Rumors have been flying around for a long time now suggesting that the next Xbox will require an internet connection, which has caused an uproar from many people (including myself!). Now, however, a leaked Microsoft memo obtained by Ars Technica is saying the next Xbox won’t require an internet connection.

“Durango is designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today’s Internet,” reads a line from the memo. “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.”

Just like the reports claiming the system required an internet connection, this is just speculation at this point, and should be taken with a grain of salt. We won’t know the full details until the system is officially revealed, which will happen at an event at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington on May 21. The event will be streamed through Xbox.com, Xbox Live, and Spike TV in the United States and Canada.

I personally cannot wait for this announcement, not just to see what the new system is like, but to also finally put an end to all of this speculation going on! I can’t take much more of this, dammit!