Last month, Microsoft revealed the Xbox One, its newest iteration into the Xbox home console series. Its reception? A short hurrah for news regarding release later this year, followed quickly by a great deal incoherent rage and expletives as Microsoft revealed a number features that have much of the gaming community shaking their heads and typing in all caps on message forums.
So why all the rage over a console reveal?
Well, for one thing it has been reported that the new Xbox will require a mandatory internet connection to function, if the console has not verified an internet connection within the last 24 hours then it appears that your new console has transformed into a very large paper weight until you can find a connection.
You know that library of games you’ve managed to build over the years? The new system will not feature any backwards compatibility with previous Xbox or Xbox 360 games.
Furthermore, all game discs require a mandatory installation unto the Xbox’s hard drive and then become bound to that particular system. This means that anyone trying to borrow a game from a friend is liable to have to pay a fee in order to play that game on their own system. Anyone trying to play a used game will have to pay a licensed fee to play it on their own system.
Supposedly, Microsoft is altering its focus unto general media entertainment functions. However this served only to exacerbate matters with the lack of any information regarding the console’s actual gaming support.
Granted, many more details regarding the Xbox One are promised for release during this year’s E3 starting next week. But Microsoft is going to have to have a more than a couple of aces up its sleeves if it plans on mitigating much of this initial controversy.
