Microsoft has just unveiled its first console in almost eight years – this is why the Xbox One was worth the wait. Assuming you live in North America...

Microsoft has taken the wraps off the Xbox One – and unlike Sony's PlayStation 4 launch, it actually managed to bring a console along to the party. Along with a new name, it's packed in an array of features including more intuitive voice controls, a fancy controller, a more sensitive Kinect, some next-gen games and a Halo Television Series made by Spielberg. Want the complete low-down on the one Xbox to rule them all? Read on.

Xbox One – entertainment

The Xbox One is voice activated – as all self-respecting future gadgets should be. That means that the console will spring to life and recognise you when you utter the words “Xbox on”. Similarly, “Xbox TV” takes you to live TV. And an Instant Switching feature lets you jump between features instantly by simply saying “go to game”, “TV”, “Internet Explorer”, “watch movie”. It certainly seems seamless in Microsoft's demo presentation – we'll be checking carefully in our hands-on.




Gesture controls seem to work flawlessly too, with the help of the new, more accurate Kinect. Simply grab and pull out while on the homescreen, and the movie or game tile will pop out and fill the screen. Snap Mode lets you run multiple windows at once, which can be controlled using your phone – for example, you can watch a film and look up movie times along the side. You can also have Skype running down the side of the screen, so you can chat with pals while watching a film or gaming. Cleverly, while watching sport you can access your fantasy team along the side while watching a game – although global football fans may be disappointed that it appears to be NFL only right now. But with instant updates to your team as live scores change, we're hoping it'll be updated to include other sports on release.
Even the TV guide is smart. It features voice controlled search, favourites and trending. Name a show or channel to easily jump between viewing. The favourites section lets you pin your most loved shows all in one place. Trending lets you see the most popular shows being watched – if you're not into chosing for yourself.

Xbox One – specs

Microsoft's aiming to future-proof the Xbox One – as well it might, since we're now some eight years on from the launch of the Xbox 360. To that end, the Xbox One packs in an eight-core processor based on the AMD Jaguar design, 500GB hard drive, 5bn transistors (compared to 1.4bn in your average current chip), 8GB DDR3 RAM, USB 3.0, a Blu-ray drive, a 64-bit architecture, and variable power states, all while running four time quieter than the Xbox Slim and supporting 4K video output. There will be three 802.11n Wi-Fi radios allowing one to connect with controllers while two can strengthen Wi-Fi or the third could connect to a mobile device. And there will be three levels of operating system in the Xbox One Architecture including Xbox One OS and Windows kernel to facilitate that seamless switching feature. All this but it won't be Xbox 360 game backwards compatible.

Xbox One – Kinect

The new Kinect sensor has super-vision, with a 250,000 pixel infrared depth sensor that can see you in more accurate detail than ever. For example it now has wrist and shoulder rotation recognition. It can even read your heartbeat. Scary cool. It's also a better listener with a more conversational voice system that better understands what you say.

Xbox One – controller

Thank the gaming gods, Microsoft hasn't changed the Xbox One controller too much from the previous generation. You get better grips on the sticks and more subtle button colours – but enough about aesthetics – the main point is that the new controller delivers feedback directly into the triggers. Tingly. The new Kinect will also recognise when you're using the controller and track its position – letting you raise the controller to hold up a shield in-game, for instance.

 

Xbox One – cloud power

Microsoft has 300,000 servers ready for Xbox One – more than the entire world’s computing power in 1999. That means bigger matches with more players – effectively offering the ability to live in persistent worlds. Goodbye reality.

Xbox One – editing

A gaming DVR will come built-in with the console. And thanks to editing software you'll be able to instantly cut and change your latest frag as you please. Presumably upload to your choice of sharing platform will be easy too.

Xbox One – games

EA will bring FIFA, Madden, NBA Live and UFC to launch in the next twelve months. And it’ll all be powered by EA Sport Ignite – the new EA game engine. There are four times more calculations per second for – they claim to offer human-like intelligence. Plus ten times more animation depth and detail for enhanced player motion. Living worlds with 3D crowds, dynamic sidelines, and a daily stream of new content that impacts the game as you play are also exciting extras. Plus football fans will be pleased to hear Ultimate Team is appearing in FIFA 14.


Forza Motorsport 5 – available at launch – looks stunning, with every fleck of metallic paint visible on the cars. But little else was revealed other than that there will be more to follow at E3.
Game maker Remedy – of Max Payne and Alan Wake fame – unveiled Quantum Break. “Time is the fire in which we burn” was the line on the trailer. Time shifting powers affect the story of the game as time breaks down and you rush to save the day. Other than that and the obligatory phenomenal graphics, it's something of a mystery.

Call of Duty: Ghosts reboots the venerable CoD franchise with new characters and a storyline scripted by the Oscar-winning writer of Traffic and Syriana. But never mind all that, what does all that Xbox One processing grunt get you? A realistic dog (with visible ear tattoo!), fish that flee your approach as you get near, and mind-bogglingly good graphics that pick out every hair on your arms, and the dirt under your fingernails. Multiplayer gamers get dynamic maps and mind-boggling levels of character customisation. And, you guessed it, more to follow at E3.
There are more titles in development now than at any other time in Microsoft’s history – fifteen are due out in the first year of console release, eight of which are new franchises.

Xbox One – Halo

While there was no word of a new Halo game, Microsoft and 343 Industries had one big surprise up their collective sleeve – a live-action Halo TV show is on the way, with involvement from none other than Steven Spielberg. We can't wait for more, and will have details for you as they come in – in the meantime, check out the Halo short films by Neill Blomkamp for an idea of what the future could hold for the franchise.

Xbox One Release Date

While no specific date was given, Microsoft did however confirm that Xbox One will be available worldwide later this year. That would likely mean around November, 2013.

 Source : pcauthority.com.au