Um, ouch. Displeasure heard.
http://www.armytimes.com/article/201306 ... e-members-Quote:
New Xbox 'a sin against all service members'
Navy Lt. Scott Metcalf was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new Xbox One. Now he’s not even sure if he’ll buy one.
Indeed, for many in the military, the next-gen Xbox console may offer more endemic frustration than grand epic gaming, particularly for those deployed downrange, aboard ships and stationed overseas.
Xbox One, Microsoft’s much-anticipated new console, got its big reveal at the Electronic Entertainment Expo gamers’ convention in Los Angeles. Company honchos are confident it will come to dominate living rooms over the next decade not only as the gaming delivery vehicle of choice, but also with a barrage of other content, including a suite of apps, streaming video and music.
There’s one big but, however: To get all this entertainment awesomeness, the console will have to check in online with the Microsoft mothership at least once a day.
“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. Offline gaming is not possible after these prescribed times until you re-establish a connection,” an Xbox spokesperson tell Military Times.
Showstoppers
Metcalf called that a “showstopper” for any service members who rely on their Xbox for off-duty diversions downrage, in the field, or at sea.
Which is to say, just about everyone.
And it gets worse for on-the-go troops. The Xbox One:
■ Can play only in Xbox One-friendly countries. Even if you’re lucky enough to have a regular, reliable Internet connection while overseas, you’ll have to be in one of 21 countries included in Microsoft’s server network. So, if you’re stationed in, say, Germany, Italy or Great Briatin, you’re good to go. But if you’re based in Japan, Kuwait or Afghanistan, you’re out of luck.
■ Will have region-locked games. Games bought in the U.S. can be activated only in the U.S. That means no more ripping open the latest title that just arrived in a care package from home while you’re deployed. And forget about buying games locally when overseas — if your Xbox Live account isn’t tied to the region when you activate a game, it won’t play.
■ Serious security concerns. Even when the Xbox One is in sleep mode, its built-in microphone can always listen in. It’s a feature developers say will provide quick voice-command access to games and apps — but that could spook commanders who might worry the always-connected device could also capture more than just idle chit-chat among troops.
“Microsoft has single handedly alienated the entire military. And not just the U.S. military — the militaries of the entire world,” says naval aviator Jay Johnson.
The Internet connection requirement is “the single greatest sin Microsoft has committed against all service members,” he writes in a post on the game developers’ site Gamasutra.
With tours aboard three Nimitz aircraft carriers, Johnson says he’s spent more than half of the past three years deployed or training at sea. He describes gaming in general and his Xbox in particular as “my sanctuary. It is where I went to calm down after a long day of flying.”
But that won’t true with the Xbox One, he says.
“No longer will the sounds of Master Chief saving the human race echo through the hallowed halls of the USS Abraham Lincoln, or any other USS ship, when we have a few hours respite. No longer will you see Marcus and Dom sawing through the Locust Horde at the bases in Afghanistan after the Marines have returned from patrol and want to escape their reality for a bit. Those days are now firmly behind us.”
Microsoft: Sucks to be you
Not to fear, says Xbox exec Don Mattrick, president of the Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment division. The company has a solution for those in the military: Just use the old Xbox 360 instead.
“Fortunately we have a product for people who aren’t able to get some form of connectivity, it’s called Xbox 360. If you have zero access to the Internet, that is an offline device,” Mattrick told Game Trailer at E3 in an interview posted online.
He says he feels your pain, though.
“When I read the blogs and thought about who’s really the most impacted, there was a person who said, “Hey, I’m on a nuclear sub.’ I don’t even know what it means to be on a nuclear sub, but I’ve got to imagine that it’s not easy to get an Internet connection. Hey, I can empathize. If I was on a sub, I’d be disappointed.”
OFFduty asked Microsoft officials if that empathy might translate into practical workarounds for the military.
“I don’t have additional details to share and can’t speculate on workarounds at this time,” wrote Xbox rep Danica Stickel in an emailed response to questions, repeating the suggestion that troops could just use the 360 instead.
“Although we’re very excited about Xbox One, we remain dedicated to Xbox 360 now and for years to come. In fact, we are expecting some of the greatest blockbusters of 2013 and 2014 to come out on Xbox 360.”
She did offer some encouragement for Xbox One hopefuls, however, saying the regional lock restrictions aren’t much different from other content protections.
“Similar to the movie and music industry, games and other content must meet country-specific regulatory guidelines before they are cleared for sale — which means that games will work in the broad geographic regions for which they have been cleared, much as today with Xbox 360,” Stickel wrote.
“While the console itself is not geographically restricted, a user’s Xbox Live account, content, apps and experiences are all tied to the country of billing and residence,” she wrote.
“Military personnel will be able to take their Xbox One and play their games with them without an issue as long as the game has been ‘activated’ once in the U.S. Your games go with you and play, no issues,” she says.
Stickel also downplayed security concerns over the console’s always-on microphone or built-in Kinect video camera.
“When Xbox One is on and you’re simply having a conversation in your living room, your conversation is not being recorded or uploaded,” she says. “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.”
But even those outside the military have been surprised by Micosoft’s shrug to the military community, with some speculating it will fuel a wider surge toward Sony’s Playstation console.
“This is shameful, says Joel Hruska, a writer for Extreme Tech website. “Telling troops that you ‘empathize’ with them is both embarrassing and hands Sony perfect ammunition.”
“Do I think Microsoft is going to change?” writes Hruska in a recent post. “Honestly, no. The remarks that’ve come out to date paint a picture of a company that’s so drunk on its own Kool-Aid, they aren’t listening to outside criticism or commentary any longer.”
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