Xbox One could reboot mid-game in order to apply updates via the cloud

Remarks from the Xbox Live manager at a developers' conference suggests that updates will restart consoles 'whether your code is running or not'

Titanfall is one of the most eagerly anticipated games for next gen consoles, but will its innovative use of cloud computing hurt more than it helps?

The Xbox One’s cloud computing services may prove more of liability than a boon for future gamers, with recent reports suggesting that software updates delivered via the cloud will reset the console – whether the user is playing a game or not.

Speaking at a game developers' conference in Los Angeles, Xbox Live lead program manager John Bruno reportedly addressed the issue of OS updates, saying:

“Once in a while, rather frequently actually, the host OS will require an update, meaning the physical machine is going to get rebooted, whether your code is running or not.

“That’s a problematic thing for a game, and is oftentimes is in the middle of a multiplayer session, we’ve worked very hard to overcome that, but that’s not to say it’s going to be a reality in every case.”

Bruno’s remarks were reported by the IGameResponsibly website, who questioned the Xbox team as to how these updates might impact upon a game such as Titanfall, an Xbox One exclusive.

The heavily-anticipated shooter offloads the responsibility of running enemy and friendly AI to the cloud whilst also using Microsoft’s servers to ‘blend’ online and offline play.

The question is: if the cloud fails, will Titanfall be inaccessible also? Bruno responded only by saying:

 “I can’t answer that. I don’t know what the guys over at Titanfall have built into their game. It’s up to the game developer.

“If they want to rely more on our XBLC service, we’re happy to support that. We do provide a platform for them to persist data, but that’s up to the developer to utilize that.”

Microsoft were contacted for comment regarding the issue but have yet to respond.

The Xbox One will go on sale on 22 November priced from £429.