It's all going to be OK. While Adam Orth didn't see the big deal with "always on," the rest of Microsoft clearly does. Arstechnica was able to get hold of an e-mail sent to Microsoft employees finally putting a rest to all the "constant connection required" rumors.
The e-mail in question reads, "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."
According to Ars, the e-mail didn't specify the nature of "just work," but it does help flesh out some more of the rumors that have been circling the console: the ability to watch live TV, it will play Blu-ray discs, etc.
After watching the drama unfold over the SimCity and Diablo III launch, this should finally help rekindle faith in the new console. We should learn even more details about the new console when Microsoft supposedly reaveals it later this month.
