Rant: Internet outages are why always Online Connectivity sucks!

You must construct additional internet pylons!!

It is in the midst of an Internet outage that I begin to wonder what is so great about an "always online" connected console? Is it trying to figure out what to do with it once there's an Internet outage, which interestingly enough, happens more often than you think in the United States of America? Who is this person who believed that this would be a fantastic notion to have a console that would do everything consoles did in the previous generation, only to have the restriction that the lion's share of it's content can only be accessed online? Is this person a sadist? a person who believed that we live in a Utopian society where Internet never goes out, and every living structure is retro fitted for adequate networking potential? Or was this person just a dumb ass? I'm starting to lean to the latter, here.





Three of my friends own Xbox Ones, and it's a struggle having them bring their console over, going through the hassle of connecting to my Internet, and then trying to figure out how to get downloaded games to play properly. Which is exactly the issue that we shouldn't be having in 2015. Whatever happened to terms like "user friendly", or "easy access".. well the second one has been relegated to innuendo, or joking of a sexual nature, but still the question begs to be asked!

Getting mad at your consumers for not being as "first world" as you are... classic.

When did we get to this strange anti-consumer future, where little-by-little we're having our rights as consumers whittled away? No, don't raise your eyebrow at me, that's a valid question.  Having content only be accessible through connecting with a server, has this strange connotation that I don't necessarily own the product I just purchased. I feel like i'm merely leasing this digital thing. Like I have a strange joint-custody with this service I paid into, and am scheduled meeting times of when I can visit, if the circumstances allow it.  I can't in times like this say power on the console and plop down to play some Halo Master Chief edition if it's the pack-in download version.  I can't pay games like Destiny, where I have to connect to a server to do some single-player campaign mode.

The biggest slap in the face, to this kind of thing, is the fact that I can do all of this on the Wii U with no problem. I want to go play that copy of Punch Out I got in the throwback sale, for ten bucks? Boom. Fine.  Want to play that copy of Darksiders 2 you bought back when it was on sale? Done. This is the same for downloaded games on the 360 and the PS3 minus titles like, of course Destiny.

I'm still unable to understand why this was always online...

What I'm trying to say, here is that I don't think we're ready for "always online" based anything. Not that I even feel that it's necessary for any game that has absolutely no need of it. (Hello, Sim City) Offline single player campaigns are just fine, and this last year proved very much that trying to shoo that feature away caused a lot of negative consequences, and rightfully so !  "Always online" just can't exist in this country unless we have at least the best Internet connections compared to our Asian neighbors (who literally destroy us in terms of speed and availability) and means of sustaining a connection possible. If you've tried to keep a Skype call going longer than thirty minutes with someone with lackluster connection speeds, or seen most of the Google Hangout sessions on YouTube, you'd definitely notice this.  Of course, thanks to the miracle of modern corporate logic, we're not going to get to that glorious future any time soon, but it doesn't hurt to dream, does it?



Game On!