Introducing Xbox One, the all-in-one entertainment system. This is the unveil video for the Xbox One, showcasing the console, the new Kinect sensor and the new Xbox One controller, as well as the new experiences that will be coming with Xbox One, including the personal homescreen, cinematic gaming, Live TV and Skype. Welcome to a new generation of games and entertainment.
Microsoft Xbox One: everything you need to know - The machine resembles a shiny black set-top box with a
slot-loading Blu-ray drive, and it only works in horizontal
orientation. Microsoft and AMD partnered to make the custom
40-nanometer chip with an 8-core CPU and GPU that powers the One. It
has 8GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, USB 3.0, and 802.11n Wi-Fi. The
system isn't just a game console, however. The One has good reason to
look like a set-top box: it doubles as one. It features an HDMI
pass-through so the console can sit between your cable or satellite
operator's set-top box and your TV. You can tune channels with your
voice, use a TV guide directly from the Xbox, and multitask between
gaming, TV, Skype, Internet Explorer, and more.
Xbox One instantly boots from a rest state - The newly
announced Xbox One console will instantly boot up from its rest state,
Microsoft confirms. According to the console maker, the new platform
will instantly wake up "so it's always ready when you are." Users can
also use the voice command "Xbox On," which will boot up the console
and, according to Microsoft, can even turn on the
user's TV. Similarly, console owners can pause and resume games
instantly, and both downloads and updates will be out of sight so the
user won't need to wait to access other content.
Xbox One will play games as they install, includes auto-resume
feature - Microsoft's Xbox One will allow users to play games as
they are installing and will feature an "auto-resume" feature for games
and apps, according to the official Xbox
website. The website states players can "start playing immediately
as games install." Any updates for titles and apps will install
"seamlessly" in the background and won't interrupt gameplay. Users will
also be able to switch between apps without losing game progress using
the console's auto-resume feature. Games will be suspended when a user
moves to another application, for example to check the score of a
sports game, and will allow them to jump right back into the game at
the same spot when they're ready. The site also states users can start
a game or movie on the Xbox One and then complete it on another device,
but does not explain how. Assumedly, this process will lean on the
console's enhanced cloud capabilities.
The Xbox One will always be listening to you, in your own home
- In its hour-long Xbox One presentation, Microsoft blazed through
announcements for its new next-generation console, including one
ostensibly important feature that may raise some eyebrows: the new Xbox will always be listening to you, even
when it's turned off. The reason for always-on listening mode is
simple; Microsoft wants the new Xbox to respond quickly and naturally
to you, whenever you need it. To fulfill that goal, the company will
ship the new Kinect - its motion-sensing and listening peripheral -
with every Xbox One. The new console uses the new Kinect for just about
everything: switching between games, movies, web browsing, and live
television, all of which can be done with voice commands. (In fact, the
new console needs the Kinect to operate at all - it's not an optional
add-on like with the Xbox 360.) Even when the console's turned off,
users can simply say "Xbox On" to power up - which means the new Kinect
will be listening to you in your living room at all times.
Xbox One doesn't need always-on internet connection, supports
used games - One of the big rumors leading up to the new Xbox One
announcement was the possibility of Microsoft forcing gamers to keep
the console connected to the internet. Microsoft says that while the Xbox One requires an internet connection,
"it does not have to be always connected." The difference means
that Xbox One players won't be restricted from gaming if a connection
drops. "We are also designing it so you can play games and watch
Blu-ray movies and live TV if you lose your connection," says
Microsoft. Despite the system not requiring it, developers will be able
to create games that will not play offline. Wired reports that games will be able to hook into
Microsoft's Azure cloud services with a lack of offline support, but
there is no requirement for them to do so yet. A second part to the
always online rumor was some type of activation system that prevents
used games. Microsoft says it's "designing Xbox One to enable customers
to trade in and resell games," and promises to offer more details in
future
