Ian Livingstone discusses next-Xbox rumors which hint at watermarked discs

The general consensus is that future consoles will be digital only, and something Eidos life president Ian Livingstone agrees with fully.

Speaking with MCV India, Livingtstone touches upon rumors which claim the next Xbox console will require an internet connection, even stating that discs for the console are watermarked.

"I think the next iteration of consoles – the PS4 and the next Xbox, have got optical disc drives even though they probably don’t want to have them," he said. "Broadband speed globally isn’t at a level that justifies digital-only.

“So they’ve gone halfway. With the next Xbox, you supposedly have to have an internet connection, and the discs are watermarked, whereby once played on one console it won’t play on another. So I think the generation after that will be digital-only.”

While boxed games "aren't being abandoned just yet," Livingstone feels it will be "difficult to predict" when the digital-only future will be upon us due to many factors such as broadband speed.

He surmises that its possible for tech to be "embedded into a smart TV that’s connected to the internet," which would forgo the need for a set-top box as everything will be delivered from the cloud.

Interesting future, indeed.

Thanks, Splatterhouse.