I hate to post this but Microsoft was right

Back in 2013, Microsoft proposed an always online console with online check requirements for games and that would serve equally as a media center along with a games console. As is their modus operandi, the entire gaming community went nuts and sent death and rape threats.

Fast forward to now. I don’t know of one single console among my social group that is not consistently online connected (if it isn’t, functionality is tremendously curtailed and the console is near unusable). Every digital game I “own” from the storefront or “rent” from GamePass will not function unless it goes through an online check. Most on my friends list are using media apps (Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, et. al.) and less than half of them are actually playing games. The only thing Microsoft got dead wrong is the packed in Kinect.

Just like gamers whining about MTX/DLC/loot boxes but buying billions of dollars of them anyway, history has proven gamers to be personal hygiene deficient socially maladjusted unashamed hypocrites when virtually all of them have online connected consoles and they seem to be perfectly fine with online checks for games now.

Nothing is better than an internet outage and you can't even use your console. Sarcasam.

Publishers want all the benefits of service-based products while not actually providing a comprehensive, reliable service. That's a one-way relationship with little benefit to the consumer we should not support.

Likewise, current infrastructure doesn't really support this practice to an extent that makes it good enough to be something we can just allow.

Until internet is considered a utility like water or gas or electricity and is regulated as such, and is available in all but the most rural or remote locations, I don't think we should simply give publishers or hardware manufacturers a pass on this practice.

Games, and the hardware they run on, should function without internet. You can make a valid argument that you need internet to get the game, update your hardware, etc...but once you have a stable up-to-date platform and a game installed in its entirety, you should be able to play it regardless of internet connection or not.

I don't necessarily have a problem with always online DRM. The trouble for consumers is making sure they get some real benefit.

For example. If you are going to verify my license every time I launch a game, then I should be free to run that game wherever it is supported. Microsoft actually makes good on this.... for the most part. If you have a gaming PC and an Xbox in the living room, the Gamepass and digital licenses make a lot of sense for the consumer. Lack of 3rd party support from companies like Squeenix is a real bummer.

This is why i dislike the console industry. Built on kneecapping the competition with exclusive deals that ultimately reduce QoL for the consumer. Microsoft has far and away the best platform with Xbox (the ecosystem, NOT just the console), but I have no real incentive to use it. So I will begrudgingly get my PS5 out of storage when FF7 Rebirth comes out because Squeenix is a bitch, and when Starfield comes out I will just grab it on Steam because I don't have an Xbox console or Gamepass anymore. Plus I don't know if certain mods will work for UWP games.

@TheHighWind: that’s why I have a Switch.

every body now begins to know the value of Game Pass and digital games it is slowly slowly slowly happening but every body will all realize Microsoft Was Right.