Xbox One Unusable Without Day One Patch

[TeraMedia]

Anyone want to guess as to whether that patch requires the acceptance of a EULA?

Sony got bitten when users did things that Sony didn't want them to do with the PS3 hardware, and they didn't have any legal way to prevent it. But if there's a EULA you have to click-accept in order to use the console at all, then there is a very neat way for Sony and MSFT to sidestep that legal limitation.

Well, if I get an XBone, I suppose I'll need someone else to click on that EULA acceptance if there is one.

 

[ubercake]

And Sony's day-one patch...:
http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/13/sony-playstation-4-before-the-day-one-patch/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000589

 

[tobalaz]

The more "connected" we get the lazier developers get.
It started with PC gaming where games were unplayable without day one patches.
Are we sure EA didn't really design the next gen consoles too?

 

[belardo]

While I'll never EVER EVER buy an Xbo... not seeing this as a big deal... Perhaps, they shouldn't have the whole OS installed when they ship it out... just enough to get the latest, so its not spending so much time PATCHING up... so, how long does it take? And hour?

For Christmas, parents should patch these up first...
The SMART thing would be for any NEW console to do its first update without creating an account or whatever. Then the parent can re-pack and gift-wrap the item. (I don't know of the Xb1 or PS4 does this).

My personal thing when it comes to electronics and kids presents is to MAKE SURE everything works... because its disappointing to a child when their new toys are broken out of the box.

 

[Guest]

If you have no internet connection, then it is just a brick! I have an idea, why not include a cd rom with the patch, that cost 5 cents to manufacture??? Seems like microsoft/xbone is still trying to tie this pos to the internet.

 

[MKBL]

If you have no internet connection, then it is just a brick! I have an idea, why not include a cd rom with the patch, that cost 5 cents to manufacture??? Seems like microsoft/xbone is still trying to tie this pos to the internet.

Many consoles have been packaged and shipped to warehouse months before launching day. To include the latest SW patch CD, you have to unbox them first. which will take days, if not weeks. Assuming the SW team won't be idle during that time, there can be even improved SW when you buy the console from Game Stop store. Then the CD is obsolete.

 

[fabians19]

Its not a big deal tbh, everyone got a internet connection these days, its like VGAs you need to download the driver from internet (the one that cames with the cd is crap)

 

[WyomingKnott]

A brand-new baby is pretty much unusable, but after I pushed enough upgrades into mine she's turned out wonderful! Launch all hardware with no usable functions; it works for humans.

 

[catfishtx]

I know this is not a big deal as a lot of devices need updates and patches to make everything work ok. My only complaint, and this applies to EVERY COMPANY, is that I still live in a fairly rural area, where Internet access, much less broadband, can be scarce.

I am lucky that my house is close to the LAST pole in Time Warner's area, and I have Road Runner. My neighbor across the street cannot get Time Warner (Even if she paid all the costs to run the coax) and she lives about 500ft. too far to get AT&T DSL. So, a shiny new Xbox 1 (also PS4, Wii U, etc.) would be useless for her.

I know that these companies are basing their decisions on the majority of the customers (As simple supply and demand law would dictate), but this pattern of shipping a brick is a real concern for some folks. Not everyone lives, or wants to live, in cities.

 

[Solandri]

Why not update them at the factory, consider it additional QA and fewer RMA's as the consoles will have a pre shipment check.

Software isn't "installed" on consoles, laptops, and desktops the way you and I install software. They create a disk image, then simply copy that image onto hard drives which are then installed into these devices.

The image is a pre-installation image too. It doesn't have the user's name, the device name, time zone, etc. It's set up so the first time the device is powered on, the user has to enter all that info. So powering on these devices to do a software update is not an option.

In other words, to "update" the devices in the factory, they'd have to physically open up every single one, remove the hard drive, and re-image it with an updated default installation image, then put the drive back in and re-assemble the device. That's prohibitively expensive and probably not in the buyer's best interest either (do you want a "new" Xbox which has already been taken apart and put back together again?).

The cheaper and easier solution which maintains the "newness" of the device for the buyer is to simply leave the old image in place, and have the user run a 100% software upgrade after he's powered on the device and entered all the customization info.

 

[Guest]

CD patch is very easy to do. Only need to send cd's to retailers. If retailers run out, have option for consumer to request free cd. Having internet should not be a must for a gaming console. Very lame.

 

[canadianvice]

Anyone want to guess as to whether that patch requires the acceptance of a EULA?

Sony got bitten when users did things that Sony didn't want them to do with the PS3 hardware, and they didn't have any legal way to prevent it. But if there's a EULA you have to click-accept in order to use the console at all, then there is a very neat way for Sony and MSFT to sidestep that legal limitation.

Well, if I get an XBone, I suppose I'll need someone else to click on that EULA acceptance if there is one.

Keep in mind EULAs are awkward at best. Several cases exist where they've been found non-binding as an issue of duress, declared unenforceable in many jurisdictions. MS would have to have a provision in place to allow returns on these units if it requires acceptance of the EULA to ensure that it would be more forgiven in court.

I don't have a problem with it, personally. Multiplayer is just such a powerful motivator of games, so perhaps insisting on some online capability is for the better.

 

[spentshells]

I get that this IS a PC focused tech site but the last paragraph of this article reads like it's from a PC-fanboy in the comments section. There is a very consoles-r-teh-suxxorz/PCrulz vibe to it that doesn't seem very professional to me and it adds nothing to the article other than the author's own opinion. It just comes off as very "sour grapes" to me.

It comes off that way it is because it's the truth

 

[canadianvice]

I get that this IS a PC focused tech site but the last paragraph of this article reads like it's from a PC-fanboy in the comments section. There is a very consoles-r-teh-suxxorz/PCrulz vibe to it that doesn't seem very professional to me and it adds nothing to the article other than the author's own opinion. It just comes off as very "sour grapes" to me.

It comes off that way it is because it's the truth

It's hard not to see that PC is master race. I can play 4K games with PC, I have access to massive indie markets. I can use all the applications that drive productivity. I can get far better hardware cheap. I have the option of both controllers or mice and keyboards.

Furthermore, if you bother to learn it, there's a lot of perks to having a PC.