Mattrick: World has changed from offline to online

Microsoft’s Don Mattrick has hit back at the furore surrounding the Xbox One’s online by requirements by suggesting the world has changed from using offline devices to online-enabled hardware.

Speaking to the BBC, the company’s president of interactive business said the Xbox One worked in many ways like a smartphone, tablet or PC, which often use online connectivity as a key part of their functionality.

He added that the internet would allow the console and games to stay current, which would in turn benefit the community.

“Well look, the world has changed from offline devices to online devices,” said Mattrick.

“And 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 plug in to that community.”

Mattrick also said that the console’s Xbox Live and cloud features would also enable developers to create worlds “that are alive”, with games able to change in real-time.

Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House however stated that the company had decided not to require an online connection for its console, as it wasn’t sure it would increase consumer enjoyment.

“We feel that it’s not necessary to provide a degree of consumer enjoyment for the machine, and at worse runs the risk of being somewhat obtrusive,” he said.

Microsoft has been keen to push the benefits of its online requirements since the Xbox One reveal last month. After months of speculation before the unveiling, Microsoft has since confirmed that, while the console will not require a constant internet connection, users will have to check in online at least once a day to play games.

The company’s chief marketing and strategy officer Yusuf Mehdi also recently said that he believes the digital world is the future for consoles, but conceded consumers are not always big fans of change.

"This is a big change, consumers don’t always love change, and there’s a lot of education we have to provide to make sure that people understand,” said Mehdi.

He added: "We’re trying to do something pretty big in terms of moving the industry forward for console gaming into the digital world. We believe the digital world is the future, and we believe digital is better."