Sony Didn't Consider Always-On PlayStation 4

Sony never considered making the PlayStation 4 require an always-on internet connection.

 

In an interview with Game Informer (via Gamespot), Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida has revealed that it was never thought of as real option.

 

Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida

“Did we consider it? No, we didn’t consider it," said Yoshida.

 

And it seems common sense and practicality won the day. "The main reason being that many countries don’t have robust Internet connections. It makes sense for people to have internet connections to play online games, but for offline games there are many countries that we saw do not really have robust Internet.”

 

There has been much speculation surrounding the possibility of an always-connected Xbox. But recently, a document purporting to be internal email sent around Microsoft employees suggests that an internet connection won't be required for many of the console's basic services, including watching a Blu-ray disc or playing a single-player game. We'll find out for certain when Microsoft release details of the Xbox's successor on May 21st.