Xbox One Reveal; The gaming side

The successor to Microsoft's Xbox 360 console has been revealed at a press conference that was streamed around the world. The Console name Xbox One feeds into the principle that the console will be the 'One' piece of equipment you need for entertainment in the living room. Whether this is a masterstroke or a mis-step remains to be seen. Below we will showcase some of the highs of the new system.

Two of the great touches are the Game PVR within the system (not detailed where the video will be displayed) and the Smart match system which, by the sounds of it, will make jumping online quicker. This will be supported by a massive server base all designed to make Xbox Live the best Multiplayer experience it can be. Although at the time of the conference, the Xbox website crashed; not a great piece of PR for a company showing off about its servers. 

The specs are detailed below
it features the all-new Kinect, the new Xbox One Wireless Controller, a 500GB hard drive, an eight-core, x86 processor, wireless networking connectivity, HDMI®, three super-speed USB 3.0 ports, and a high-speed Blu-ray™ disc player. 


The controller itself has been remodelled, with a classy new design. The 'start' and 'back' buttons are gone. The new buttons are a subject of speculation, but could relate  to the switching feature allowing you to swap between media. The new trigger buttons include feedback which, according to Microsoft, can be programmed by developers to give context specific feedback depending on the game you are playing. Because the interaction between the controller and the Kinect is essential it does mean the Kinect has to always be connected.

On the gaming side we had the trailer for the new Call of Duty, named Ghosts. View the trailer here.
This came with the promise of exclusive DLC which was expected. However, the announcement that EA sports titles like FIFA will get exclusive content was a surprise and, in our opinion, a major coup. To tie up two of the biggest cross-platforms titles with exclusive content will help many a player opt for Microsoft's new system and in this regard we don't feel this reveal was too much of a mis-step.

As for exclusives it's a bit of a mixed bag; there were the promise of 15 titles. Two were shown in Forza 5 and Remedy Entertainment's new title called Quantum Break. The other titles (apparently 8 new IPs) are still a mystery and this could be an issue, but with E3 just around the corner we will not have to wait too long to find out. 

On the gaming front, our feeling from the Xbox One reveal is that it is appealing to the middle ground of gamers with the focus on bringing the exclusive content for COD and FIFA. This is no bad thing, by gaining a major following of gamers Microsoft may secure enough of an install base to keep the Xbox as a market leader, if not on the cutting edge of indie game development.