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Thursday, April 4, 2013

The Next Xbox Will Require an Internet Connection To Start Games, Sources Say

April 4th, 2013Top Story

The Next Xbox Will Require an Internet Connection To Start Games, Sources Say

By Stephen Totilo

Two Kotaku sources have added more credence to the rumor that the next Xbox, expected to battle the PlayStation 4 in late 2013 or early 2014, will be an always-online system, though it will be able to tolerate dropped connections.

"Unless something has changed recently," one of the sources told us over email, "Durango consumer units must have an active internet connection to be used."

Durango is the codename for the next-gen Xbox.

"If there isn't a connection, no games or apps can be started," the source continued. "If the connection is interrupted then after a period of time—currently three minutes, if I remember correctly—the game/app is suspended and the network troubleshooter started."

The PS4 will not require an online connection to start or run games, Sony has confirmed. No gaming console ever has.

Reporting about the next-gen Xbox is still mostly a matter of checking rumors and leaks. No one in or out of Microsoft is authorized to discuss the console publicly. But there are a growing number of people tied to the gaming industry, including our sources for this story, who have had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with Microsoft's plans for the machine. Development of games for the console is intensifying. Microsoft has sent beta development kits, sporting a new controller and Kinect motion/voice sensor array to game creators. Our main sources for this story have a perfect track record in getting these kinds of things right.

That said, a caution and a caveat: other sources familiar with the codenamed Durango console have told us that they are still unaware of any Microsoft plans regarding an online requirement. No one has been able to say it's not true and some have speculated that this is required at the operating system level and therefore isn't something Microsoft has to tell all developers or retail partners. Microsoft also has the ability to change this type of requirement seemingly at a moment's notice through changes in firmware or networking infrastructure.

Microsoft doesn't comment at all about its next-gen system, so the best we have from them on the matter is as follows: "We do not comment on rumors or speculation. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform, but we don't have anything further to share at this time." That's from a Microsoft spokesperson after we asked, today, about this always-online rumor and told them this story was planned.

But if Microsoft is about to walk this back, they probably haven't done so yet. One of our sources says that the always-online plan was in effect as recently as two weeks ago.

The always-online rumor has been swirling for about a year. We'd been hearing it but couldn't nail it down with the specificity we have today. We raised it as a possibility, tied to a good source, but were unclear how dropped connections would be handled. We also weren't clear if this was something like Microsoft's anti-used-game system, a plan the company briefed partners on in 2012 but that we had heard so little of since that it may well have gone away—or if this was like the plans for the new Kinect, which, it has become increasingly clear, is an essential element of the Durango.

An always-online requirement would obviously be a big deal. It raises many questions about how the system would perform in places that don't have reliable Internet and about the extent that the connection would be used to authenticate ownership of games. This is something every gamer would want to know about. So, since we first heard about it, we have tried to confirm whether the requirement was real and in the cards. Sources in development, publishing and retail mostly responded with shrugs.

In January, the hacker SuperDaE began sharing official development documents for the next-gen PlayStation and Xbox. Many of the dozens of pages of the Xbox/Durango documentation were full of programming code but the parts in plain English—the parts that, honestly, we could understand—said nothing about an online requirement. They were, however, crystal clear about the new system needing the new Kinect to operate: "Every Durango console ships with a Kinect sensor. A Kinect sensor must be attached and configured for the console to function."

Some sources told us that they believed that the Durango development kit required an online connection so that Microsoft could keep tabs on them and update them with new, ever-evolving firmware. Others weren't sure.

A few weeks ago, we heard from one reliable industry source who told us about a Durango developer making a game that would use an always-online connection for gameplay purposes, to constantly be able to share game data back and forth. It wasn't clear, though, if this indicated the Durango's capacity to be always online—Nintendo's Wii had its own optional 24/7 always-online mode—or if the online connection was a must.

