The rumors about Microsoft's next console just won't die, and it seems like everyone has a "source" close to Microsoft but me. NowGamer is reporting that according to a director with Xing International, not only will the next Xbox require a constant online connection as rumored, but that the option to play used games will be a thing of the past.
"I have spoken to sources close to Microsoft on the other hand who insist that the next Xbox will not be compatible with second hand, will require permanently on connection, and 'you'll have to go through Microsoft to do anything'," says David Connolly, a managing director with Xing Interactive.
We've heard this "always online" rumor for the last few weeks now, and it's caused a fair share of controversey. One notable Microsoft employee recently lost his job after getting involved in a Twitter tiff, telling gamers to "deal with it."
So the idea that this a reality seems plausible enough, especially with Microsoft's refusal to comment on rumors. This could be the nail in the coffin for the tech Goliath's new console before it even comes out.
But something's odd about this latest source to back up this rumor. Like quite a few other gamers out there, I pride myself on having a fair amount of knowledge about developers, publishers, and various people in the industry. But for the life of me, I cannot recall having ever heard of or read about either David Connolly or Xing Interactive until today. And for good reason it would seem.
Xing isn't your Activision, Rockstar, or Ubisoft, or even a smaller outfit like Blue Isle Studios. They're an Amsterdam based company who only makes games for PC and mobile platforms, and shoddy ones at that. Their only boxed game features the adventures of a tiny jumping man who has to traverse girders while a monkey throws barrels at him. Sound familiar? The rest of their titles look like the sort of games you come across at a bargain bin in Staples, or Best Buy, and look remarkably similar to some more well known, established games. But chief among them all, is that there's nary a single console game to be had.
With this being the case, is it really likely that Connolly has the inside scoop on anything related to consoles, or is he just trying to drum up anti-Xbox sentiment and get his company's name out there? It's likely the latter, but I'll let the man speak for himself.
Connolloy says of the next Xbox rumors, "Maybe another reason to support PC publishers can I say?!"
