Just few days before E3, Microsoft has released details regarding the Connectivity, Licensing and Privacy Features of the Xbox One.
We have compiled them in the form of an ‘all you need to know’ list. Also in case you’re wondering, yes it’s worse that what you thought.
- Lets start with the biggest deal breaker. Yes, Xbox One requires to be connected to the internet once every 24 hours. Oh and if you’re using your account on another Xbox One, then it needs to be connected once every hour. Power cuts and internet down time that are rampant throughout India will make sure that all you do on your console is watch Blu-rays , since that’s all you can do if you don’t follow the above limits. ‘No offline gaming’ if you fail to connect it to the internet within the mentioned time limit.
- Microsoft recommends that console owners will have the best experience with broadband connections of above 1.5 Mbps. Which means if you have a shitty internet connection like most Indians, get ready to get a separate connection just for your Xbox One. Even if you have a decent connection, the insane FUP limits and the sub par customer service provided by most of the ISPs here isn’t going to help.
- The Xbox One will allow sale of used games, but there is a big catch. It only allows them at “participating retailers”, also only if the publisher allows it. Which effectively kills used game sales in India as we don’t know who these retailers are and what prices they’ll be setting for used games. Also since it’s at the mercy of the publisher, you can bet that publishers like EA would never allow it.
- Brushing off the privacy concerns, Microsoft states that you can turn off Kinect and pause it while gaming. It would also not record or upload your conversations with others while the Xbox One is still on. The Indian audience doesn’t need to worry though as ‘Kinnect voice recognition’ is not supported for Indian accounts.
- Disc and digital version of the games would be available day one. The only main use of the disc is to install the game quickly. Once installed, the game gets added to your digital library, which you can access from any Xbox One.
- No renting or loaning of games. You can only give them to people who have been on your friends list for at least 30 days. Oh but the catch is that you can give a game only once.
- Your family would be able to access your game library anytime, anywhere, though only up to ten members of your family can access it. There is no word on how this feature is going to be implemented as there are countless ways to exploit this feature, much like Sony’s PSN sharing system.
As you can see, today’s reveal is not helping Microsoft in any way. The company has already cancelled it’s post E3 press conference. We will need to wait till E3 for them to shed more light on these issues. The E3 conference and the pricing details would make it very clear whether the console has any future in India or not.
