Microsoft has confirmed that its upcoming Xbox One console will require an Internet connection every 24 hours.
“With Xbox One you can game offline for up to 24 hours on your primary console, or one hour if you are logged on to a separate console accessing your library,” Redmond explained on an official FAQ website. “Offline gaming is not possible after these prescribed times until you re-establish a connection, but you can still watch live TV and enjoy Blu-ray and DVD movies.”
Although a persistent connection is not required, Xbox One is designed to verify if system, application or game updates are needed and to check if players have acquired new games, resold, traded in, or given them game to a friend. Of course, games that are designed to take advantage of the cloud likely require a connection.
“We designed Xbox One so game publishers can enable you to trade in your games at participating retailers. [We do] not charge a platform fee to retailers, publishers, or consumers for enabling transfer of these games,” Microsoft explained.
“Xbox One is designed so game publishers can enable you to give your disc-based games to your friends. There are no fees charged as part of these transfers. There are two requirements: you can only give them to people who have been on your friends list for at least 30 days and each game can only be given once.”
Redmond also noted that Xbox One allows up to ten family members to log in and play a shared library of games on the console, meaning specific family members won’t require their own game license. And while some games may require Kinect functionality, the peripheral can be turned off, even in the Xbox One’s standby mode.
“If you don’t want the Kinect sensor on while playing games or enjoying your entertainment, you can pause Kinect. To turn off your Xbox One, just say ‘Xbox Off.’ When the system is off, it’s only listening for the single voice command – ‘Xbox On,’ and you can even turn that feature off too,” the site added.
“You will determine how responsive and personalized your Xbox One is to you and your family during setup. The system will navigate you through key privacy options, like automatic or manual sign in, privacy settings, and clear notifications about how data is used. When Xbox One is on and you’re simply having a conversation in your living room, your conversation is not being recorded or uploaded.”
