Microsoft recently announced that its upcoming Xbox One would require an Internet connection every 24 hours in order to work. This, along with the $499 price tag and their stance on used games, has left the gaming community at least a little angry. For some it comes down to more than just anger, as the requirement could actually prevent them from playing games. After all, there are plenty of places where broadband is not available.
Xbox executive Don Mattrick has a solution: stick with the Xbox 360.
In an interview with Spike TV at this year's E3 conference, Mattrick said, "Fortunately we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity. It's called Xbox 360."
The new Xbox 360 design unveiled at E3 2013
At this point the interviewer jumped in and said, "So stick with 360, that's your message?" To which Mattrick responded, "Well, if you have zero access to the Internet, that [360] is an offline device." He then points to an example he read in a blog comment from someone who serves on a nuclear sub. "I don't even know what it means to be on a nuclear sub, but I've got to imagine that it's not easy to get an Internet connection."
It's not as if Microsoft is abandoning the 360 outright. The company has big plans to keep supporting the console going forward, and it actually just released an updated version of the device at the start of E3.
This might keep some players content, but many are not going to be happy to stick with last generation's system, and they are going to want to upgrade. This puts Sony in a great spot as the PlayStation 4 works without Internet, and it offers all the next generation capabilities gamers are looking for.
(Fast forward to 1:45 to listen the Don Mattrick's response in full context).