Xbox One

Following months of speculation, Microsoft has officially unveiled the successor to the Xbox 360 – the Xbox One. Designed not only for next-generation gaming but also intended to be a comprehensive entertainment experience, the Xbox One was described by Microsoft’s own Don Mattrick as a device “where all of your entertainment comes alive in one place” – an all-in-one system offering a “simple, instant, and complete” experience. Now incorporating Kinect right out of the box, the machine features voice control capabilities and gesture recognition technology for navigating its start-up interface, while the machine itself boasts 8GB of RAM, a 500GB on-board hard drive, native 64-bit architecture, HDMI input and output, built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi, an 8-core CPU, and USB 3.0 connectivity. Notably, the device scraps the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive in favor of Blu-ray discs. Furthermore, the new controller is obviously based on that of the Xbox 360, albeit with a more contemporary look and an integrated battery compartment for wireless connectivity. Finally, users can expect the Xbox One to offer DVR capabilities, as well as a plethora of cloud functionalities via Xbox Live. Although pricing details have yet to be revealed, Microsoft stated that the system would launch “later this year.”