As soon as Sony announced its next-gen console, the PS4, we all knew that Microsoft had the spotlight. Yesterday, at 1pm EST, Microsoft popped the lid off the highly anticipated next-gen console. Below is all of what we know so far, plus some comparisons to its predecessor, the PS4.The Xbox One, get used to it people because that is the official name of Microsofts next-gen console. The sleek, DVR-box-looking console has had a lot of work put into it. Much like the PS4's hardware, the Xbox One will feature an 8-core cpu, 8GB of RAM, Blu Ray, 500GB Hard Drive, WiFi, HDMI, and USB 3.0. All of these specs combined make a pretty solid competitor to that of the PS4. Some things that may throw off buyers though, is that when buying a used game, you must pay a fee to Microsoft to play said game. Another is that the rumors of the next Xbox requiring an internet connection is sort of true. In an article from The Verge, Microsoft stated, "No, it does not have to be always connected, but Xbox One does require a connection to the internet." What this means is that you'll have to connect to the internet at least once a day. If this sounds weird we know, at this time Microsoft is a little cloudy on the subject.
Being Microsoft, they had to talk about the revamped Kinect. Looking very similar to the console itself, the newly designed Kinect will ship with consoles and will boast a 1080p camera. This makes it better for use in dark rooms and to help check you heartbeat (the latter I don't understand).
With a new console usually comes a new controller, in Microsofts case, one that looks pretty similar to the 360's. Microsoft said they've made "40 design changes," these changes include a new textural look. The famous concave buttons of the previous controller now have even more depth, making the controller better for "immersive gameplay." One problem that many wanted fixed with the old controller was the d-pad, with the Xbox One, Microsoft has re-designed the pad for better control. Microsoft also said that the new controller will provide information to the console 15% faster than the 360 controller did.Microsoft was very eager to talk about something else though, something we all saw coming. There was talk of Microsoft wanting to take over the living room, with Xbox Live TV, Microsoft may have the potential of doing just so. The new feature will launch on the Xbox One and be available for use day one. From what we saw of Live TV, the feature looks much like that of Time Warner Cable, organizing all your local shows into one menu. The basics are all there too, favorites, trending, and OneGuide (Xbox TV's menu). The feature can be controlled by the controller but Microsoft emphasized that it works better with the Kinect.
The first half hour of the show was spent talking of the system's tech and requirements, but the rest of the show was focused on games. Microsoft unveiled Forza Motorsport 5, Ryse, Quantum Break, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and announced a special partnership with EA. The trailers for these games are in previous articles on Short and Sweet's main page. If you were wondering if any confirmed PS4 games were coming to the Xbox One, the official list of confirmed Xbox One games is below.
-Assassin's Creed IV
-Battlefield 4
-Call of Duty: Ghosts
-Destiny
-Fifa 14
-Madden NFL 25
-NBA Live
-Thief
-UFC
-Watch Dogs
The next-generation of consoles is starting to enter its way into our lives. The Xbox One shows off cool tech and new features, but is it what you expected? Let us know in the comments below. And as always, what info we have now is sure to change as more details will arise in the coming days and months.
