Xbox One does not need 'always on' connection, supports pre-owned games

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Finally, the real questions get answered

Xbox One will no be always-on
The controller is all you'll need

The Xbox One reveal event might have been packed with a lot of exciting content, but it didn't answer one of the big questions we've been seriously concerned about: will Xbox One still play without an internet connection?

The good news is that we can confirm it does. "Whether you require always-on - Xbox One's answer to that is no - you do not require an always-on connection," said UK Xbox marketing director Harvey Eagle in a Q&A session after the big reveal.

"Xbox One is clearly designed to be connected to internet and you should have seen benefits but if your connections drops you'll still be able to play games, watch movies on Blu-ray and live TV," he added.

Update: On follow-up with TechRadar, the Xbox team offered us much the same answer as what's on the Xbox Wire page: "Xbox One does not have to be always connected, but it does require a connection to the internet"

That's all the team said they'd share at this time, but to stay tuned for more details. Obviously, they need to clarify just how this need for the internet will work in actuality.

Traded games will play - but at a price

Eagle also confirmed that Xbox One will play pre-owned titles, going against some previous rumours. "Yes we will support trading of games," he said during the Q&A.

In a later interview with Kotaku, Microsoft corporate vp Phil Harrison said, "We will have a solution—we're not talking about it today—for you to be able to trade your previously-played games online."

However, when it comes to taking games to a friend's house, you'll need to be signed into the Xbox account the game was activated on, according to Microsoft's director of programming Larry Hryb, or else you'll have to pay a fee to play.

Furthermore, Xbox One will not support backwards compatibility for Xbox 360 titles, physical or digital.

Want to know some of the Xbox One titles we'll be seeing? Check out the video below:

Hugh Langley
Hugh Langley

Hugh Langley is the ex-News Editor of TechRadar. He had written for many magazines and websites including Business Insider, The Telegraph, IGN, Gizmodo, Entrepreneur Magazine, WIRED (UK), TrustedReviews, Business Insider Australia, Business Insider India, Business Insider Singapore, Wareable, The Ambient and more.

Hugh is now a correspondent at Business Insider covering Google and Alphabet, and has the unfortunate distinction of accidentally linking the TechRadar homepage to a rival publication.