Disc-based Xbox One games and many multi-generation discs that rely on “smart delivery” require an online connection to play on Xbox Series X, which limits backward compatibility with earlier versions of the system. This limitation, which has been in existence since the console launched last year, is very recent Especially in a video from ModernV VintageGaming And confirmed during testing by Ars Technica.
what’s happening here?
When you insert an Xbox One disc into the Xbox Series X, the system copies data from the disc to the internal hard drive, indicating what happens when the disc is inserted into the Xbox One. However, if the X Series is not connected to the Internet, then when you try to download this disc version from your hard drive for the first time, you will see an error message: “This game is not ready yet. Connect to the Internet to complete the installation.”
When inserted into the Xbox One, this same disc can be burned to the hard drive and loaded even with the system completely disconnected (provided the disc remains in the disc in all cases).
After your Series X is connected to the Internet, attempting to reload the Xbox One based version to a disc from the hard drive will display an SMS “Prepare your game …” and then prompt to download all available update files. These updates are not wanted But to play the game; Even if you decline the download, you can go offline and play Xbox One on the X series without any apparent problem.
In contrast, offline backward compatibility works much easier on PS5. There, PS4 games can be installed to disc and played directly, without the need for an internet connection.
Microsoft’s one-time online check is also required for many disc-based games categorized as Cross-Generation Smart Connect titles on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X. In many (if not most) cases, Smart Delivery includes the same disc as the Xbox version. One for the game, and the Series X upgrade requires downloading files from the Internet. If you installed Smart Delivery Xbox One offline from a disc, you still need to perform a one-time online check before you can play at all, even if you don’t want to download Series X upgrade files.
“In terms of smart connectivity, developers can choose to record both Xbox One and Xbox Series X releases to disc for offline playback, but in some cases you need to be online to download additional content, a Microsoft representative told Ars Technica.
Disc-based games designed exclusively for the X series, such as Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition, Appears to be the only titles that can be installed and run on a completely disconnected X series. For these games, the files on disk will be played without online check-in at any time.
Hidden downloads?
In a way, the need for online connectivity for backwards compatibility on discs is not a new requirement for Xbox owners. After all, playing compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games on the Xbox One or Xbox Series X requires gamers to do so Download a completely new version of the game from Microsoft’s servers Was and Go through the simulation layer On the latest devices. In these cases, the data on the disc itself is not used at all and the disc simply acts as a kind of physical “license check” that establishes your ownership of the game.
This is not the case for Xbox One games running on the X series. There, the raw game data is copied from the disc itself and can be played without any explicit user-controlled “update” that is downloaded from Microsoft’s server. Despite this change, the system still requires an internet connection when downloading the game for the first time.
An Xbox representative has yet to comment on this issue in response to a request from Ars Technica. However, on the ResetEra forums, “Developer at Xbox” has been verified by OscarK Writes Necessary for the system[s] Go online once during installation to download specific configuration files (separate from the actual game patches). “
The key here, OscarK wrote, is that the opaque message “Prepare your game …” appears during the first online download of Xbox One on the X series. This message hides what OscarK calls the “record step” and is “multiple processes.” The steps include decoding the package address, downloading the metadata, [and] Provide additional storage space required by the game for temporary files. Xbox One BC games on the X Series | S, this also happens when a one-time internet connection is required for compatibility bits. “
According to OscarK, it is this encrypted download of configuration files and “compatibility parts” that makes online check-in necessary for Xbox One tablet games. And if this situation seems bewildering and bad to you, Oscar will agree.
“My main conclusion is that we (Xbox) need to improve the console error messages,” he wrote. “It is clear that generic and unclear error messages cause confusion and can lead to distrust of the system. There is already an internal effort to renew license error messages, and I will make sure to hear these comments internally to continue leading this effort.”
Is this the big deal?
Many Xbox Series X users will never see this issue as a practical hindrance; We definitely lost it during our initial tests for compatibility with previous versions of the system and subsequent use of the system. In the United States, the vast majority of console users have at least a broadband connection to their console Since at least 2010It is possible that this number has only increased in the past ten years. Microsoft assumes you have an Internet connection to download updates When installing the system for the first time.
It is important to remember that this online registration is a one-time requirement. Disk-based post boot should work fine even if you don’t have a working internet connection.
But this broad consensus may not last forever. In the coming years, Microsoft will likely decide that it is not interested in preserving the old Xbox Series X infrastructure and will shut down servers that connect the system to Xbox Live to run these types of compatibility checks.
When that time comes, no Xbox One game on disc – and any Smart Delivery game without the original Series X icon on the disc itself – will not work on the console (although it will still work on Xbox One). This might sound familiar to gamers who recently discovered a similar but widespread kill switch that may end up turning old PS3 and PS4 consoles into useless templates.
“Apart from mandatory online installation, some day all Xbox consoles and smart plug-in games will be out of date.” To write Those who describe themselves as “conservation activists” behind “Are you playing?” Twitter account. Talk about worrying about keeping what you want. Actions speak louder than words, and now Xbox is the worst remembering platform. “
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