This may seem very weird or might sound like a hack but it is true. If you purchase both the Xbox One and the PS4 you will be able to play PS4 games (or even the current gen systems) on their Xbox One’s interface.

In a post by Jeff Henshaw of Microsoft, he confirmed that you can use the Xbox and Kinect to switch to the PS4 without complications and that the lag would be so little the human eye would not be able to detect.

You would also be able to connect a Wii U to play games and then use voice commands to put that in the background and switch over to an Xbox One game without changing inputs.

This is a great feature that will eliminate the technicality of always disconnecting and reconnecting another system just to play a game and also goes well with the fact that Microsoft wants the Xbox One to be an all round media system and not just another game console.

I think this is clever and I’m looking forward to seeing how this actually works. Are you excited?

Source: Forbes Tech

Kinect-based features such as player identification, voice commands, etc., will be disabled as a result of unplugging the Kinect device. Other entertainment features will work normally as before

The change arises as part of Microsoft’s effort to appease its core gamer contingency, one which had voiced their concerns and made that feature very unpopular. Popular speculation states that Microsoft plans to launch an Xbox One bundle that will not include the Kinect device and as such be a much more affordable way to obtain an Xbox One. This idea would make the Xbox One compete better with the PlayStation 4 on price. Of course at the end of the day speculation is speculation.

However if a version of the Xbox One has a price equal to the price of the PS4, would you buy it? Leave your answer in the comment section below.

Earlier this month after E3, Microsoft revealed details about its game lending policy and 24-hour offline limit on the Xbox One. This caused a stir among long-time Xbox fans and the feedback began flooding in through out the E3 week. Microsoft has changed its policies regarding Xbox One’s internet requirements, used game restrictions and more for customer satisfaction.

 Firstly, Xbox One will not need an internet connection to play offline games or need to check in every 24 hours; instead, internet will only be required when initially setting up the console. When setting up the console, users will download the Day One update after which all changes in the policy will be applied. “There was always going to be a day one update on the console, and that’s frankly just a difference in manufacturing schedules versus software schedules, we just wanted to be clear that that hasn’t changed, that you have to go online to get the software update for day one, then you wouldn’t have to be connected after that.” Marc Whitten told to IGN in an exclusive statement. Marc Whitten is the Xbox One chief product officer.

Next, to play games, similar to the current Xbox 360, the game-disc must be in the tray. The game will be installed to the console before playing but will require the game disc to be present before it starts.

There are no longer restrictions on used games. Games can be exchanged just like they can be right now on the Xbox 360. There will be no additional restrictions for trade-ins or lending games to friends. The system is also no longer be region locked and all downloaded games will function the same way whether your console is connected or not.

Xbox One games will be available for download from the online store and retail stores from day one as planned. Microsoft’s decision comes as a result of feedback as Microsoft’s Don Mattrick wrote ”Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback, I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One.” The full update can be found here.

Despite it’s $100 extra bulk over Sony’s $399 Playstation 4, will these policy changes affect your decisions of which next-gen console to buy? Leave your comments below.

Sony’s latest video game console was announced close to four months ago without actually showing us the console. It has finally been unveiled with a price tag of $399 which is about $100 cheaper than the Xbox One.

The new console is a bit similar to the older one but a bit bigger with an angled parallelogram design and will be available in black.

They also answer the question on if used games will work on the console and the answer is yes. It will also be able to play games while offline.

You can find out more about the technical aspects of the console here.

First pricing details. The Xbox One will be released in November 2013 for $499.99 in the US, £429.99 in the UK and 499.99 Euros in Europe. Xbox Live on Xbox One will continue to be a subscription service, but its price is unknown. Microsoft, also announced the Day One Bundle. The Day One bundle is a limited edition of the Xbox One which will include the following;

• Xbox One console with a 500GB HDD
• Blu-Ray drive and Wi-Fi built-in.
• Xbox One Kinect.
• Xbox One Wireless Xbox One Controller
• Free 14-day trial of [Xbox Live on Xbox One|Xbox Live Gold]

If you pre-order the Day One bundle you get these extra’s thrown in too;

• A Premium black packaging
• A limited edition Day One, Xbox One Controller
• Exclusive Day One Achievement

You also get premium DLC if you pre-order Day One;

• Ryse: Son of Rome – Exclusive multiplayer map and sword with bonus attributes.
• Forza Motorsport 5 – Access to four cars tuned to the top of their class.
• Kinect Sports Rivals – Exclusive sporting equipment that separates your Champion from the rest of the world.
• Dead Rising 3 – Exclusive Frank West and Chuck Greene Tribute Packs with bonus attributes.

Next, there is a new Xbox 360 console, it is smaller, sleeker, and quieter than the earlier “slim” model. It’s available starting today in the United States, UK, Canada and Australia, with more territories coming soon, according to Microsoft.

The last of its kind

Pricing for the slimmed down model will be the same as the older model, with a 4GB (no Kinect) edition running $199.99 and a 250GB model priced at $299.99. A 4GB system that includes the Kinect will cost $299.99.

Xbox Live Gold members will also get two free games every month. The First of those are Assassin’s Creed II and Halo 3, according to  Microsoft “hundreds” more are coming.

