Confirmed: Dead or Alive 6 was able to install, fully patch, install all single player unlock keys, launches to start screen... but does not allow me to start a session. Same stuck login screen previously shown by Mass Effect Andromeda.

I yanked the CAT5e, and suddenly I'm playing DOA6.

My apologies news media. This is certainly looking like an outage that prevents any physical media from working... without workarounds.

If anyone has any (reasonable) additional tests you think I should try. Let me know.

Still testing a new game, but it seems like profile management in Mass Effect Andromeda on Xbox Series X is performed by the Xbox operating system, not the game. So while I can get into the dashboard in a pseudo-"offline" mode, once the game starts up and I assume uses the Xbox API to load a profile and saves... Series X throws the Xbox Live login screen because I'm internet enabled but not authenticated. Nothing I did could bypass this login screen. I couldn't even create a guest profile at that point.

This is only a guess based on taking the network offline, of course. Once I removed internet access, I assume the Xbox OS returned a fully offline profile for Mass Effect to use.

Interesting note: I took the Series X offline and suddenly Mass Effect let me continue! So there must be a check that online services are available, but a failure to authenticate was returned.

I'm going to test another game to see if the same thing happens. Dead or Alive 6 is not installed, is very DLC heavy, and even includes a F2P core version. Let's see what happens...

and I hit submit 59 seconds too fast. Guess what happens when I hit A to continue:

A login screen!

EDIT: BONUS ROUND

I cannot capture a screenshot of the game asking for a login, as the capture application requires I log in to Xbox Live.

Series X firmware update worked. Xbox Live login failed. Still let me into the dashboard. Still let me install Mass Effect from disc. Still patched the game. Still plays just fine.

This outage does not affect physical media any more than unplugging your internet would. If the game runs without internet, the game runs during this outage.

uggg... we get enough heinous garbage from game companies without this false flag crap from news media.

turns out that my Series X was unpatched!

....aaaaaand the firmware is downloading just fine. Yeah, I don't know why they put physical media in this title.

No difference, game plays fine... switching to Series X

Network patch is nonfunctional with the ethernet cable pulled. Obviously. Same 30 minute install.

I suspect no change, so after I verify I'm going to dig out the Series X to see if that's different somehow.

Hmm, I do not have an unpatched console to check and see if a firmware update is what is blocking gamers right this moment. But if that's the case, I would think just disabling internet would let you continue playing?

EDIT: I think the confusion is the title saying "any digital or physical media". I do know of games that require persistent internet and release with Day 1 patches. But this implies that putting a disc in right now just doesn't work.

Still unable to log in, but the game installed... even patched (so content servers seem online)

Seems like everything is functioning to me.

I thought maybe the disconnect of the authentication servers would have blocked the content servers and thus caused physical media to be blocked but no... I'm not having any issues playing right now.

To further this study I'm going to yank the CAT5e cable and delete the install. See if anything happens if I install without the network patch functionality.

Can confirm that Xbox Live is down. Disc install says it will complete in 31 minutes.

hmm... How can an outage affect physical media?

I booted up my Xbox One and put in Mass Effect Andromeda. It has not been previously installed or patched. Curious what will happen.

EDIT:

tl;dr: I tested Xbox One and Series X. Xbox One continued to play my media, while Series X required I log in to select my profile in the game. Also, the capture software of the Series X required I log in to gather my screenshots.

I do not know if the Xbox One just had a cached session of my profile that the Series X did not, or if they authenticate differently. But regardless, I was unable to play Mass Effect Andromeda on Series X while this outage is ongoing.