The Next Xbox console from Microsoft was in the eye of the storm from gamers following persisting rumors that it will only play games when an always-on Internet connection is available. But after the entire furor, we now have a speculation about it not being true after all. Features such as playing a Blu-ray disc, watching live TV and a indulging in a single player game should work without any connection to the Internet, according to a new bit of information.
Its source is an apparent email sent by Microsoft to all its full-time employees working on the console. This memo has got into the hands of Ars Technica which has made it public now. ‘Durango is designed to deliver the future of entertainment,’ it says, ‘while engineered to be tolerant of today’s Internet.’
Moreover, it further goes on to emphasize that there are ‘a number of scenarios that our users expect to work without an Internet connection, and those should ‘just work’ regardless of their current connection status. Those include, but are not limited to: playing a Blu-ray disc, watching live TV, and yes playing a single player game.’
Nothing regarding the installation process has been given away by this email however. If the past rumors as well as this new one are kept in mind, it can be inferred that games might need Internet only during their installations for activation purposes. This is the same model that’s being applied by Steam at the moment, and if it turns out to be true, Microsoft fans are bound to find a huge relief.
However, the past speculations about the console watermarking discs still continue to haunt them. Supposedly, the new gaming machine from Microsoft will place watermarks on discs the first time they are inserted, so that they are rendered unplayable on any other console. Our interview with Ian Livingstone recently, had brought forth sort of a corroboration about this fact.
Much is expected to be made clear at the big unveiling event of the Next Xbox which is slated to take place on May 21. We’ll have all the official information regarding the console on the said date, so stay tuned to our site till then.