(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Following speculation that Microsoft’s hotly rumored next-generation console might feature an "always-online" requirement for its customers, one Microsoft executive has taken to the Internet in an attempt to make his case for this controversial sort of digital rights management (DRM). Or, rather, Microsoft Studios creative director Adam Orth took an opportunity presented by a report from the video game website Kotaku to tell always-online’s detractors that they should just "deal with it."

"Sorry, I don't get the drama around having an 'always on'console," Orth tweeted early Friday morning. "Every device now is ‘always on’. That's the world we live in. #dealwithit"

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"I want every device to be 'always on,' Orth went on to say, telling one vocal critic whose friends don’t have regular access to the Internet but own Microsoft’s current generation console, the Xbox 360, that they should "get with the times and get the Internet."

Fellow game industry insider Manveer Heir, who currently works as a designer on “Mass Effect” at BioWare, also took Orth to task for his response, saying that "deal with it is a sh**ty reason" and asking if Microsoft had not learned anything from the disastrous launches of "SimCity" and "Diablo III."

"Sometimes the electricity goes out. I will not purchase a vacuum cleaner," Orth said in response. "The mobile phone reception in the area I live in is spotty and unreliable. I will not buy a mobile phone."

Heir later qualified his disagreement with Orth, saying that he was a "dear friend" and "one of the good guys."

Orth’s statements on Twitter came shortly after popular gaming site Kotaku ran a story that claimed two Microsoft sources had all but confirmed that the company’s upcoming Xbox 360 successor would feature some kind of always-online requirement. This type of DRM has formed many longstanding feuds between gamers and video game publishers, most recently with the botched launch of "SimCity" and the developer’s own admission that, while the game could be run offline, it wouldn’t let gamers use it that way anyways.

Most prominent cases of unloved DRM in the video game industry have centered on individual titles such as "SimCity" and "Diablo III," or game publishers such as Ubisoft which last year decided to abandon DRM for its PC games entirely after several years of brutal spats with its players. If Microsoft does make the entire Xbox 720 device function with some sort of always-online requirement, the entire conflict over DRM will become a question of hardware, not just software. This may help game publishers like Ubisoft or Electronic Arts save face in the eyes of their most ardent fans, but placing more requirements for the “proper use” of a device on its users will undoubtedly rankle those same players — and could even come to disturb fellow game developers as well.

Orth's Twitter account has since been made private, but one enterprising NeoGAF user posted the relevant social media exchange on the forum for posterity.


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I mean he's going about it the wrong way.

Sometimes peoples power does go out & their internet gets shutoff, What are you suppose to do in that situation?

Honestly if my internet went out or something & I wanted to play a single player game i would be kinda mad.

LoL - Fav part is at the end when they talk about the wii u :happycry:
VVVVVV
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Hope this not DRM has another reason behind it.

What happens if the console somehow disconnects from the internet?

Small period of time to reconnect or need to connect again instant.

Well i don't play an xbox 360 and i won't be getting a xbox 720 because of this . What happens if your internet is broke are something lol

You guys have to remember that what people say on Twitter, is their own opinions, and they aren't speaking for Microsoft when posting on Twitter.

The Official Microsoft Statement regarding this issue:

"We apologize for the inappropriate comments made by an employee on Twitter yesterday. This person is not a spokesperson for Microsoft, and his personal views do not reflect the customer centric approach we take to our products or how we would communicate directly with our loyal consumers. We are very sorry if this offended anyone, however we have not made any announcements about our product roadmap, and have no further comment on this matter."

LOL

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sounds exciting... it seems all negative info coming out for the xbox atm! could be some kind of ploy to dampen the mood then release a loads of info to gain bigger hype from people.