Widespread fears that Microsoft's next Xbox gaming console will require an always-on network connection may be unfounded, if a memo purportedly leaked from Redmond proves authentic.
Ars Technica claims to have had a peek at an all-hands memo sent to every current staffer working on "Durango," the codename for the next Xbox, detailing Redmond's thoughts on the matter.
If genuine, that memo not only appears to put to rest the persistent rumors that the console will require a network connection even for single-player games, but it also teases a few (very slight) details of what we can expect from the hardware. Here's what it says, at least in part:
Durango is designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today's Internet. 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.
Note that comment about "watching live TV." Microsoft has not disclosed any details about its next console publicly, but it's widely believed that the company is planning to give the device an increased emphasis on video entertainment beyond gaming, including having it provide TV listings and related services.
But it's the part about not requiring a connection to play single-player games that will be of greatest interest to most customers, since previously Microsoft has neither confirmed nor denied that a connection would be needed to play solo (and it still hasn't – at least, not publicly).
Source: The Register
