According to Ars Technica, Microsoft has sent out an e-mail to all of its full-time employees working on the next Xbox, detailing that the console will not require an internet connection for playing a Blu-ray disc, watching live TV, and more importantly, playing a single player game.
The news comes amidst rumors suggesting that the console would require an internet connection in order to function.
According to an internal Microsoft e-mail sent to all full-time employees working on the next Xbox, “Durango [the codename for the next Xbox] is designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today’s Internet.” It continues, “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.
Expect a formal announcement in addition to more news on the next Xbox later this month, at the forthcoming Xbox event on May 21.
