In a blog post the company says: “While a persistent connection is not required, Xbox One is designed to verify if system, application or game updates are needed and to see if you have acquired new games, or resold, traded in, or given your game to a friend. Games that are designed to take advantage of the cloud may require a connection.”
The post adds that: “With Xbox One you can game offline for up to 24 hours on your primary console, or one hour if you are logged on to a separate console accessing your library. Offline gaming is not possible after these prescribed times until you re-establish a connection, but you can still watch live TV and enjoy Blu-ray and DVD movies.”
This means users will need to leave their Xbox One plugged into their web connection so it can carry out the periodic checks on your games library.
However the always-connected nature of the console may carry some user benefits – Microsoft says your games will be stored in the cloud, eliminating the need to swap discs when you want to switch games.
Players will also be able to buy and download games directly through their consoles, eliminating the need to pre-order games from traditional high street and online retailers.