: In 1999, Sega single-handedly created online console gaming by including a
: modem in every Dreamcast sold. It wasn't an adapter that people would need
: to buy. It was a 56k modem, built in as part of the system, so that every
: developer would know that 100% of their potential customers had the
: ability to get online.

: At that time everyone had dial-up access. Between NetZero and AOL, it was
: cheap-to-free to get an ISP for your PC and your Dreamcast. It was a
: genius move, and one that forced Nintendo and Sony to release modem
: adapters for their consoles, since including them in the launch box wasn't
: part of their original plans.

: In 2001, though, only two years after the Dreamcast was released, Microsoft
: upended conventional wisdom by specifically NOT including a 56k modem in
: their new console. Instead, they laid down the law that their online
: gaming system would be broadband ONLY. If you lived in the vast majority
: of the country where broadband wasn't available, you were out of luck.
: Xbox live wasn't for you. If you only had dial-up you could go play
: Phantasy Star Online on your Dreamcast or Gamecube, since you couldn't
: play it on an Xbox through your phone line.

: That was 12 years ago. And Microsoft's strategy was a huge success. Xbox and
: Xbox 360 titles drove up demand for broadband, and expanded broadband
: access increased the size of their customer base. The Xbox became the
: console to own on college campuses, since it could take advantage of the
: universities' high-speed internet access. And as broadband expanded to
: neighborhoods, gamers thought "Finally! I can get on Xbox Live!"

: Microsoft knew that they couldn't offer a superior product if they had to
: cater to everyone. So they picked a segment of the market and focused all
: their innovation there.

: The Xbox One's online requirements are just a continuation of what we've seen
: from Microsoft over the past 12 years. They see great innovative potential
: with digital downloads and cloud computing. They believe they can deliver
: a vastly superior product if they cater only to gamers that have steady
: broadband internet access.

: It's innovative. It's daring. It's off-putting to those who will be left
: outside. But it has the potential to be absolutely amazing, just like the
: original Xbox was.

Even if I had internet or wanted to be connected all the time, I still dislike the DRM ideas they've presented and pretentious attitude they've presented them with. In fact, it almost seems like a lack of innovation! Instead of focusing on making a better game, a better product, they've forcing me to change my own habits and how I get to play their games, so they can continue to make the most money possible in a changing environment. They're making the consumer do their work for them.

I'd be essentially renting games for a limited time from them. When the Xbox 360 servers go offline someday, I'll get to still play Halo 3 when I'm 80. When the XboxONE goes offline in 10 or 15 years, I'll have nothing. And if I can't resell games, etc. I'm essentially owning nothing but Microsoft's good grace.

The fact that they're not going to support indie games anymore continues to pound into me that they're focused on big companies making more profits, not good games with their new game console.