We'll be updating our Xbox One Specs, features, news, price & release date article with the most up-to-date news and information as it arrives, so save this page and keep checking back for regular updates
by Seth Barton
Source: http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/
The Xbox One is almost upon us. The next-generation console was unveiled at Microsoft's #XboxReveal event, giving us the first official specifications, then shown off in more detail at this year's E3 games show. We've gathered together everything we know about the console, plus a round-up of all the latest rumours, leaks and speculative pricesto fill in the gaps.
XBOX ONE HARDWARE
Microsoft gave us our first glimpse at the Xbox One during its #XboxReveal event. The angular, half matte and half glossy black box looked like a major departure from the Xbox 360, but the company didn't reveal the internal specifications until E3 in June.
As widely rumoured prior to the console's debut, the Xbox One is powered by an x86 Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) designed by AMD and based on its Jaguar processor architecture. This mirrors Sony's PS4, which also uses a custom-built APU from AMD. However, the PS4 has 18 compute units, compared to the Xbox One's 12, which could lead to a performance disparity when it comes to multi-format games.
UPDATE 05/08
In order to address this performance disparity, Microsoft announced that the Xbox One would receive a minor performance boost by the time the console launches. The GPU clock speed was originally set to be 800MHz, but will be 853MHz by the time the console goes on sale. Although this number sounds small, it could be enough to provide an overhead for anti-aliasing, or other graphical effects.
Microsoft has given the Xbox One 8GB of DDR3 RAM, which has a 68.3GB/s memory bandwidth, along with 32MB of embedded ESRAM. This faster memory has a theoretical memory bandwidth of 192GB/s, although 133GB/s simultaneous read/writes speeds look more likely for early launch titles – at least until developers get to grips with the new hardware. 5GB of the 8GB DDR3 memory will be available to games, with the remaining 3GB reserved for the console's dual operating systems (more on that below).
Using off-the-shelf components should help
XBOX ONE STORAGE AND BLU-RAY
The Xbox One will ship with a 500GB internal hard disk, along with a Blu-ray optical drive to play games and films. Initially, it was rumoured that the console wouldn't play Blu-ray movies, as Microsoft is pushing its Xbox Video streaming service, but thankfully this isn't the case.
The optical drive will install games to the hard disk in a similar manner to the way it does on the current Xbox 360, speeding up load times and keeping the console quiet as it won't need to read the disc during gameplay. Although we would have preferred to see a faster SSD, which would be faster, cooler and quieter than a mechanical disk, Microsoft would have struggled when it came to price
XBOX ONE CONTROLLERS
The Xbox 360 controller is arguably one of the most comfortable and well-balaned we've ever used, so it's unsurprising that Microsoft hasn't made any drastic changes with the Xbox One controller.
The asymmetric analogue sticks make a return, as do the A, B, X and Y face buttons, triggers and bumper buttons. The triggers have gained vibration feedback, giving very fine and immediate response to your actions directly to your fingertips.
The Xbox Guide button is now further towards the top of the controller, and the start and select buttons have been replaced with new icons representing menu and multi-tasking respectively. The Directional pad is now much more responsive too.
Disappointingly, the controller still relies on user-replaceable batteries, rather than an integrated lithium battery like the PS3. There will almost certainly be rechargeable battery packs, but they will have to be bought separately.
XBOX ONE KINECT & SPEECH RECOGNITION
The Xbox One is set to take the voice control introduced with Kinect on the Xbox 360 even further, with Wake on Voice, natural language controls and speech-to-text. A Kinect sensor will come bundled with every console, which has increased the price but adds plenty of extra features.
iPhone users already understand Natural Language, as it's the system used by the Siri service to recognise questions. For the Xbox One, it means games will be able to reply to Xbox Live messages quickly, resume video playback from a particular point if you were half way through, or ask for recommendations on what to play based on their most frequently played game genres.
The new Kinect sensor will also be able to detect the number of people in a room based on voice, and suggest appropriate multiplayer games based on how many are looking to play.
XBOX ONE SMART GLASS
Smart Glass felt like a bit of an afterthought with the Xbox 360, with only a few supported games and a basic user interface. For the Xbox One, Smart Glass is more deeply integrated to the console and will work closely with Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 smartphones, as well as Android and iOS devices. We're still waiting for the first killer app to show us what the system is capable of, but with Nintendo's Wii U already familiarising developers with second screen gaming, that can't be too far away.
