Always-online requirement is optional for Xbox One devs
21st May 2013 | 18:39
There is no sweeping mandatory always-online requirement for Xbox One games, according to new report based on a hands-on demonstration of the console.
Should developers choose, some games can transfer processes across the cloud as opposed to on the board, which would necessitate an always-online requirement, but this is not mandatory.
According to a hands-on report in Wired, developers can make games that use Microsoft's Azure cloud computing service, "which means that they might be able to offload certain computing tasks to the cloud rather than process them on the Xbox One hardware itself".
Such a game would necessitate online connections, but Xbox Live director Marc Whitten said there is no obligation on developers to implement these features.
"I hope they do," he added.
Whether Microsoft will insist that its development partners and internal studios apply 'always online' tech is not clear, for now.
Microsoft revealed its new Xbox at a live event on Tuesday.