFA1966 wrote: »
    What does always online mean, does it mean that if you switch a device (In this case the next Xbox) off, it will remain online?

    If it's on a version of standby mode then its possible for the machine to still be online. If you pull the plug then it will definately be offline.
  • AnachronyAnachrony Posts: 2,757
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    It means you can't play a game without an internet connection. This is true of multiplayer games, obviously, but it is increasingly being used for single players games as a means of copy protection. Not a big deal if you have a stable internet connection, but a big problem if you don't. It also tends to lead to bad launch day experiences, since they may not have worked out all the kinks on day one and if their servers are overwhelmed it may stop anyone from being able to play.

    There is talk of the next XBox having this requirement for all games so that none of the games on the platform can be pirated.
  • gamercraiggamercraig Posts: 6,069
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    And many years later when the servers are shut down, the machine is no longer usable
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,784
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    It's a stupid idea imo. At least with the current 360, if either Live or our internet goes down, we can still game offline, not so with the next box if MS go ahead with this. This has the potential to damage sales of the new xbox. It's a bold step.
  • Philip WalesPhilip Wales Posts: 6,373
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    It's a stupid idea (though I can see the reasoning) because basically they are telling the purchaser, "when and Where" to play the game they lawfully bought. By all means use a online authentication on initial install, but leave us alone to play the game when we want to, not when the publishers decide we can.
  • YuffieYuffie Posts: 9,864
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    I genuinely don't believe that any next gen console will require this always on connection.

    Sure they want to battle piracy but to eliminate gamers from playing games AT ALL because of a bad internet connection or server maintenance is just stupid. The head people over at SOny and Microsoft might be greedy as f**k but they're not stupid.

    I just can't see this happening. I think the term "always on" has been taken out of context.

    Of course I could be wrong ...... but I doubt it.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 267
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    Yuffie wrote: »
    I genuinely don't believe that any next gen console will require this always on connection.

    Sure they want to battle piracy but to eliminate gamers from playing games AT ALL because of a bad internet connection or server maintenance is just stupid. The head people over at SOny and Microsoft might be greedy as f**k but they're not stupid.

    I just can't see this happening. I think the term "always on" has been taken out of context.

    Of course I could be wrong ...... but I doubt it.

    Totally agree!!

    To sit on the sidelines and watch this uproar only to then still implement it as part of DRM or to stop 2nd hand sales would be suicide frankly.
  • Brass Drag0nBrass Drag0n Posts: 5,046
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    Well Microsofts little "accident" at the weekend has highlighted why Always On is a colossally stupid idea. Thousands couldn't sign in Saturday because of a software error by Microsoft, I expect most people just played single player "offline" while the error was fixed, but if we already had Always On all those players would have been able to do was switch off and go do something else.

    Never a good idea to give your customer base the idea that there are better things to do with their time than sit around playing video games... Not if you want to keep them, that is.
  • mojobrewmojobrew Posts: 1,608
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    It wouldn't be suicide if Sony, Microsoft & Nintendo all went the same way.

    The obvious response to this is "people will go to PC" but I honestly I think people who can (most of us) will just put up with it.
  • 2dshmuplover2dshmuplover Posts: 8,271
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    "Always online" means different things to different people, from a device that's always communicating even when turned off as the TC suggests or as a restrictive service that only allows you to play games if you are connected. This is the most common interpretation but I don't personally believe any of that will happen.

    The rumours that the next Xbox will be always online" really surfaced from the 56 page leaked documents that showed a durango tech diagram from 2010 with a CPU boasting an "always on" feature as you can see for yourselves here and it's kinda snowballed from there, not helped by Adam Orths comments either. This in itself points to a device that communicates at all times with the servers just like PS4 was announced to at the Sony conference and I believe this is what the term "always online" ultimately means.
  • mojobrewmojobrew Posts: 1,608
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    I get the feeling we'll see a generation whereby some games (like Sim City) require a constant connection but only a few. I can't see a blanket move by anyone to go straight from nothing to everything.
  • gamez-fangamez-fan Posts: 2,201
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    I can see this being a reality games companys are greedy and are testing out how far they can push us gamers if we say stick it they will soon change their minds on this but if we put up with it then they'll leave this always online rule in affect
  • AnachronyAnachrony Posts: 2,757
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    mojobrew wrote: »
    I can't see a blanket move by anyone to go straight from nothing to everything.

