Not Always Online, but Not Always Offline Either
Xbox One “Features” We Still Hate
The Xbox One almost required a constant internet connection to function. It doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. A lack of internet still locks you out of a few features on the Xbox One, some of which are important.
While you’re offline, you don’t have access to features like the Xbox Store, numerous apps like Netflix, and any multiplayer functionality in games. That is all to be expected, but when you’re offline, the pins on the Xbox One home page are also gone. If there’s an app or game you love to play and is in your pins for quick access, it’s no longer there. You’ll have to search through your library of apps and games (hopefully you won’t have too many) to find it while you don’t have Internet access. And speaking of games, you can only play games you actually own while offline. Any trials and demos you’ve downloaded are completely useless without an Internet connection. But don’t worry, it gets worse.
Achievements are everywhere in video games these days. You get them for completing story missions, killing X number of enemies, finishing mundane tasks, and completing difficult challenges. Achievements are a staple of every modern game and are yet another box on any completionist’s checklist, but if you play your game offline, you won’t receive any achievements. Not a single one. Sure, they will usually unlock when you finally get back online, but that’s only if the achievements are still in the Xbox One’s cache. If you wait for too long and add too many achievements to the cache, some will be irreparably lost. This wasn’t the case with the Xbox 360. Maybe it’s a remnant of Micorosft’s original “always online” DRM policy? Whatever the cause, it sucks.