Meanwhile, the site VGLeaks, which appeared to have access to many of the same Durango documents shared with Kotaku by SuperDaE posted a new document that appeared to indicate an online connection was required for the console. It referred to an "Always Online, Always Connected" console, the better to give users current content and quick access to their entertainment, without waiting for updates or for the machine to boot up. We were unable to confirm this document's authenticity, but the major gaming website IGN reported that they confirmed that it is real. The gaming magazine Edge has also reported that their sources say the next Xbox will require an online connection.

The new confirmation we've heard from sources, including the specifics about how the Durango would handle a dropped connection, bolster our confidence that all this smoke is a sign of some fiery facts.

But why would they do this?

Every person we've talked to about the always-online connection, internally and externally, has been incredulous. They predict a fiasco. They detect hubris in a Microsoft riding high off of the Xbox 360's incredible post-Kinect sales performance. But they also detect, as I have, an intensified interest in Microsoft's part to position the next Xbox as an entertainment device, to not emphasize games as significantly as they had with past Microsoft consoles. Add that to far shakier rumors of the next Xbox working as a cable box or DVR or some other TV-viewing enabler—something not a single source of mine could confirm—and you might wonder: if my cable box always has to be connected, why not my next Xbox?

There are reasons for Microsoft to not do this, of course. They merely need to see the disastrous launch of EA's always-online SimCity and decide whether the negative backlash of selling people a product that can't work when the servers go down is worth it—especially if the earlier version of that product didn't require that kind of Internet connection.

They could also look at the competition and imagine a consumer standing at a store, deciding whether to buy a PS4 or the next Xbox. One wouldn't require online; the other, if our best sources are right, would. Surely, some would prefer the system without the online requirement.

As mentioned above, things can change. Microsoft may reveal its next Xbox this month, in May or, at the latest, at E3 in June. We'll know more then. We'll hopefully know what they've decided.

Roger Ebert, Legendary Critic, Dead at 70

April 4th, 2013Top Story

Roger Ebert, Legendary Critic, Dead at 70

By Max Read

Roger Ebert, Legendary Critic, Dead at 70Roger Ebert, the celebrated film critic, has passed away at age 70. Though active as a critic and pundit to the very end, Ebert had battled thyroid cancer since 2002, and lost his voice in 2006 following surgical complications.

Just yesterday, Ebert, who reviewed thousands of movies across his career as a columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times and the host of several television programs, had announced he was taking "leave of presence" from his popular blog on the Sun-Times website. His last line: "So on this day of reflection I say again, thank you for going on this journey with me. I'll see you at the movies."

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How to Set Up Your Own Private Cloud Storage Service in Five Minutes with OwnCloud

April 4th, 2013Top Story

How to Set Up Your Own Private Cloud Storage Service in Five Minutes with OwnCloud

By Thorin Klosowski

How to Set Up Your Own Private Cloud Storage Service in Five Minutes with OwnCloudWith so many services like iCloud and Dropbox getting hacked these days, it's no surprise that more people want to pull their data off the cloud. Instead of missing out on those great syncing features, though, you can create your own cloud storage service that you control with a service called ownCloud. With it, you'll get syncing files, notes, calendars, and more. The best part: it only takes about five minutes to get it set up.

OwnCloud is free and open source software that operates as a very simple way to set up your own syncing, Dropbox-like cloud storage system on your own server or web site. It's robust enough that it has replaced Dropbox for me in all except a few choice cases. It's also quick and easy to set up, and doesn't require advanced technical knowledge. OwnCloud is about as powerful as Dropbox, but it also allows people to make and share their own apps that run on ownCloud including text editors, task lists, and more. That means you can get a little more out of it then just file syncing if you want.

What You'll Get

How to Set Up Your Own Private Cloud Storage Service in Five Minutes with OwnCloudAt the core of it, ownCloud offers up super easy file syncing from your desktop to the cloud. To get an idea of how it works, play around with the live demo here (it looks like the live demo might be down at the moment), and see a full list of its features here. Like Dropbox, you can access your files from anywhere, sync data, and share files with others.

