The disk version of Halo Infinite does not actually contain the full game, but requires online DRM to install the game; This means that you will need an Internet connection to download the complete game with its corrections, which means that the game cannot be installed offline.
Digital Foundry's John Linneman complained via Twitter that "the Halo Infinite disc does not contain a playable game, this is going to be the first Halo game you can't really have as a standalone copy."
Linneman continues writing in another tweet: “The disc does not seem to let you play without logging in and downloading data. If you install it offline, it is only a partial installation of the game and will not work (at least in the X / S series). Ultimately, this means that if you don't have an internet connection, you won't be able to install and play the game offline, even in the single player campaign.
My biggest protest about Halo Infinite is truly that there are no playable games on the disc. This is going to be the first Halo game that you won't be able to have as a standalone copy. This is not a good trend and I expect MS to reconsider it in this way on December XNUMX, two thousand twenty-one.
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We don't know why Microsoft did this with Halo Infinite. This is not due to its file size, since the physical version of Microsoft Flight Simulator ships with multiple disks to ensure that the full game can be installed offline.
This is most likely due to Xbox Smart Delivery, as there is no separate disc for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X / S versions of Halo Infinite; These game discs tend to contain only the Xbox One versions of the games, so the disc will require an internet connection to download and access the enhanced version of the Xbox Series X / S games. This is different from PS, where the games come in 2 separate versions for PS4 and PS5 and also come with a full version of the games on disc, which can be played from start to finish without downloading online fixes.
Analysis: Is Xbox Really Taking Game Preservation?
While Microsoft is today at the forefront of the gaming industry in preserving games with its sacrifices to preserve older games, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer has recently called for preservation of games on a large scale. According to a report by Axios, the Xbox Series X / S has essential drawbacks with online DRM. Halo Infinite is not the only Xbox game that requires online DRM, many others do as well.
YouTuber Modern Vintage Gamer tested physical smart delivery versions of games like Tomb Raider and Hitman three, both of which refused to work offline and required an internet connection. It has also tested native physical Xbox Series X / S games such as Devil May Cry five and these versions seem to be playable and also installed offline.
It is a shame for the preservation of the game, as it essentially means that if Microsoft decides to take its servers offline, it will not be able to play or install physical versions of smart delivery of its Xbox Series X / S games.
Microsoft advised keeping your Xbox Series X/S as a "family console" in settings, but this solution has been described as a "Band-Aid" and doesn't seem to let your games install and run offline.
Not only is there an issue with online DRM with Xbox Series X / S discs, but rather with the console itself as well. According to the Twitter account of Doesitplay1, whose account focuses on online DRM in games, the Xbox Series X / S requires online activation on a server to configure the console, so if you do not have Internet access or if Microsoft decides to shut down the servers, it will not be able to configure a new Xbox Series X / S console.
Ultimately, this is going to make each and every format and repair impossible, generating tons of e-waste. Again, a simple solution would be for @ XboxP3 to ask for this requirement to be removed. Showcasing the claims of Xbox as a preservation-driven platform, as claimed on April 2021, XNUMX
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If it truly cares about the preservation of the game, Microsoft would take steps to end online DRM on its consoles. Hopefully Halo Infinite will receive a full edition in the future that will have the full game on disk, as this is one of the best Halo games made in years; We've given Halo Infinite an uncommon 5-star rating in our review. .