As Microsoft gears up to unveil the hotly anticipated successor to its gaming console Xbox 360, dubbed Durango or Xbox 720, on May 21, more details regarding the device have emerged. Per latest reports, Xbox 720 will allow playing offline single-player games, watching live TV and playing a Blu-ray disc.
The latest information comes courtesy of ArsTechina, which cites an internal Microsoft email to its employees. The website reveals that the gaming console would enable users to engage in the above-mentioned activities even when their Internet connection is down.
"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,'" reports ArsTechnica.
While rumors surrounding the Xbox 720 have been flying thick and fast, the most persistent one has been that the console would require a constant Internet connection to work. However, the alleged internal email from Microsoft published by ArsTechina contradicts the speculation.
The Microsoft email reads: "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 purported statement indirectly confirms the rumor that the next Xbox will feature an HDMI input, which will allow cable boxes to be hooked up for live TV viewing. According to ArsTechina's sources, "the console will be able to provide TV listings and similar information."
At this juncture it is not known how far the offline support will extend. It could be akin to the fully offline mode on the Xbox 360, where a user simply needs to insert the disc, install the game and play it without an Internet connection. On the other hand, a possibility exists that it could be like Steam, which users need to install and activate online, but subsequent offline play is enabled after activation.
The news of Xbox 720 not requiring a constant Internet connection would certainly soothe the nerves of avid gamers who are looking forward to the May 21 debut of the next-gen console.
