Microsoft: no net connection? Buy an Xbox 360
Worried about the Xbox One needing a daily online check-in to work? Then Microsoft suggests you get yourself an Xbox 360.
Aside from the used games policy, it's the Xbox One's daily check-in requirement that's caused the biggest outrage from gamers.
Every 24 hours, the Xbox One will need to perform an online check — if it can't, then offline single-player functions will get blocked. It means that the console simply won't work for gaming without being connected to the internet at least once a day.
It's not a popular feature, and questions have been asked about what users without regular or reliable internet access can do.
Well, Microsoft has an answer for that: don't buy an Xbox One — use an Xbox 360 instead.
Speaking to Destructoid Microsoft's Phil Spenser said:
I mean the analogy, and I don't know if it's a great analogy ... let's say I live in an area that doesn't have cell service. I wouldn't go buy a cell phone. Now, I might roam in different areas where my mobile phone becomes active.
He added that "the 360 ecosystem is a great ecosystem for somebody that's in a purely disconnected state for long periods of time".
The sentiment was echoed by Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, in a video interview with Spike TV.
"Fortunately, we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity," Mattrick said. "It's called Xbox 360."
Microsoft has previously stated that it expects the Xbox 360 to continue selling — in fact, it expects to sell another 25 million of them over the next five years.
In its Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) press conference this week, it revealed a new-look 360 console, slimmer than the current model, but without a price cut.