    It's hardly nothing now. Xbox Live is pretty fundamental to the current platform, and many of their biggest titles are games that people primarily play online with each other.
  • gavo360gavo360 Posts: 1,608
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    Yuffie wrote: »
    I genuinely don't believe that any next gen console will require this always on connection.

    Sure they want to battle piracy but to eliminate gamers from playing games AT ALL because of a bad internet connection or server maintenance is just stupid. The head people over at SOny and Microsoft might be greedy as f**k but they're not stupid.

    I just can't see this happening. I think the term "always on" has been taken out of context.

    Of course I could be wrong ...... but I doubt it.

    Agree. Always on has a different meaning to different companies. My sky box is always on. I personally think the always on for the next Xbox is a low power stand by mode so you can communicate to it via a mobile phone to add downloads to your Xbox while away from home so they will be ready when you get home and other features similar to this like the PS4.

    Always online to play games won't happen because there is a fair percentage of consoles that never go online and in developing countries not everyone has home broadband so a lot of sales would be lost.
  • mojobrewmojobrew Posts: 1,608
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    Anachrony wrote: »
    It's hardly nothing now. Xbox Live is pretty fundamental to the current platform, and many of their biggest titles are games that people primarily play online with each other.

    There's a big difference between online multiplayer and local gaming (like single player campaign) requiring a constant connection.
  • YuffieYuffie Posts: 9,864
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    gavo360 wrote: »
    Agree. Always on has a different meaning to different companies. My sky box is always on. I personally think the always on for the next Xbox is a low power stand by mode so you can communicate to it via a mobile phone to add downloads to your Xbox while away from home so they will be ready when you get home and other features similar to this like the PS4.

    Always online to play games won't happen because there is a fair percentage of consoles that never go online and in developing countries not everyone has home broadband so a lot of sales would be lost.


    That's pretty much my understanding of the term too.

    In which case isn't the ps3 and Vita "always on".

    I have ps+ and its set to automatically update and sync saves with the server at about 4 in the morning. When I turn on my ps3 or Vita the next day, it tells me what its been up to overnight.

    So aren't consoles already "always on" ?

    ** Although you are talking about going to the next level **
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,743
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    You put your PS3 into standby, but it isn't really on-on.

    It has to wake itself up fully in order to do those PS+ updates and you can't pause a game and hop back in from standby

    Where the PS4 will differ is that you'll put the console into 'standby' and it can download stuff, install patches, charge your controller all without coming out of the low power state and when you do turn it on you'll be able to resume a paused game.

    Vita is a half-way-house. Game sessions are kept, it will update the Live Areas but to my knowledge it cannot install anything.
  • NorfolkBoy1NorfolkBoy1 Posts: 4,109
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    mojobrew wrote: »
    It wouldn't be suicide if Sony, Microsoft & Nintendo all went the same way.

    The obvious response to this is "people will go to PC" but I honestly I think people who can (most of us) will just put up with it.

    Ironically PC is currently the platform where you're most likely to find big games released with an "always online" requirement.

    In the next generation I think it's something we'll see in individual games, but to make it a console requirement would be just mind blowingly dumb. Sony have already stated it will not be a requirement on ps4, while rumours suggest the always online part on Nextbox only applied to devkits and won't extend to the final retail units.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,784
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    I think the thing that is putting people off is what happens to the next box if your internet goes down. We have no control over that. If the new xbox does indeed always require an internet connection for us to use it then we're kind of stuffed if it goes down, be it with a fault or for maintenance work. The same thing if it always has to be connected to XBL. Just seems a silly move but we'll wait and see.
  • Philip WalesPhilip Wales Posts: 6,373
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    It would be mad, look at the screw ups over Diablo 3 and Championship Manger
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,743
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    What happened with Championship Manager?

    Also this is different to games, especially D3 where everything you did was synced back (essentially it was an MMO of sorts in terms of network traffic), but what has been outlined in the rumours is just a very small heartbeat type keep-alive that only needs one response in 3 minutes to continue playing.
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