On Thursday, we reported that the latest rumors concerning the Xbox 720 indicate that the new Microsoft console will feature an always-online requirement, meaning that in order to play any video game, the Xbox 720 would need to be connected to the Internet. Fans and industry veterans consider the idea misguided at best, but a Microsoft executive took to Twitter Thursday to shoot back.
The response came from Microsoft Creative Director Adam Orth, who suggested that if the Xbox 720 requires an Internet connection it wouldn't be a big deal, and that users should get over it.
"Sorry, I don't get the drama over having an 'always on' console,' Orth tweeted (tweets compiled by NeoGAF). "Every device now is 'always on'. That's the world we live in." He then added the hashtag #dealwithit.
When someone told him they know Xbox 360 owners without Internet access, Orth suggested "Those people should definitely get with the times and get the internet. It's awesome."
Pointing to recent fiascos regarding online requirements for Diablo III and SimCity (which, by the way, was such a disaster that EA had to offer free games to quell anger), game designer Manveer Heri responded to Orth, asking if he had learned nothing. Sometimes the Internet connection dies, and "Deal with it is a shitty reason" to mandate an online connection for basic functionality.
Orth responded by saying, "Sometimes the electricity goes out. I will not buy a vacuum cleaner." When confronted with the fact that in many U.S. cities broadband connection isn't as readily available as in other, more dense areas of the country, Orth simply said, "Why on earth would I live there?"
Of course, Orth's tweets aren't necessarily confirmation that the Xbox 720 will require an Internet connection. He didn't even mention a new Microsoft console during the discussion. Still, considering that a new Xbox 720 report surfaced earlier that day citing the always-online issue, the timing is certainly interesting. Maybe it indicates Microsoft is willing to suffer the criticism if it believes people will buy its console regardless. Or maybe the tweets are just his personal opinion. Let us know your own thoughts in the comments.
