Simple, instant, and complete. That’s the mantra Don Mattrick gave the new Xbox One which debuted this afternoon at Microsoft HQ in Redmond, WA. Mattrick alluded to an all-in-one entertainment hub to support games, movies, music and web and made good on his promise today. Xbox One instantly turns your TV into a more intelligent device with brand new interactive features including Snap Mode, Instant Switching, Skype, and a variety of hand cues and voice activation.
Xbox One is easily operable via voice recognition and hand cues, from turning the console on to toggling multiple screens. Simply saying “Xbox on” powers up the One and avoids any unnecessary login hoopla and updates.
From the startup screen, there are a number of options available for the user. By activating Trending, the user receives a snapshot of popular entertainment based on favorites by friends and the entire Xbox One community, including games, music, and TV and movies.
Instant Switching, a voice activated function, lets the user seamlessly switch from live television to gaming to movies. Hand cues such as extending arms towards the Kinect camera and grasping and minimizing in mid-air selects the screen and subsequently minimizes it for the ability to toggle between screens.
Snap Mode similarly lets the user split the screen between multiple entertainment platforms. Yusuf Mehdi demonstrated Snap Mode by using the new sports offering as an example. Users can watch their favorite sports game all the while receiving live stat updates for their favorite Fantasy athletes as they watch highlights and update their roster–all on the same screen.
The Xbox One Guide lets users take advantage of the same voice recognition technology to find, watch, and keep up with their favorite shows. Favorites and Trending likewise lets users navigate through television channels to find shows they love and make it easy to stay up to date with the latest drama.
Skype will also be available on the Xbox One. The Kinect cam allows for group video calls on TV during Snap Mode. When the notification appears on the top of the screen, all the user has to do is say “Answer call” and Snap Mode will run, splitting the screen between whatever entertainment you’re engaged in as well as your Skype call.
All of these new features and operations are made possible with an updated Kinect. The motion-sensing 1080p camera lens understands joint rotations, balance and weight distribution, and even reads the user’s heart beat which of course will be great for using Xbox One for exercise, but it also bolsters the fact that motion-detection for navigating the One will be silky smooth.
As for the specs, as previously thought they were a bit limited but Microsoft did confirm some of the rumors. The Xbox One will run on an 8-core CPU, feature 8GB of RAM, offer 500GB HDD, boast a Blu-ray drive, and connect through a wireless Wi-Fi direct and HDMI input/output.
The reveal event also offered a glimpse into a new line of games and entertainment to be outfitted for the Xbox One, something many expected Microsoft to save for E3, where it will go further in depth. A pre-recorded Steven Spielberg video introduced a just-for-TV series of Halo, while NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell mentioned a new deal with the NFL and Microsoft to take advantage of the sports offering feature.
New games from EA Sports will include contemporary versions of FIFA, Madden Football, NBA Live, and UFC. Microsoft Studios is all poised to release 15 new games, including 8 completely brand new franchises, which will be made available later this year and will probably be seen at E3 in a couple of weeks.
One of the biggest games, though, that Microsoft will be releasing first exclusively for the Xbox One will be the newest member to the Call of Duty franchise, Call of Duty: Ghosts. Using a brand new gaming engine, publisher Activision’s flagship series features stunning graphics and a story line by Academy Award winning screenwriter Paul Haggis. Characters are more personal and intimate, including a new German Shepherd sidekick companion.
As promised, Microsoft will be releasing more information at E3 2013 in Los Angeles on June 11. In the meantime, let’s hear from all of you. Are you excited by everything Xbox One has to offer? Were you expecting something that Microsoft left out? Will PlayStation 4 be anywhere near the caliber of an entertainment hub that Xbox One is poised to become? Let us know all of your thoughts in the comments section below.