Beyond that, you also get a music player built directly into ownCloud, a simple place to store contacts, a task manager, a syncing calendar, a bookmarking service, and a robust photo gallery. You'll be able to sync ownCloud with almost any desktop or mobile calendar and contacts app. That means if you want to ditch the likes of iCloud, ownCloud makes it easy to do. A recent update also added a simple install method so anyone can start using ownCloud right away.

What You'll Need

You don't really need much to get started with ownCloud. Just gather up:

  • A web host that supports PHP5 and MySQL (or SQLite): This might sound a little jargony, but all it means is that you need to sign up for a service like Dreamhost (if you haven't already). If you already have a domain name like http://www.yourname.com through a web host (and you should), you can probably install ownCloud in a couple minutes. It sounds complicated, but you don't actually need to deal with things like PHP and MySQL for the simple installation of ownCloud. It does it all for you automatically. Just make sure your hosting service supports them.
  • A copy of ownCloud Server 5: You can install ownCloud in a variety of ways, but for our purposes we'll stick the simplest method: the web installer. If you know how to put a file onto your web site, you can install this. You'll just need to upload one file to your web host.
  • A URL for remote access: Since you'll likely want to tap into ownCloud from anywhere, you'll need a URL for doing so. If you don't already have a domain name, you can buy one, but if you do it's incredibly easy to set up ownCloud in a subdirectory of your site.

The nice thing about ownCloud is that it's compatible with just about any server you can imagine. We're going to stick with the simple web installer that works with an online hosting service, but if you want full control, it's easy to install on a Linux machine in your house, a number of service providers offer one-click installs, and hosts like Dreamhost even provide their own installation guides. You also want to take a look at your web host's Terms of Service to make sure they don't outrightly ban setting up your own cloud storage on their servers.

Initial Setup and Installation

How to Set Up Your Own Private Cloud Storage Service in Five Minutes with OwnCloudAs we mentioned early on, you have a lot of options for how to install ownCloud. For this guide, we'll keep it as simple as possible and use the web installer. With the web installer ownCloud automatically creates everything you need so you don't need any special skills to get it set up (if you have multiple users who will access ownCloud, it's recommended that you manually create a database):

  1. Download and save the web installer to your computer.
  2. Upload the setup-owncloud.php file to your web space using your host's web interface or an FTP app (our picks for Windows, Mac, and Linux are a good place to start if you don't have one).
  3. Enter the URL of the setup file into your web browser. It should something like http://www.yourdomainname.com/setup-owncloud.php.
  4. Follow the basic onscreen instructions to install ownCloud. After a couple of minutes it'll redirect you to the login page.

That's it. It's incredibly easy to set up as long as your web server meets the basic requirements listed in the first section. If not, ownCloud's guide for manual installations covers just about every other instance you could possibly run into.

Set Up Your Desktop and Mobile Sync

How to Set Up Your Own Private Cloud Storage Service in Five Minutes with OwnCloudNow that you have ownCloud installed on your web server it's time to set up the desktop sync so the files in ownCloud are the same as on your computer. For this, you'll need to install the desktop client (Windows, Mac, or Linux).

From here, setup is pretty simple:

  1. Open up the ownCloud software on your computer, and select "configure."
  2. Add the URL of your ownCloud server, and your login credentials.
  3. Now, you need to select the files and folders you want to sync. Click "Add folder..." and select a folder on your computer. All files here will now upload and sync automatically to ownCloud. You can add as many folders as you like.

As with Dropbox, you can also simply drag files into the web interface to upload them and they'll be synchronized both locally and in the cloud, and you can share files with friends by selecting the "share" option when you mouse over a file.

For the mobile apps (Android/iPhone), you'll follow the same instructions to point the app to your ownCloud directory, then enter in your username and password. The mobile apps are notably barebones, but they function well enough for accessing files.

