Xbox One check-in will need "kilobytes, not megabytes"

Microsoft's Phil Spencer has shed some light on the severity of the Xbox One's online check-in, and it may not be as severe as many have feared.

Speaking to Game Informer, the corporate VP of Microsoft Studios said that the check-in requirements are low enough for mobile tethering to be a valid option for meeting them.

"It's kilobytes, not megabytes," he said. "You can also set your console to always have the latest bits in a standby state."

Spencer reiterated that those with absolutely no access to the internet were not the right audience for the Xbox One. However, the check-in will be forgiving enough for even those with unreliable online connections.

"We've all had 360s for quite a while. If you look at what the box was capable of doing when we launched it versus what it's doing it now, we listened. We're part of the community," Spencer said.

"We listen to the community and we will respond to where the business, the creators, and the gamers are going. But I don't want to people to take that wrong. Our policy is our policy, and we've stated it. We wanted to put it up [on Xbox Wire] in unambiguous terms. 'Here's what our policy is.'"