Microsoft seems to have done a 180 on the always-on Xbox 720 rumors, finally indicating that the new Xbox won't require a constant internet connection to play games and watch movies, however inadvertently.
"Durango [the codename for the next Xbox] is designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today's Internet," said a Microsoft email to its employees, according to Ars Technica.
Blu-ray, DVR capabilities confirmed?
This is good news for households with spotty internet speeds, one of the many reasons why an always-online Xbox 720 requirement would be a terrible idea.
The internal email, if authentic, would confirm that the new Xbox is destined to have a Blu-ray player capable of watching high-definition movies and include an HDMI input for cable passthrough.
Cable passthrough on the new Xbox would, essentially, allow it to take over a cable box's signal and overlay a Microsoft-branded DVR interface on the live TV feed, much like Google TV devices do now.
Not out of the woods yet
Single-player and offline games seem a little safer today given this internal quote, and it gives Microsoft better footing against Sony's already-revealed PS4.
However, it's still possible that the new Xbox could require some form of an internet connection, Ars Technica speculated.
Steam, for example, requires a connection to install and activate a new game, but gamers are in the clear once their copy of the game is deemed genuine.
This could be a nice compromise between Microsoft's desire to please publishers who want DRM and gamers who want to avoid debacles like the SimCity and Diablo 3 launches.
Microsoft will host a reveal event for the new Xbox in Redmond, Wash., where the company will finally be able to put at least some of the spinning-out-of-control Xbox 720 rumors to rest on May 21.
