Highly connected consoles can be a double-edged sword. Having games closely tied to Xbox Live means mandatory updates, paid content being shoved in your face, and shipped games that almost require a patch before becoming playable. The old days of just popping in a cart and immediately getting lost in an experience are gone, but that connection does allow hardware to continue to grow long after its initial launch date. Microsoft made the Xbox Live service on the 360 almost unrecognizable by the end of its tenure, and according to Microsoft Canada's Xbox director of marketing Craig Flannagan, this will be the same case with the Xbox One.
"Much like 360, Xbox One's not going to look a whole lot five years from now like it does on Nov. 22, 2013,” he told GameIndustry International at a recent X13 showcase event. “I don't know where it's going to go, but that's kind of fun because we're built for the future. We do have a connection; we can change what things look like and how it performs."
Microsoft changed most of its policies before the Xbox One even launched, so it’ll be interesting to watch the hardware’s evolution as an entertainment box over time. The Xbox Live service has been a key to Microsoft’s success, and the company truly believes that it’ll be one of the reasons Xbox One starts ahead of its competition.
