This likely won’t be a problem for South African gamers, outside of those who like to import their consoles, but Microsoft’s Xbox One won’t be very useful at launch unless you happen to have an internet connection nearby.
The need for an internet activation isn’t a new thing for the Xbox One, there was talk of it back in June this year when Microsoft walked back their DRM requirements but the company has, through Xbox product management senior director Albert Penello, clarified just what will be disabled until the mandatory update takes place on new consoles. The answer is: pretty much everything.
Excited gamers will have to wait through the Day One update, which The Verge reports will take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete, before games or apps become functional on the console. The requirement isn’t exclusive to Microsoft however, the PlayStation 4 will also require an online activation before Blu-ray and DVD playback is possible. But at least it’ll play games out the box (right up until the first firmware update, anyway.)
Source: The Verge