All-in-One And One-For-All: Microsoft Unveils The Xbox One

Microsoft has pulled the curtain on their next-generation Xbox console, Kinect, controller and all at a special announcement earlier this morning.

Don Mattrick cut to the chase by bringing out the new Xbox for the next generation, the Xbox One. The console features a new Kinect sensor and a new controller. The console itself has 8GB of RAM, an 8 Core CPU, 500GB of hard drive, USB 3.0, HDMI, 802.11n wireless connectivity and a Blu-ray Drive (hello, Metal Gear Solid on Xbox?). An all new D-pad sits on the new Xbox One controller with the ability to receive feedback through the shoulder triggers.

Kinect for Xbox One brings voice commands and communication to a whole new level with startup and login through voice recognition and navigation through voice and motion gestures to expand or contract content on screen. The new Snap Mode allows picture-in-picture multitasking to browse the Internet or video chat through Skype while watching a movie or playing a game.

Live TV was also demonstrated during Yusef Mehdi’s turn on the stage, where he had fun with telling the Xbox One through Kinect to switch between TV and Game and Movie back to TV and Internet Explorer and TV using Siri-like natural language. Furthermore, jumping from one channel to another can be done by pure mention of a TV show’s title currently airing on a different channel without mentioning the channel. But while undoubtedly pretty cool, how this will function in territories outside of the US, if at all, is still a valid question here.

Exclusive content and titles appears to still be of importance to the Xbox One, with EA Sports signing on exclusive use if its Ignite engine to make sports games such as FIFA 14 and NBA Live 14 have more realism them ever possible before. 15 new exclusive titles with 8 new IPs are being developed by several major companies for the Xbox One, including Remedy’s Quantum Break and Forza Motorsport 5.

Other content included the announcement of a live-action Halo TV series helmed by Steven Spielberg as well as Call of Duty: Ghosts by Infinity Ward built on an all new engine with exclusive content arriving first for the Xbox One, and dogs, too.

More will be unveiled at E3 this year in the following days to come. Xbox One will be “available around the world, later this year”. Your move, Sony (and even Samsung Smart TV. Man).