Many rumors have hit the Internet about the next Xbox, but none have stuck as much as the always on controversy that has cost one Microsoft employee their job and has caused outrage amongst U.K game stores who claim they are not ready for an always on connection.
That rumor, according to Ars Technica, is wholly false. In an internal email sent to all full-time staff working on the next Xbox, Microsoft claims that everything should "just work":
Durango [the codename for the next Xbox] 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.
The email may be to keep the company message inline, after Adam Orth, creative director of Microsoft Studios, said everyone should just "#dealwithit" regarding the supposed always on requirement. As Ars Technica notes, the extend of the offline support is still unknown. The next Xbox could take a more Steam-like approach and require a download, but then allow the user to play offline, or could let users insert game discs like before.
While we don"t know much about the next Xbox, we do know some things. It could be called the Xbox Infinity, as opposed to 720; will be revealed on May 21st; could come with much beefier specs; and could launch alongside Ryse and Forza 5.
Source: Ars Technica