Some new features of Xbox One require an Xbox Live Subscription, and why that doesn't matter

Editor's Note 11/4/2017 - In an effort to ensure articles meet the quality of our editorial process as it exists today, we are leaving this note here to let you know that this article does not meet them. Back when this was written, editorial policy was incredibly lax and almost non-existent. TechRaptor no longer stands behind the quality of this article. You can read more about why we are doing this here.

 

Microsoft released this week that some of the main features that have been talked about on Xbox One will require an Xbox Live membership. Some of them are surprising, while many aren’t mainly because they are features that you would use online playing.

As you can see the “not so surprising” features that will be included are multiplayer focused, where you need Xbox Live to make it happen anyway. The SmartMatch feature, where it makes it faster and easier to set up a match, is a given because you don’t need to match if you don’t have Live. The Game DVR, which allows you to record your wildest moments and your achievements with friends, should be a bonus for Live members. Why would you share with friends without having a way to rubbing it in their faces? And Skype, which will be taking over the VOIP chat client currently used on Xbox Live, is a slight shock, since it is free to use everywhere else. Another surprise is Xbox One’s main entertainment app, the OneGuide, which will give gamers a customized view of what’s on their TV and connect them with the Xbox Live Community. Another complaint is that all of the other apps, like Netflix and Hulu, you have to pay the subscription as well as the Live to use. The president of Sony’s Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, was quick to jump on the hatewagon and tweet to make sure people knew that access to services like Netflix and their in-game DVR will not require the PlayStation Plus account.

With that being said, anyone who has owned an Xbox 360 is not all that surprised. We have been paying for these features since the creation, but in turn we also receive better matchmaking and more servers. This will also continue with the Xbox One. Sure your in-game DVR will work with the PS4, but it doesn’t say that you will be able to share it without one. Unless you’re in to recalling your greatest achievements to the people in the room, like the 40 year old reliving that touchdown pass while still wearing his letterman’s jacket, then it will be as useless to you as someone without the Live account. There is a little nerd-rage on the internet about this issue, because they are toting these features as ready to go, right out of the box. Yet even with the new Xbox One unboxing video, it has yet been denied or confirmed if the Xbox One will be carrying on the tradition of coming with a month of Xbox Live services for free. If it does, once they get a taste of those new features and how they will use it, they will shell out the $60-ish for Live.