The Xbox 1
Watching the initial reveal has completely left me lost for words. The world of Minority Report and Back to the Future 2 is finally here with the combination of Xbox one and Kinect 2.0 This system is the new generation of complete home entertainment system. A great way to connect all thing we use daily into one system. I am ready to go out and purchase one right this minute. I can honestly say Microsoft have taken Xbox to the next level. “This is the beginning of truly intelligent TV.”
Spec Under the Hood:
Xbox One has 8 core cpu, 8GB of RAM, USB 3.0, Wi-Fi direct, Blu-ray, HDMI in/out, and 500GB of on-board storage. New Kinect uses a 1080p RGB camera, 30 FPS capability. 2Gbps of data in the new Kinect. Hence the low latency between commands and on-screen action.
New controller looks like a modern hybrid of the original Xbox controller and the 360 controller.Integrated batter on the controller, impulse triggers have force feedback.
Captures and saves footage. Editing and sharing tools native. Achievements dynamic, change.Game DVR will save game clips to the cloud.
The console will be available “later this year.” Microsoft exec Don Mattrick called it out as an “all-in-one” box. The core strategy is “simple, instant, and complete.” It was debuted alongside a new gamepad as well as a new Kinect motion camera.
The system itself is all black and features a two-tone finish with both matte and gloss in equal measure; a slot-loading Blu-ray optical drive sits out front on the left face, while a power button with the traditional incomplete circle symbol is emblazoned on the right side (which looks to be touch-based). A new Kinect was also unveiled, and it powers the console — “Xbox On” is being trumpeted as the most important feature. There’s instant switching from the Xbox One dashboard to live television (which seems to confirm that HDMI-in rumor), and a live demo is showing off impressive speeds. “Switching between live tv and all your games and entertainment is now as simple as using a remote,” Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi said. He also demonstrated gesture controls for the console’s UI, quickly snapping back to the dashboard with a pinch command.
“Design and build an all-in-one system to light up a new generation of games, TV and entertainment,” in a way that’s “simple, instant and complete” is how he characterized the mission for the new device.
Voice Control
Kinect is part of the package, and it’s a voice controlled experience from power on throughout the entire process. Your voice cues the Xbox to your user profile and sets up all your custom options. Then, you can dictate activities to Xbox One, sort of like how many imagined Apple would do their own Apple TV with Siri.
Changing between activities is as easy as telling the Xbox One exactly what you want it to be doing. It’s remarkably quick, quicker even than the process of changing channels on my at-home cable box hardware. But voice control isn’t the only trick, there’s also gesture recognition tech for controlling the system with your hands.
Snap Mode
There’s a “Snap Mode” feature, too, which looks like the Microsoft Windows 8 experience, in that it allows you to run two activities simultaneously. So you can watch a movie and then also browse the Internet at the same time, for example, to look up elements of that film. You can even use Skype, newly introduced to Xbox with the Xbox One, and have that running in Snap Mode too.
The Snap Mode feature does something that has until now mostly been reserved for computers and for mobile and tablet devices: provides a second-screen experience that runs right alongside things like live TV. Adding basically a HUD layer to live TV might be the Xbox One’s biggest appeal for content providers who are looking for additional ways to engage audiences losing interest in traditional ads.
I know this might be premature to say but I believe Microsoft might have just won the console war. Watching this reveal, I can not help but imagine what is possible for Project Rift. In my opinion, games for this system is only limited by the developer imagination.
