Xbox President Says World Has Changed From Offline to Online

Don Mattrick says the advantages of always being connected to the internet can be seen in smartphones, tablets and PCs.

Don Mattrick, the president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, has taken a very “damn the torpedoes” approach to the Xbox One, specifically with regard to its almost-always-on internet requirement. It’s a strategy that may ultimately pay off for Microsoft if it can sell its vision of the future to the console-buying public but for now it’s just alienating core gamers and baffling those of us who wonder why the company isn’t moving quickly to soften its message.

Mattrick’s E3 interview with the BBC isn’t likely going to change that perception. “Being connected to the cloud is going to allow creators to make worlds that are alive. They’re going to have communities, you’re going to be able to interact with your friends, they’re going to be rich, changing, vibrant, in real-time,” he said.

“The world has changed from offline devices to online devices,” he continued. “If you think about how your smartphone works, how your tablet works, how your computer works, having an internet connection allows it to stay current, allows it to stay vibrant and plugged in to that community.”

There’s no question that the world has changed but Mattrick’s comments miss the mark rather widely. Being connected is great, but being able to function while disconnected is pretty awesome too – and that’s something that phones, tablets and PCs will all happily do (minus things like making phone calls or surfing the net, obviously) when they’re not connected. They don’t just stop working if they go more than a day without phoning home – a mighty difference between the Xbox One and everything else out there.

Source: BBC