One of the things that many people have been worried about, when it came to the next Xbox, was the requirement of a constant Internet connection in order for the system to function. There have been rumors and rumors abound that seemed to state that, at the very least, some form of ‘always online’ would be present. According to an email seen by Ars Technica that was sent to all Microsoft employees working on the next Xbox, an Internet connection may not be required at all times.
“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.”
Not only does the above quote address the ‘always online,’ but it also confirms the existence of a Blu-ray Drive inside the Durango itself, as well as the ability to watch live TV. Previous reports and rumors also talked about a Blu-ray drive that would be used to install games to the system’s hard drive, but this seems to be the closest we have to a confirmation, should the above be a legit statement.
Microsoft has scheduled their Xbox Event, in which they will show and discuss the next Xbox, on May 21st. it will be stream on Xbox Live, Xbox.com and will be broadcast on Spike.
{Source: Ars Technica}