XBOX ONE SKYPE
As it now owns Skype, it was only natural for Microsoft to fully integrate the service in the Xbox One. You’ll be able to video call anyone on your friends list, and with Kinect now in the box as standard you’ll be able to see and talk to any other Xbox One user.
Skype will run alongside anything else you’re doing on the Xbox One. The main screen will scale down, letting Skype run in a sidebar. The Xbox One will be capable of doing this whether you’re playing a game, watching a Blu-ray, watching netflix, or even watching live TV (as long as you have your set-top box fed through your Xbox).
Microsoft hasn't stopped there, though - it has built deeper Smartglass support into the console, letting you use your smartphone or tablet to display secondary information.
XBOX ONE DRM AND USED GAMES
Microsoft's biggest mistake with the Xbox One reveal was its handling of used games and Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions. In attempting to move from disc-based ownership to digital licenses attached to user accounts, it provoked thousands of gamers with plans of an always-on internet requirement, confusing policies and license restrictions, to the point that the company was forced to make a U-turn just a week after E3.
Originally, all games would be registered to your Xbox Live account, whether you downloaded them or bought them on disc. Once installed to the console, you wouldn't need a physical disc in the drive tray to play a game, and could lend games to friends over Xbox Live on a time-limited basis. Up to 10 family members were able to share a combined pool of games, letting you play co-op or head-to-head multiplayer games without having to buy multiple copies.
However, the proposals meant only participating retailers would be able to accept trade-ins, as the games would need to be de-registered from your Xbox Live account. The console would also have to be online all the time, in order to verify your licenses and confirm you have paid for your games. This didn't go down well with gamers in areas with slow broadband, soldiers based overseas and in countries where the system wouldn't be officially supported, so Microsoft scrapped the plans in favour of something more akin to the current Xbox 360 setup.
You'll still be able to buy games from shops, but all games will also be available as day of release digital downloads too. It's currently unclear whether digital downloads will be cheaper than box copies, as the Xbox 360 currently lists games as the same (or often a higher) price than bricks and mortar retailers.
However, the proposed ability to tie games to your Xbox Live account, to play back on any console you log in to, or sharing digital downloads with your friends, have been nixed by Microsoft.
XBOX ONE RELEASE DATE
The Xbox One will ship worldwide by the end of the year, with Microsoft confirming the console would be on sale before Christmas, but refusing to commit to a specific date. It will go head to head with the PS4 over the holiday season, confirmed by Sony taking out a full-page newspaper advert saying that the PS4 would be available in 2013. As the original Xbox and Xbox 360 both launched in the US in November, most industry sources expect Microsoft to do the same a third time. However, the PS4 is rumoured to launch in the US in October, giving it a one month head start over the Xbox One.
According to retailer Toys 'R Us, the Xbox One will launch in the UK on the 29th of November, meaning eager gamers will be able to pick one up in time for Christmas – assuming they pre-ordered one. Demand has been high, leading to Amazon selling out of its pre-release allocation.
XBOX ONE PRICE
The Xbox One will cost £429 when it launches here in the UK. Amazon, Blockbuster and Zavvi are all accepting pre-orders (at the time of writing) for the Day One bundle, which includes a console, one controller and a Kinect sensor.
Official accessories have been priced for the US, but we're still waiting to learn UK numbers. An Xbox one controller will cost $59.99 (roughly £40 before VAT) and the Play & Charge kit will cost $24.99. A controller and charge kit bundle will cost $74.99.
An official headset will cost $24.99 (around £15 before VAT). Unlike the Xbox 360, the Xbox One won't include a headset in the box, as the Kinect sensor has noise-isolating microphones that should be able to pick up your voice clearly over the sound of your games.
Console manufacturers frequently sell their systems at a loss, making money from online services and games sales over time. Microsoft has set the RRP for first party Xbox One games at £49.99 here in the UK, which is the same as the Xbox 360. Most retailers discount this RRP, so £40-45 won't be out of the question, but high profile games like Call of Duty: Ghosts will probably cost the full £50.
CONCLUSION
With the console's launch now just a few short months away, we’re beginning to get a clear picture of what to expect when the Xbox One arrives. We'll be updating this article as more information comes to light between now and the launch.
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