News Post

Breathe a Sigh of Relief: New Xbox Will Allow Offline Gaming

12:51 PM - May 6, 2013 by RaychelSnr

In a recently filed report by Ars Technica citing internal e-mails from Microsoft, it appears the rumors of the next Xbox only allowing gamers with active internet connections to play are unfounded.

"Durango (the new Xbox's Code Name) is designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today's Internet." The e-mail continues, "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."

Also, this all but confirms the rumor that the new Xbox will have the capability of streaming live TV service as well via an HDMI input. This is certainly good news for people who live in areas with more spotty internet connections (a lot of rural Americans for instance).

h/t Ars Technica for the news.

Member Comments

# 1 moneal2001 @ 05/06/13 01:43 PM

how can they say you can stream live tv through the xbox if you are not connected to the internet? unless the xbox takes over and controls your cable/sat/antenna connection. that right there could be a hassle in its own right.

This raises more questions than answers. it says these things should just work not will just work. WTH does that mean????

# 2 Colt45 @ 05/06/13 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moneal2001


	how can they say you can stream live tv through the xbox if you are not connected to the internet? unless the xbox takes over and controls your cable/sat/antenna connection. that right there could be a hassle in its own right. This raises more questions than answers. it says these things should just work not will just work. WTH does that mean????

@Moneal2001 The reason you can watch live TV without being connected to the internet is because of the HDMI In. Instead of hooking your cable box to the HDMI port on the back of your TV, you plug it into the back of the Durango, and watch your cable service through your Xbox.

# 3 horrormaster @ 05/06/13 02:38 PM

I'll probably still get a PS4 unless the new Xbox is vastly superior. First Xbox had a bum drive for early buyers and the 360 had RRoD. I'll wait a year or two and see what games they get and for the problems to be ironed out.

I'll probably get a PS4 because most Xbox games are also on PC while Playstation games (mostly JRPGs) never come to the PC. Not to mention The Show.

# 4 BLACKjersey53 @ 05/06/13 03:37 PM

The debunking of the always online rumor has the new Xbox back in my interests! Thank goodness.

# 5 bonannogiovanni @ 05/06/13 04:04 PM

I had no doubt about that

# 6 mike24forever @ 05/06/13 05:05 PM

I love when people explain why they are going to get a PS4 over the new Xbox. Thanks, that clears it up for all of us. SMH.

Back on topic...maybe people will now come off the ledge about the "always connected"!

# 7 thedream2k13 @ 05/06/13 09:00 PM

one story about a mystery email vs 10+ articles about required online connection doesnt = theory debunked

# 8 moneal2001 @ 05/06/13 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thedream2k13


	one story about a mystery email vs 10+ articles about required online connection doesnt = theory debunked

especially when the mystery email is from someone that works on the new xbox telling others that work on it what it should do. makes all kinds of sense right??????

# 9 BBallcoach @ 05/06/13 11:31 PM

it was never confirmed to be always on... so "allowing" offline gaming has always been apart of it.

# 10 moneal2001 @ 05/06/13 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBallcoach


	it was never confirmed to be always on... so "allowing" offline gaming has always been apart of it.

then why does MS need to tell themselves what the next XBox should or shouldn't be able to do? shouldn't they already know these things. This looks worse than the #DealWithIt guy. at least he stuck to his convictions. this looks like they changed their minds last min and are now having to tell their own employees about the changes.

# 11 Malevolentmuse @ 05/06/13 11:46 PM

I'm much more concerned about the rumored lack of backwords compatibility. If it plays only "720" (or whatever the hell they're going to call it) games then I'm not buying it.

# 12 BBallcoach @ 05/07/13 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moneal2001


	then why does MS need to tell themselves what the next XBox should or shouldn't be able to do? shouldn't they already know these things. This looks worse than the #DealWithIt guy. at least he stuck to his convictions. this looks like they changed their minds last min and are now having to tell their own employees about the changes.

dude it was never confirmed... period. We don't know when those emails we written. Until Microsoft announces the new xbox on the 21st, everything is pure rumor and nothing behind it

# 13 moneal2001 @ 05/07/13 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBallcoach


	dude it was never confirmed... period. We don't know when those emails we written. Until Microsoft announces the new xbox on the 21st, everything is pure rumor and nothing behind it

again then why does MS need to tell themselves what the next XBox should or shouldn't be able to do? shouldn't they already know these things.

# 14 Retropyro @ 05/07/13 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moneal2001


	then why does MS need to tell themselves what the next XBox should or shouldn't be able to do? shouldn't they already know these things. This looks worse than the #DealWithIt guy. at least he stuck to his convictions. this looks like they changed their minds last min and are now having to tell their own employees about the changes.

Because it sounds more like a general e-mail to MS staff who do not work on the new XBOX yet are getting bombarded with questions just because they work for MS.
Just because you work for a company in one division does not mean you have knowledge about every other aspect of that company's business or products.

# 15 moneal2001 @ 05/07/13 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retropyro


	Because it sounds more like a general e-mail to MS staff who do not work on the new XBOX yet are getting bombarded with questions just because they work for MS. Just because you work for a company in one division does not mean you have knowledge about every other aspect of that company's business or products.

why do people not working on the system need to know the info in the email? all they have to say is MS doesn't respond to rumors.(like everyone that has been defending their position has said) the email just doesn't make sense unless they were going for required online and then changed it after the backlash of the leak.

# 16 ncaafootball14markus @ 05/07/13 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Malevolentmuse


	I'm much more concerned about the rumored lack of backwords compatibility. If it plays only "720" (or whatever the hell they're going to call it) games then I'm not buying it.

guess u won't be buying any next-gen system (since ps4 isn't backwards compatible either). u can stick to your ps3 or 360 and play madden 13 for the next ten years.

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Breathe a Sigh of Relief: New Xbox Will Allow Offline Gaming