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Gamers enraged at Ubisoft for injecting ads into the middle of video games
(www.techspot.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Last generation, Microsoft was trying to sell the Xbox One as "always on" and told Keighley that, if people didn't like it or didn't have internet, they could buy an Xbox 360. An entire console was going to roll out as always online. So, video game companies have already rebutted your argument themselves.
I remember this, but that's literally for the activation or licenses. Which Microsoft implemented. In the settings for the Xbox app on Windows or the console itself, there is a toggle for making it the primary device for offline access. It sets for 30 days. After 30 days you connect again and the timer resets. Excluding games that explicitly run always online for because of forced multiplayer (Need for Speed, Division 2, etc).
https://support.xbox.com/en-US/help/hardware-network/connect-network/using-xbox-one-offline
https://support.xbox.com/en-US/help/games-apps/game-setup-and-play/play-games-offline-on-windows-10-using-offline-mode
This uses a miniscule amount of data and can be done on any internet type. It's literally a check in.
It was not originally for just the activation and licenses. Their plan was for it to launch as "always on". If I recall correctly, it was going to require phoning home every 24 hours; hence the outcry at the time and the infamous Keighley interview. They rolled back a ton of the stuff with that console that they said was a "requirement" for functionality. Regardless of whether it launched, if it wasn't for the outcry, they would have launched it. That's an entire console. I have a hard time believing they wouldn't roll out a "cloud only" game - you feel me?