Below is a list of confirmed titles for the Xbox One announced at the conference.

•  Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
• Ryse
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

IGN has a very good table representing this information here.

Stay at Technesstivity for more on E3 2013

343 Industries, the company that currently develops the Halo franchise, announced at the Microsoft’s Xbox event that it would be creating a Halo live-action TV series and it will be directed by the most famous film director in history, Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg was not present at the event but came on-screen noting that the Halo franchise is “myth making meat.”

Over time different rumours have come up about Halo television series and even a Halo movie Microsoft announced themselves back in 2006 which was suppose to be directed by Peter Jackson. Just recently, prior to the release of Halo 4, a web series called Forward unto Dawn which revolves around the Halo franchise was released weekly starting on October 5, 2012, and was later released as a single film on DVD and Blu-ray. Though it was more like a marketing strategy for then upcoming Halo 4, its visual effects and story line caught the attention of millions of fans.

The Halo television series will have content which is exclusive to the newly announced successor of the Xbox 360, the Xbox One.

Source: Cnet

Microsoft showed off their next generation console, the Xbox One. The console shows off a slot-loading system, and it looks to be slightly longer and higher than the slim Xbox 360. It has a gloss and matte finish. The green ring looks to be replaced with a white glow. A large fan keeps the Xbox One quiet and the external power brick on the Xbox 360S has been scrapped for internal hardware. It will ship with the Xbox Kinect.

Kinect was revealed alongside the Xbox One as a totally new piece of hardware. there is only one visible camera. It does seem as though some sensors may be in the Xbox One console, however that is yet to be confirmed. A new Kinect comes with the Xbox One and improved accuracy. There’s a 1080p camera, Skype connectivity, and understanding of rotational movement in a structure-like skeleton. Microsoft even claims the new Kinect can read your heartbeat. It can also recognize your controller, not just your hands — suggesting usage gestures that sound a little like the PlayStation Move’s wand. It has been revealed that the Xbox One will not work without Kinect.

The Xbox One controller is a slimmer revamp of the current Xbox 360 controller, It has two new buttons, one of them is to share, the second is for the new Xbox Guide. Microsoft says developers will be able to program specific types of feedback into the trigger buttons of the new controller. The thought being that the trigger buttons will offer different types of feedback depending on if you’re playing a racing game or a first-person shooter. The new controller supports Wi-Fi Direct radio stack and has a newly designed “precision” directional pad and an integrated battery compartment. The controller will also link with Xbox One’s new Kinect sensor for Xbox One, which may mean Kinect will need to stay plugged in at all times if you actually want to play games.

New Specs

Under the hood, details so far include: an eight-core processor, 8GB of RAM, Blu-ray, USB 3, HDMI in/out, and a 500GB hard drive. Besides all of this, Microsoft is promising a new operating system fusing Xbox and Windows. Xbox One architecture has “three operating systems in one”: Xbox, a kernel of Windows (perhaps like Windows RT), and a multitasking interface. The idea seems to be that this console will be a multitasking device at heart.

Xbox TV
Microsoft emphasized heavily on smart TV controls and TV experience. While this may be very limited when it comes to third-world markets and non-supported satellite connections. The Kinect handles new gestures and voice-commands that switch between channels and simultaneously use other apps and features while keeping primary focus on a single app. To that end, it sounds like Microsoft is developing TV shows and original programming for the Xbox One, making a greater leap into Netflix-like original programming. Steven Spielberg announced a new Halo TV series that may be quite possibly be exclusively on Xbox.

Games
Forza 5 by Turn 10 Studios will be a launch title which was confirmed by a representative from Microsoft Studios. Other titles shown that may not be launch titles include, a new game by Remedy Studios called Quantum Break, FIFA 14 was revealed to be an Xbox exclusive, EA unveiled a new engines and multiplayer for a few top titles like NHL: Live and NFL: Live. EA is also developing Madden NFL 25, UFC, andNBA Live 14.

A Call of Duty: Ghosts demonstration ended the Xbox One presentation. Just like all previous Call of Dutys, all Ghosts DLC will launch first on Xbox. Call of Duty: Ghosts is being written by Stephen Gaghan, best known for writing the film Traffic. The game features a brand new game engine, multiplayer and gameplay features.

Battlefield 4 has been confirmed for the Xbox One by DICE. Ubisoft has confirmed Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Watchdogs, they have also confirmed that at least six games are being planned for the Xbox One.

Microsoft plans to release 15 exclusive games within the first year of Xbox One. Eight will be brand new franchises.

At E3 in June Microsoft intends to show the rest of the launch titles and games from the other big studios.

Rumors Abated and Unknown
The new Xbox will not be always online. All games will be installed to the hard drive of the console and verified online. The Xbox One will release later this year. That’s all the info we got… More to come at E3, no doubt.

The Xbox One is not backwards compatible, as this Wired article outlines. Also, used games are, in a sense, being blocked.

Conclusion
More will come at E3. We still don’t know the exact day of launch of the Xbox One. The console is being marketed as a home entertainment device. We still don’t know the exact speed and specifications of the RAM and processor. The TV integration emphasis may not play out well elsewhere in the world. At E3 we will see more games and details. For more on the Xbox One stay here at Technesstivity.