This observation brought to you by my Xbox One, which I dusted off to play a DVD, and it wouldn't because it needed to connect to the internet to do so, and it couldn't update itself so putting the DVD in did absolutely nothing.
But my Xbox 360? It worked flawlessly. how about that.
Internet-required devices are just contraptions whose reckless moving parts are hidden from view
Glad there's a term to it, because I absolutely DESPISE this problematic, borderline "planned obsolescence"-esque trend of having bigass pieces of metal and plastic hardware depend entirely on the internet for all it's utilities.
Agreed - if a device requires you to have an internet connection to operate, that device has a massive remote point of failure that you generally can't monitor, much less influence.
Somewhat relatedly, when a remake of a game I love from the late 80s came out, I recall a few days after installing it excitedly, Steam tells me hey hang on quick update to this game and I'm like, bitch this game was fully released 35 years ago! We don't have to update it!! Yes I do know a remake is not the same and has its own lifecycle, but man, final fantasy for the NES does not need your patches from the internet!
Perhaps an artifact, which ceases to function once the enchantment wears off or you run out of the pixie dust it runs on.
