Microsoft has just revealed the next Xbox console to the world at a press conference that was live-streamed on the Xbox website as well as over Xbox Live. The "Xbox One" (an interesting name choice which came as quite a surprise to many) is set to be released worldwide later this year.
At this press conference we weren't shown many games, instead it focused on the technical specifications of the console. They may have had the upper-hand on Sony as almost immediately they showed what the console actually looks like. Kinect is still a feature that Microsoft is pushing, and it will be essential to the console, it won't be built in like many people suspected though. Changes to Kinect have supposedly been made to improve its functionality, and in the demonstration it did seem to run a lot better although it is doubtful that it was actually being shown live rather than being pre-recorded. Fortunately though the connect does now allow you to stand much closer to it which was a much needed change that needed to be made.
Another thing that Microsoft is clearly pushing is the Windows 8 style interface which was very prevalent in the press conference and seems to basically replace the Xbox Dashboard. The console boasts that it runs on 3 different operating systems, one powering Windows 8, another one powering the apps, and a 3rd OS connecting them. What does this mean? Well, it means that non gaming apps can be partitioned to a specific system to run them, meaning that if you have Skype open for example it shouldn't interfere with the resources need to run the game your playing. A new feature related to this is Snap Mode which lets you run multiple functions at the same time and to switch between them easily with voice control.
Microsoft was pushing the Xbox One as a Media Center rather than specifically a Gaming Console, and most of the conference was spent showing the Live TV capabilities (which were later revealed to require a seperate device) and new features for fantasy sporting teams. Microsoft has done media center's before but they don't seem to understand the fact that people who already have the same functions available to them on their phones and tablets and TV probably aren't going to see why their product is worth it just because all those functions are in one place rather than being spread across different devices. The other thing is many of these features were later revealed to be unavailable outside of the US, at least at launch.
Something that many PlayStation users consistently quote as the reason for it being better than the Xbox is that it uses Blu-Ray, but the Xbox One will play Blu Ray. This may seem like an obvious thing to do at first but Blu Ray is owned by Sony so there must be some agreement that Microsoft and Sony have come to despite being competitors. Something many people will be upset about is that the Xbox One is not backwards compatible, meaning Xbox360 games will not work with the Xbox One. It was revealed after the conference that the Xbox One requires all games to be installed to the Hard-drive, although this does seem like a nuisance the alternative way to combating piracy which had been rumored was that it would need a constant internet connection, which to many people just isn't possible. Gamertags people have on Xbox Live will be transferred, and achievements have been reworked to apparently show the way you play games.
The controller hasn't been changed to much fortunately, however they now have "dynamic impulse triggers" meaning that it senses different amounts of pressure put on them and can react even to a slight touch. The new thumbsticks are slightly smaller and apparently allow for better grip.
343 Industries announced that they will be producing a Live Action TV series (similar to the Forward Unto Dawn web series) and Steven Spielberg will be involved somehow (it hasn't been revealed exactly what his role in the series is). It was revealed that all DLC for Call of Duty will be exclusive to the Xbox One for some amount of time and some of the next COD game was shown, a lot of work seems to have been put into improving the storyline of the game, which is a major issue most people have with the franchise. A new game called Quantam Break was shown and was mostly live action.
In summary I'm not sure what to think of the console at the moment. It was hinted that we will see a lot more in terms of gameplay within a few weeks at E3 and I think that will really give a much better indicator of what to expect.
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