Sony Said It Never Considered 'Always On' for PlayStation 4
"Did we consider it? No, we didn’t consider it," said Yoshida. "The main reason being that many countries don’t have robust Internet connections. It makes sense for people to have Internet connections to play online games, but for offline games there are many countries that we saw [that] do not really have robust Internet."
He makes a good point, and one that we've undoubtedly made in the past. Having an "always on" Internet connection could kill business in markets where customers don't have unlimited access to the Internet. Sure, it's a great way to combat piracy, but it's also a great way to shun customers in rural areas, and those who are not allowed to access the Internet, period.
Up until recently, it was rumored that Microsoft's next console would require an Internet connection at all times. If a consumer was playing a single-player game or watching a movie when the Internet connection went out, the console supposedly went into troubleshooting mode. Without an Internet connection, software could not load.
But an internal Microsoft email cleared some of the air, revealing that many services will work without it, including single-player games.
"Durango is designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today's Internet," the email states. "There are a number of scenarios that our users expect to work without an Internet connection, and those should 'just work' regardless of their current connection status. Those include, but are not limited to playing a Blu-ray disc, watching live TV, and yes playing a single player game."
Was this always the case, or did Microsoft feel the heat from agitated gamers and make adjustments? If the console is going to serve as a set-top box, then it will remain online anyway whether it's in use or not. But at least it sounds as if gamers will be able to play their games if the connection goes down due to weather, maintenance reasons, or utility worker blunders.
Many areas in the US don't have robust internet connections.
I live in a rural area where the only internet service available is cellular (3G or Verizon 4G).
I'm constantly frustrated when companies design software or hardware to be "always on."
On good days it eats through data limits, on bad days it doesn't work at all.
Good for Sony.
And.. I'm still confused. What are they gonna call the next-gen XBox? So many codenames..
And.. I'm still confused. What are they gonna call the next-gen XBox? So many codenames..
There is no always on, so what are you guys rambling about? It was never confirmed that it was anyways, just a bunch of rumors and internet babble giving news sites that need ad revenue something new to post. Code names are rumor too.
Many areas in the US don't have robust internet connections.
I live in a rural area where the only internet service available is cellular (3G or Verizon 4G).
I'm constantly frustrated when companies design software or hardware to be "always on."
On good days it eats through data limits, on bad days it doesn't work at all.
Good for Sony.
This decision and press by Sony definitely wins my favor. Even though MS is backpedaling, it goes to show what direction they will eventually go in.
Second, you people who are *so* against this had better get used to it. I doubt we'll have to wait ten years before almost everything is always online.