14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft's Xbox boss Don Mattrick has talked about the Xbox One and the fact that it requires an almost permanent Internet connection to work properly, saying that the necessity will prompt innovation and forces the industry to take a step forward.
Even before the announcement of the Xbox One, a huge debate happened on the web concerning a rumor that the console requires a constant online connection to even work and allow users to play single-player games.
Microsoft tried to shed some light on the big issue at its Xbox One reveal last week, but it only mentioned that the Xbox One doesn’t require a constant Internet connection, although it needs to go online every 24 hours.
According to the President of the Interactive Entertainment Business, Don Mattrick, this necessity was implemented to make the Xbox One free from the technical limitations of today's society, which isn't entirely connected.
The executive talked with Polygon about this aspect of the Xbox One and emphasized that gamers want not just the best experience possible, but also a future-proof system.
Mattrick exemplified things with the original Xbox that had an Ethernet port before broadband Internet was widely available.
"Now, with Xbox One, we're stretching the canvas again so creators can design for the cloud with every game they make," he said. "In the next decade, every great game will tap the power of the cloud to deliver richer, more immersive worlds."
"We have a great offline game system in Xbox 360 that gets better when it's connected. We could have made another offline console, but then offline would have been the lowest common denominator design point for developers. We chose to take the progressive path."
The necessity for an online connection, coupled with the method the Xbox One deals with used games, continue to be sore spots for the next-gen console, as Microsoft is still reluctant to share actual information about them.