Rumor has it that the next version of the Xbox will require an always-on Internet connection, and lots of gamers aren’t happy about it, notes JoyStiq. (Recall the disastrous SimCity launch.) A Microsoft employee didn’t exactly smooth the waters in an exchange on Twitter, however. The hashtag chosen by Microsoft Studios’ creative director Adam Orth? “#dealwithit.” Some of his tweets, rounded up by CNET:
“Sorry, I don’t get the drama around having an ‘always on’ console. Every device now is ‘always-on.’ That’s the world we live in.”
He also faulted the logic of critics: “Sometimes the electricity goes out. I will not purchase a vacuum cleaner.”
When someone asked about people who live in rural areas and used Janesville, Wisconsin, as one of the examples, Orth replied: “Why on earth would I live there?” Critics have pounced:
Rob Beschizza, Boing Boing: “We no longer need to point out that DRM is an expression of contempt for one’s own customers—Microsoft’s own employees take care of that task all by themselves.”
Sam Byford, the Verge: He’s not quite as incensed, but writes, “Of course, these messages can’t be taken as anything close to official word from Microsoft, but it’s interesting to read the thoughts of a studio director nonetheless.” Orth later apologised, calling it banter with friends—and his tweets are now private. For the record, he never confirmed the always-on rumors. The new Xbox is expected to be out later this year.