Sync Up Your Calendar, Address Book, and Music

Now that the basic file syncing is out of the way, it's time to get all your other stuff synced up. This means synchronizing your calendar, address book, and music.

Sync Your Calendars

How to Set Up Your Own Private Cloud Storage Service in Five Minutes with OwnCloudIf you use a calendar app that supports CalDAV, you just need to point it to your ownCloud installation:

  1. Click the Calendar icon on the right side.
  2. Click the gear icon in the top right.
  3. Copy down the URL for your calendar (most calendars can access the simple URL, but OS X and iOS require a slightly different URL)

Now, just open the settings of your favorite calendar app, and add your account in the CalDAV section. All your appointments will be dumped into ownCloud and synced across any other devices you connect to it.

Sync Your Contacts

How to Set Up Your Own Private Cloud Storage Service in Five Minutes with OwnCloudSimilar to the Calendar, you can easily import and sync up your address book with ownCloud:

  1. Export your contacts from your address book into a VCF file.
  2. From ownCloud, select the "Contacts" sidebar, and click the gear in the bottom left corner.
  3. Click "Import" and select the VCF file you want to upload.

It will take a few minutes to get your contacts uploaded, but once they're up, you can synchronize them with any address book that supports CardDAV (most do).

Set Up a Music Server

How to Set Up Your Own Private Cloud Storage Service in Five Minutes with OwnCloudOne of the most interesting things you can do with ownCloud is set up a personal cloud server for all your music. Just upload some MP3 files into ownCloud, and you immediately have access to them alongside a web player. That alone is useful, but you can also set up a desktop client to access those files.

Your ownCloud server is compatible with a few different music apps, but we like Tomahawk because it's simple, cross platform, and suprisingly powerful. Here's how to set up Tomahawk to read music from ownCloud:

  1. From the ownCloud web interface, click your username and select "Personal."
  2. Copy down the URL listed as Media (it will read something like: http://yourdomain/owncloud/remote.php/ampache)
  3. In Tomahawk, head to the Preferences (Tomahawk > Preferences), and select "Services."
  4. Scroll down and select "Ampache."
  5. In the dialogue box that opens, enter in your ownCloud username and password, followed by the URL you copied above.

Now, all the music you have stored on ownCloud will be playable in Tomahawk. If you're not a fan of the simplistic web player, Tomahawk works great.

Add Apps and Extend OwnCloud's Power

How to Set Up Your Own Private Cloud Storage Service in Five Minutes with OwnCloudNow it's time to extend ownCloud's functionality further with apps. If you click your username from the ownCloud web interface and select "Apps" you're taken to a list of installable applications. You can also browse through a few more here.

To install any of these apps, just select the app, and click "enable." After a few moments, it will be installed and you'll find a new icon on the right panel. As you'd expect, the apps range in their usefulness, but here are a few I found helpful:

  • Journal: This is a simple journal and notes app that works with the Tasks app and the Calendar app. It also supports syncing if you're using a small selection of different apps on Linux or Android.
  • Tasks (available within ownCloud): Tasks is a simple to-do list that syncs with the calendar or stands on its own.
  • Bookmarks (available within ownCloud): Bookmarks turns ownCloud into a nice little cloud-based bookmarks manager, complete with tagging, filters, and a bookmarklet to easily bookmark any page.
  • Roundcube: Roundcube adds an email interface directly into ownCube provided your mailserver supports Roundcube and IMAP.

That's just a taste for what you can add to ownCloud, head over to the apps page for a full list.


The nice thing about ownCloud is that with the recently added web installer, pretty much anyone can get it up and running on their own web host in a matter of minutes. Once you're set up, you can extend that functionality as much as you want, or just use it as a cloud-based file syncing service. You won't find the same amount of in-app support on mobile devices as you would with Dropbox, but as a free, private cloud server ownCloud does its job very well.

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Slatest PM: RIP, Roger Ebert

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