Xbox

Xbox Live Gold membership good for both Xbox One and 360

Xbox 360 owners who have a Live Gold membership will be able to use it on the Xbox One as well.

Phil Harrison, a corporate vice president with Microsoft, confirmed to video-game blog Polygon that the same Gold membership will apply to both systems. Xbox Live Gold subscribers who buy an Xbox One won't have to ante up for another subscription.

Plus, that same single membership can be shared by multiple people, according to Ben Kilgore, a corporate vice president for Microsoft's Xbox Program Management. Each user will still have access to their own settings and customizations.… Read more

Xbox One preorders point to Nov. 30 arrival

Gamers desperate to splash out on Microsoft's blocky new Xbox One console needn't wait until Christmas, as U.K. retailers have already started taking preorders for the upcoming gaming gadget.

Green-hued tech retailer Zavvi is asking for a whopping 400 pounds ($608) for the Xbox One, which was revealed Tuesday at a bespoke Microsoft shindig.

That's a very high price, even for a new console, though Zavvi's 'price promise' policy should mean that if the price comes down before the console goes on sale, you'll only end up paying the final price.

Zavvi's also … Read more

Microsoft talks Xbox One naming, privacy and more (Q&A)

REDMOND, Wash. -- Microsoft's got a new Xbox on the way, and according to the company, it's the foundation for the next 10 to 20 years of home gaming and entertainment.

The console, which has not yet been given a price, release date, or live game demos was shown off here on Tuesday and left just about as many questions as it did answers about where Microsoft is taking one of its most popular products.

CNET sat down with Jeff Henshaw, the group program manager for Xbox Incubation, to try to get some of those answers. That includes … Read more

A rerun? Microsoft returns to TV programming with Halo show

REDMOND, Wash. -- When it comes to creating original content, Microsoft has had a hard time making up its mind.

In the 1990s, Microsoft developed online programs for its MSN service, such as the soap opera "475 Madison" and the travel program "Mungo Park." In 2007, Microsoft inked a deal with Reveille to produce a number of Web programs including "Mr. Robinson's Driving School," starring Craig Robinson, who plays Darryl on "The Office" (another Reveille production).

As those efforts sputtered, Microsoft backed away, leaving original programming to the folks in Hollywood.… Read more

Xbox One moves Microsoft closer to living room hub

REDMOND, Wash. -- Perhaps the most telling detail of Microsoft's media event to unveil the new Xbox One was the fact that the company didn't even get around to talking about gaming until halfway through the presentation.

It's hard to overstate the significance of that. Microsoft sees the Xbox One, more than any other version of the Xbox, as a device for everyone, not just hardcore gamers. There's no doubt Microsoft was pushing into that direction, even with the original Xbox that debuted in 2001.

But Microsoft's focus during the Xbox One event demonstrates the … Read more

Six challenges for integrated TV on the Xbox One

The Xbox One may primarily be a gaming console, but one of the major focuses of Microsoft's press event was One Guide: the Xbox One's new interface for navigating your live TV content.

By including an HDMI input, the Xbox One can integrate cable TV content right into the Xbox Dashboard, serving up a prettier grid of channels than what your clunky cable box offers. It's not all that different from Google's major living room initiative -- Google TV -- and the Xbox One faces some of the same challenges if it truly wants to be … Read more

Used games are here to stay with Xbox One but details hazy

Fears of a death spiral for used games with the Xbox One may be a little premature.

A Microsoft spokesman confirmed to CNET that Microsoft will support used games with its new console, though it declined to provide much information at this time.

"We are designing Xbox One to enable customers to trade in and resell games," the spokesman said. "We'll have more details to share later."

What we do know is that users have to install games from a disc onto the console's hard drive to access the information. Users can then play … Read more

Windows' role at the core of Microsoft's Xbox One

Microsoft's Xbox One home-entertainment console has three operating systems at its core, company officials said during the Tuesday unveiling of the device.

Why three? Marc Whitten, Microsoft's chief production officer of its Interactive Entertainment Business, explained during the hour-long reveal event in Redmond, that there'd be an Xbox operating system, the kernel of Windows, and a third operating system designed to handle switching, multitasking and control inside the Xbox One.

Microsoft officials told Wired.com back in April something similar. From the Wired story:

"The Xbox One simultaneously runs three separate operating systems. First comes the … Read more

2013 is the year of the voice command

"Ok, Glass -- take a picture!"

"Xbox, what's on HBO?"

"Siri, play Angry Birds."

During the reveal of the Xbox One, I was struck by just how many voice commands Microsoft programmed into the device. Kinect brought a rudimentary set of commands to the gaming console, but now everything from opening movies to launching apps can be done via voice. "Xbox, Live TV" may be my new favorite phrase in the living room.

Microsoft's not the only one who's betting big on voice commands. The vast majority of Google Glass'… Read more