Microsoft unveils 'Xbox One,' a voice-controlled all-in-one entertainment hub
Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled its next-generation home game console dubbed the "Xbox One," a device that aims to go beyond gaming and become the center of a consumer's living room entertainment experience.
Scheduled to arrive later this year, the Xbox One will ship with Microsoft's next-generation Kinect motion controller, which includes integrated voice recognition. The new Xbox One is pitched as a single device that will unify all of the devices in their living room, allowing them to be controlled through voice and hand gestures.
In a live demo, the Xbox One was shown quickly switching between live TV, movies, and an Internet Explorer Web browser. Like with Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system, users can even "snap" one program to the side of the screen and run two tasks at once.
With Kinect, users will also be able to use their voice or even their hands to quickly expand and move content around the screen. And Microsoft will also include support for the company's Skype video chat.
The new Xbox One console will include 5 billion transistors and 8 gigabytes of RAM. It also sports USB 3.0, Wi-Fi, a Blu-ray disc drive, and even HDMI input.
The new Kinect sensor will come included with every Xbox One console. It sports a high-resolution 1080p camera, and is said to support more casual voice commands than its predecessor. The company even claims that Kinect will be able to measure a user's heart beat.
An updated Xbox One controller has improved ergonomics and an integrated battery compartment. The controller also features an improved D-pad, addressing a common complaint among Xbox 360 owners.
Another portion of Xbox One is the SmartGlass platform, which offers integration between the console and Apple's iPad and iPhone. First unveiled last year, it allows users to connect their own devices to the Xbox for control and additional content.
Microsoft is also revamping its subscription Xbox Live service with greater cloud support powered by more than 300,000 servers.
EA Sports took part in Tuesday's presentation to show off its new "Ignite" game engine, while Microsoft Studios announced a new Forza racing title for the next-generation console. A new title from Remedy called "Quantum Break," with a clip in which a tanker ship runs into and destroys a bridge.
Microsoft Studios plans to release more than 15 exclusive games in the first year of Xbox One, eight of them being brand new franchises. The company currently has more games in development than at any point in the Xbox's history.
With Xbox One, Microsoft will also get into the content production business, as the company announced it is working on a live-action television series based on its best-selling "Halo" series and produced by legendary director Steven Spielberg. And with an exclusive content deal with the National Football League, Microsoft will also offer social interaction while watching games from the most popular sports league in America.
Tuesday's event focused on entertainment and streaming television functions, positioning the device as an even more direct competitor to the Apple TV set-top box rather than a gaming-centric device. Apple has also been rumored to be considering building a set-top box that would act as a cable box much like the Xbox One, or even a full-fledged television set that could integrate all of those services into one device.
Microsoft plans to showcase games for Xbox One at the industry's premier trade show, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. That event will overlap with Apple's own Worldwide Developers Conference, where the iOS 7 and OS X 10.9 are expected to be unveiled.
Scheduled to arrive later this year, the Xbox One will ship with Microsoft's next-generation Kinect motion controller, which includes integrated voice recognition. The new Xbox One is pitched as a single device that will unify all of the devices in their living room, allowing them to be controlled through voice and hand gestures.
In a live demo, the Xbox One was shown quickly switching between live TV, movies, and an Internet Explorer Web browser. Like with Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system, users can even "snap" one program to the side of the screen and run two tasks at once.
With Kinect, users will also be able to use their voice or even their hands to quickly expand and move content around the screen. And Microsoft will also include support for the company's Skype video chat.
The new Xbox One console will include 5 billion transistors and 8 gigabytes of RAM. It also sports USB 3.0, Wi-Fi, a Blu-ray disc drive, and even HDMI input.
The new Kinect sensor will come included with every Xbox One console. It sports a high-resolution 1080p camera, and is said to support more casual voice commands than its predecessor. The company even claims that Kinect will be able to measure a user's heart beat.
An updated Xbox One controller has improved ergonomics and an integrated battery compartment. The controller also features an improved D-pad, addressing a common complaint among Xbox 360 owners.
Another portion of Xbox One is the SmartGlass platform, which offers integration between the console and Apple's iPad and iPhone. First unveiled last year, it allows users to connect their own devices to the Xbox for control and additional content.
Microsoft is also revamping its subscription Xbox Live service with greater cloud support powered by more than 300,000 servers.
EA Sports took part in Tuesday's presentation to show off its new "Ignite" game engine, while Microsoft Studios announced a new Forza racing title for the next-generation console. A new title from Remedy called "Quantum Break," with a clip in which a tanker ship runs into and destroys a bridge.
Microsoft Studios plans to release more than 15 exclusive games in the first year of Xbox One, eight of them being brand new franchises. The company currently has more games in development than at any point in the Xbox's history.
