Microsoft

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

Xbox 360 games won't work with the Xbox One

Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled its newest gaming console, the Xbox One, with a slew of new capabilities. But one thing it won't do is play Xbox 360 games.

Because the new gaming system has a different chip architecture -- Advanced Micro Devices' x86 instead of IBM's PowerPC -- the Xbox One won't have native compatibility with 360 games. It's unclear at this time whether Microsoft will create a solution for that, such as making some of the more popular games compatible through emulation or allowing users to access older titles through a cloud-streaming system. But it … Read more

Five unanswered questions about the Xbox One

With the pre-E3 announcement of Microsoft's next living room video game console, the parlor game of speculation about all the missing details can begin. As with the Nintendo Wii U and Sony PlayStation 4 before it, the new Xbox's first foray into the public was a carefully choreographed tease, with just enough information to get industry watchers and game fans on the hook for the next step in the long rollout plan.

The following step will no doubt be an expanded preview at the annual E3 video game trade show in June, although even then, important price and … Read more

EA announces Ignite engine for next-gen sports games

Over the years, sports games have become more and more realistic, and EA is promising to take that realism to a whole new level in next-generation versions of many of its popular sports franchises. At Microsoft's unveiling of the Xbox One, Andrew Wilson, the head of EA Sports, announced the company's new Ignite Engine and said that FIFA 14, NBA Live, Madden 25, and UFC would be available for the Xbox One within the next 12 months.

Wilson said that with four times as much processing power to work with, games would feature, "10 times as much … Read more

Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4

Microsoft revealed specs and features for the Xbox One today at an event in Redmond, Wash. This finally gives us a chance to directly compare the new Xbox One with the PlayStation 4.

From the initial specs released from Microsoft and Sony thus far, it would seem that from strictly a specs standpoint, the two are extremely similar, so expect the vast majority of games to look similar across the two platforms.

The buying decision between the two consoles will seemingly come down instead to services and features, such as live TV on the Xbox One.

Check below for the … Read more

Spielberg to work on new live-action Halo TV series

Microsoft and 343 Industries have recruited film director Steven Spielberg in the creation of a new Halo live-action TV series.

The companies announced the new series during their Xbox One unveil event today.

Spielberg presumably will produce the new show in conjunction with Halo developer 343 Industries. Halo, the popular franchise that has anchored Xbox for years, used to be developed by Bungie Studios. Microsoft did not specify what Spielberg's role would be.

Though Spielberg was not able to attend Microsoft's Xbox One event in Redmond, Wash., he appeared on screen, noting that the Halo franchise is "… Read more

Xbox One includes improved Kinect sensor

Today at the Xbox Reveal launch event, Microsoft announced that every new Xbox One would include an improved Kinect controller.

"Kinect is completely redesigned to respond to you, your voice, and your gestures," said Marc Whitten, corporate vice president of Xbox Live, onstage. "Voice is now more conversational and faster."

One of the innovations touted was Time of Flight technology that accounts for the 13-billionths of a second it takes for photons to reach the camera, in an effort to reduce lag. The system can handle throughput of a lofty 2GB per second.

"This is … Read more