The Xbox One is the new iteration of the Xbox slated to come out later this year in 2013. What is the “All in One Experience” that Microsoft is pushing out? Let’s find out.
-The launch date, around the world, will just be later this year. Nothing specific yet.
-“Xbox On” is the interface designed to get you from not using the Xbox One to right into playing a game, listening to music, or watching a movie. It also will remember what you were doing last and allow you to get right back into it.
-Kinect is built in this time so you can gesture until your heart’s content. You’ll probably look like an a-hole all the way but, hey, welcome to the future.
-Microsoft is really pushing Skype as though it’s a key selling point. I’m not sure it is unless you have family around the globe who demand high resolution video. But sort of cool all the same how it integrates so seamlessly into the Xbox OS.
-TV integration is also a major selling point of the product. The Xbox One creates an interface that integrates live TV with added value second screen content (scores, fantasy updates, trending items) and functional TV updates (guides, channel changing). Not exactly clear as to how this is getting ingested for people not currently hooked up to Xbox’s cable offering.
-For the tech geeks, there’s a native 64-bit architecture, variable power states, silent operation, and 8GB of RAM. The camera on the Xbox One will also capture video in 1080p.
-There’s also a new Kinect sensor that’s completely redesigned and will respond instantly to the individual, their voice, and their gestures. It allegedly takes 13 billionths of a second to push your impulse to the machine. The machine can even read heartbeat and how hard you’re pressing your foot on the floor at any given moment.
-The Xbox One controller has been updated in 40 ways from the previous Xbox 360 iteration, specifically with some ergonomic enhancements. Doesn’t sound like a big leap here, which is probably for the best.
-Tablet integration through Smartglass will be a big focus for the product; all tablets and compatible smart phones are natively pulled into the Xbox One ecosystem.
-The devices are designed to work in harmony through their synchronization with Kinect. That includes motion control through just the standard controller as opposed to siloing Kinect and regular Xbox One content.
-Currently, 15,000 servers power Xbox Live. 300,000 servers will power Xbox Live when Xbox One goes live. That’s a pretty insane leap.
-A game DVR will capture big gaming moments and allow you to upload them to the cloud. This excites no one outside of YouTube game communities.
-EA Sports claims that the new processing power will allow its new games to include 10x more animation depth and detail and human-equivalent intelligence. Both its games and the new iteration of Forza — the latter will be available at launch — look as pretty as expected.
-Another game from the makers of Alan Wake looks sort of cool, I guess? The tag line is “Time Is The Fire In Which We Burn” and the game is Quantum Break. I don’t have any feelings about it at all.
-There will be 15 games available at launch, eight of which will be new franchises. Needs more Crash Bandicoot.
-Xbox’s TV experience will provide personalized recommendations and also support second screen chatter with the hope of producing content designed to pair with the technology.
-Xbox will also be creating original content under an Xbox Entertainment Studios banner with studio partners. One of the primary projects is a live-action Halo show in which Steven Spielberg is a producer. Is there any company out there not making original content now?
-Xbox is also getting into live sports through a partnership with the NFL. They’re going to provide live NFL content alongside fantasy stats and the other Xbox One OS features (Skype being big among them). It’s unclear what this means for the rights Xbox has to NFL content. They’re promising “exclusive content” and syncing through live broadcasts but no announcement of NFL Ticket being available on the Xbox.
-Lastly, Xbox One will get content in Call of Duty before all of the platforms. Cool.
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Pretty interesting bunch of features. Is it a leap forward? Sort of depends on the partners. How much content will they be willing to give Xbox One? Will cable companies play nice? We’ll have to wait and see.