With Xbox One, Microsoft will also get into the content production business, as the company announced it is working on a live-action television series based on its best-selling "Halo" series and produced by legendary director Steven Spielberg. And with an exclusive content deal with the National Football League, Microsoft will also offer social interaction while watching games from the most popular sports league in America.
Tuesday's event focused on entertainment and streaming television functions, positioning the device as an even more direct competitor to the Apple TV set-top box rather than a gaming-centric device. Apple has also been rumored to be considering building a set-top box that would act as a cable box much like the Xbox One, or even a full-fledged television set that could integrate all of those services into one device.
Microsoft plans to showcase games for Xbox One at the industry's premier trade show, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. That event will overlap with Apple's own Worldwide Developers Conference, where the iOS 7 and OS X 10.9 are expected to be unveiled.
Comments
Ugly
I am amused however that Microsoft will be paying Sony royalites by using Blu-Ray.
looks like microsoft just cracked the TV secret code
looks amazing
Exactly. Made me think back to the whole OS2 issue Microsoft had with IBM wanting to pay for KLOCs (thousand lines of code) and Microsoft saying fewer lines is better. Here they are now touting a number that meaningless as the extra transistors may just mean bad design. It certainly doesn't make me think about power efficiency.
Thought the same thing lol
Quote:
Originally Posted by Just_Me
Ugly
Huh?!
the future is about simple and easy.
Actually, Xbox is one of the few areas Microsoft seems to be getting right. I wonder, if/when Apple more aggressively enters the "living room" space, what they'll offer as an alternative?
Originally Posted by drew0020
I cannot wait. Look's amazing!
Seven years and this is what you post?
The secret to TV is finding what you (the user) wants to watch.
If I want to watch hockey or basketball playoffs, I shouldn't have to hunt around to find what "station" it's on. I shouldn't have to know that on Time Warner, TNT is 1302 and on Uverse it's 1412. I should just be able to tell it to turn on "Red Wings hockey"
This is the biggest obstacle that the user must overcome - finding what's on (or what I want to watch) quickly and easily. If XBox 1 doesn't do that, it's just another gimmick.
Hopefully Apple knows this.
has anyone on the web noticed that, with its typical marketing flim flam, MS has named it XBox One when it's really XBox 3?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phone-UI-Guy
Exactly. Made me think back to the whole OS2 issue Microsoft had with IBM wanting to pay for KLOCs (thousand lines of code) and Microsoft saying fewer lines is better. Here they are now touting a number that meaningless as the extra transistors may just mean bad design. It certainly doesn't make me think about power efficiency.
How exactly is being able to put more transistors into a smaller or similar size die "bad design"? Your statement about how it doesn't make you think about power efficiency is equally baffling. The shrinking of the transistors means that you can lower the voltage and decrease power consumption while still gaining in performance. So it's far more efficient in performance/watt especially since it's pretty much guaranteed that the CPU die will be either equal in size or smaller than the 360 as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrboba1
The secret to TV is finding what you (the user) wants to watch.
If I want to watch hockey or basketball playoffs, I shouldn't have to hunt around to find what "station" it's on. I shouldn't have to know that on Time Warner, TNT is 1302 and on Uverse it's 1412. I should just be able to tell it to turn on "Red Wings hockey"
This is the biggest obstacle that the user must overcome - finding what's on (or what I want to watch) quickly and easily. If XBox 1 doesn't do that, it's just another gimmick.
Hopefully Apple knows this.
exactly. simple and easy.
Just another excuse to raise the cost of games methinks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ursadorable
From XBox 360 to XBox 1.. sounds like a step backwards in the marketing department.
I am amused however that Microsoft will be paying Sony royalites by using Blu-Ray.
Sony might be the most prominent proponent of the Blu-ray format, but a whole slate of companies had a hand in its development. The royalties for the optical format alone go to several different companies, and I don't think that Sony even receives the largest share.
http://www.one-blue.com/licensors/
Quote:
Cyberlink Corporation
Dell Global B.V.
Fujitsu Limited
Hewlett-Packard Company
Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co. Ltd.
JVC KENWOOD Corporation
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
LG Electronics Inc.
Panasonic Corporation
Pioneer Corporation
Samsung Electronics Company Ltd.
Sharp Corporation
Sony Corporation
Taiyo Yuden Company Ltd.
Yamaha Corporation
And that list doesn't include the patent pools for the MPEG4/H.264 video encoding and AACS data encryption technologies. Here too, MS will wind up paying royalties to Apple, which holds several of the H.264 patents.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mad1at35
Oh whoop. Another shiny black box! 0 for design guys.
Just another excuse to raise the cost of games methinks.
yup. it won't play the XBox 360 games at all. so get ready to shell out big for a whole new generation of major franchise hits - starting with Halo naturally (the sole reason for the XBox's success). of course, you can keep your old XBox 360 hooked up too, if you have room under the TV someplace and enough TV inputs.